Crispy, crunchy, and extra spicy - our take on a spicy chicken sandwich. We’re fans of the spicy chicken sandwich from that McMassive food chain, even if it’s just for chasing the heat. While it definitely has spice, it’s not that spicy - it has a tiny little kick…like a baby kick, it’s cute. We wanted something that would kick like Seabiscuit and burn like “you should get that checked out!”. Spicy chicken sandwiches are hot stuff right now, and we’re not ashamed to jump on the trend.

We’re not professional cooks, or even amateur cook enthusiasts (in fact we’re probably below the level of the trainee fry cook at that McMassive food chain), but, with access to the Internet and plenty of hot sauce, we felt prepared to make a Spicy Chicken Sandwich and we’re pretty f$%&ing proud of it. Seriously, it came out great and we want to share the love, so here it is.

Marinade Ingredients:
4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
400ml of buttermilk
30ml Hot Sauce (We used Kolohe Kid for this one)
2tsp Salt
2tsp Pepper
2tsp Garlic Powder
1tsp Cayenne Pepper

Flour Mix:
300g All-purpose flour
2tsp salt
2tsp garlic powder
2tsp paprika
2tsp cayenne

Method

1. Mix all marinade ingredients together in a bowl, then add chicken and thoroughly mix.
2. Cover bowl with cling film and place in the fridge for 24 hours if you can, but at least 2 hours if you can’t
3. Take chicken marinade out of the fridge about 45 minutes prior to cooking, and bring chicken up to room temperature (this helps keep the oil at a steady temperature)
4. In a separate large bowl/dish (big enough to contain the chicken), mix the flour ingredients together.
5. Add a tbsp of the marinade into the flour mix (this helps with getting flaky crispy bits)
6. For each chicken thigh; remove from marinade, allowing it to drip for a little bit to get rid of excess liquid, then place into the flour mix and press down. It’s best to use a wet/dry hand method for this. Mix the chicken in the flour and make sure it’s covered in all parts, really get it in there.
7. This step is important! After you’ve mixed your chicken thigh(s) in the flour, you drop them back into the marinade and then the flour mix for a second time. This will help to maximize the crispiness, we love crispy bits!
8. Heat oil to 175 C and try to maintain the temp above 160 C during frying. Cook to at least 75 C internal temp or when the chicken is golden and crispy. If you do not have a thermometer, you can try putting the end of chop-stick or wooden spoon handle into the oil - if it produces steady bubbles then it’s about the right temp (too many bubbles = too hot, not steady = too cool)

Notes

1. You can cut the chicken pieces smaller to make nuggets using the same method. We’ve halved and quartered chicken thighs, bought “butter rolls” from the grocery store, and made delicious sliders.
2. Dredging and flouring a second time really makes a difference in the best way possible, don’t skip that step.
3. Hot Sauce - this is going to be a chef’s choice sort of thing, we went with Kolohe Kid for all things marinade and to kick up our comeback sauce. Kolohe Kid has a vinegar base, isn’t shy about the heat, and really amazing color as well. We like to think of it as an upgraded Tabasco sauce
4. To really get the chicken spicy, you can add more cayenne, and go with a very hotter sauce in the marinade; something like The Rapture or Doomed
5. Alternative (non-spicy sauce) - Mayo, Honey, BBQ Sauce, and mustard. Start with a spoonful of each and mix together, adjust with adding more according to what tastes good to you. This is a real crowd-pleaser to top your chicken sandwich. If you know Chick-fil-A, you know what we’re talking about
6. Lastly, don’t forget to top your sandwich with some pickles (if you’re into it)

Enjoy!