Sriracha Fried Chicken Sandwich

   Finger lickin' good, that's the phrase right? Well, it is true, if you're ok with that kind of thing. There is a delicious developed sriracha flavor all throughout this chicken sandwich. Sriracha is a favorite flavor of my husband's, and why I chose to create this beauty. All for the love of connecting with others. Am I right? It makes a great late Sunday lunch after church, especially when you can't eat at Chick-Fil-A ;) Having a good bread to eat the chicken on makes this sandwich so much better and is the perfect compliment to the sriracha mayo. The mayo has got you covered with all your saucy needs. Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

Sriracha Mayo:

• 2 T Mayo
• 1/2 tsp pickle juice
• 1-2 tsp sriracha
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp fresh chopped oregano

Sriracha Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts thinly sliced and cut into 6-8 cutlets (Visualize the size of normal restaurant chicken fillets, I have a photo demonstration below.)
• 3 T sriracha
• 1 cup of milk or buttermilk
• 1 T sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 egg

Flour Blend:

• 1/2 cup Unbleached flour
• 1/2 self-rising flour
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper (*this depends on your heat tolerance level, you can also omit if needed)
• 1 tsp chili powder

-Oil for frying, enough for the pan to have an even depth of about half an inch. You can have 1 inch depth for frying, I just [refer less oil. Do not however fill the pan more than half way full with oil or it is a hazard. Start with 3/4 a cup and see if that evenly covers your pan, then add more if needed. I use a coconut/canola oil blend that's pretty inexpensive for the bottle. I don't fry often, so it usually lasts a while too.

*I like to fry in a cast iron that’s pre-seasoned, but a non-stick will work too. 

Other Items For Serving:

-Fresh bread or brioche buns

-Cabbage leaves that are about bun size

-Thin red onion round slices 

Directions:

1. Start by getting your station ready. You’ll need bowls on bowls. Apologies for the dishes but it’s worth it and you probably don’t do this that often ;) however, if you are concerned...you’re doing the cooking, so someone else should volunteer to do the dishes.
2. In a glass bowl or glass baking dish lay out your filleted chicken and season with the seasonings on both sides. Spread or sprinkle the sriracha on top of the seasoned chicken, and then carefully pour the milk over top of it all. This can marinate all day, in the fridge, if you wish. A good hour before cooking is what I do and think is best.
3. In another bowl mix dry ingredients and seasonings for the breading.
4. In a smaller bowl mix the mayo, sriracha, pickle juice, oregano, and pepper. (This can be made and chilled the day before.)
5. Have your cabbage leaves cleaned and ready for using on sandwiches, as well as having the onions, bread, and sauce ready.
6. Now to bread that chicken. Mix in one egg with a fork into the milk and chicken mixture. Allow the chicken to be fully mixed with the milk, egg, and spices. Using a fork pull out a piece of the marinated chicken and dip into the seasoned flour/breading mix on both sides. Set on a dry plate and repeat till all chicken is coated evenly. You can re-dip the chicken for a second coating if you’d like. Just follow the same process again and it’ll give you a thicker crust. I found that it’s not really necessary but possible.
7. Slowly heat up your cast iron skillet on a medium heat, then carefully add the oil in it. You need to see it ripple before adding in the breaded chicken. The temp should be between 350-400 degrees for the oil.
8. Veryyyyyy carefully lower the chicken down into the pan. Watch out for oil spitting.
9. Fry the chicken for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat on one side. Once you see a crust forming and the chicken beginning to cook through it’s time to flip.
10. Once you flip cook for 3-4 minutes until both sides have an even crust color and the chicken seems firm. You can always pull one out and do a knife check for doneness if you’re unsure.
11. Pull chicken out of fryer and set onto a cooling rack or a plate with paper towels. Then plate up.

For Plating And Serving:

From the bottom layer: start with the bread, then chicken, then cabbage, then red onions, a smear of sriracha mayo, and top with bread. *A good pickle slice goes great with the chicken, but that’s up to you boo boo.
Serve a la cart or with some baked potato chips and you’re good to go.
*One more tip is if you have leftovers and want to re-heat it. I recommend heating it up in a hot oven, toaster oven, air fryer, or frying pan for just a couple of minutes. The microwave does not give it the best flavor. I’m not exactly sure what it is (I bet Alton Brown could tell you) but reheated chicken in the microwave just has a stringy texture and strange flavor.