Chicken-fried chicken sandwich

No, no: it’s not a typo. ‘Chicken-fried’ is a popular recipe style in the US where any kind of meat, most often steak or chicken, is tenderised then dipped in an egg and milk mixture (or buttermilk in this recipe), then dredged in seasoned flour and deep-fried until crisp and brown, much like fried chicken. Chicken-fried dishes have long been favourites in the South, Midwest and Southwest United States — even the country music stars, the Zac Brown Band, have a song titled ‘Chicken fried’. You just have to taste this sandwich to understand what all the fuss is about.

INGREDIENTS

2 skinless chicken breast fillets

salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

125ml buttermilk

2 eggs

oil, for frying

1 tablespoon plain flour

375ml milk

4 burger buns or bread rolls

100g iceberg lettuce, shredded

2 tomatoes, sliced

SEASONED FLOUR

50g wheat biscuits, such as Arnott’s Shredded Wheatmeal or graham crackers

225g plain flour

1 tablespoon onion powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

METHOD

To make the seasoned flour, put the crackers in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs (but not too fine). Combine the cracker crumbs with the remaining seasoned flour ingredients in a large shallow bowl and mix well.

Cut each chicken breast in half crossways. Place the chicken pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap, flatten with a meat mallet or rolling pin to 1 cm thickness. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

In another large shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. With one hand, take a piece of the tenderised chicken and dip it in the egg mixture. Then place it in the bowl of seasoned flour. With the other dry hand, sprinkle more flour on the other side of the breast, and coat it thoroughly. Shake off any excess flour. Then repeat the egg dip and flour coating one more time. Place the well-coated chicken on a tray and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Heat about 5 cm of the oil in a wok or large saucepan over a medium–high heat until a small fleck of flour dropped in the pan sizzles. In batches, fry the chicken for 3 minutes on each side or until cooked and golden. Remove the chicken and place on a wire rack over paper towel to catch the oil.

To make the gravy, drain most of the oil from the pan, leaving behind 2 tablespoons of the oil and all the caramelised bits. Sprinkle the flour over the drippings and start whisking, cooking for about 2 minutes until a dark roux is formed. Add the milk slowly, whisking continuously until lump-free. Reduce the heat to medium–low and keep whisking until the gravy has thickened. Season with salt and pepper then pour into a gravy jug.

Cut the burger buns in half horizontally, place a handful of lettuce on the bun bases, then a few slices of tomato and the fried chicken. Drizzle with the gravy and sandwich with the bun tops.

#billman #chicken #sandwich