This classic fried chicken sandwich is the perfect homemade dish that tastes much better than the fast food options.  The chicken is tender, the crust is crispy and flavorful as each bite is an explosion of comfort food. Top off with a delicious hot honey sauce and you have a winning sandwich.

Prep the buttermilk brine

The secret to having tender and juicy chicken is the buttermilk brine.  In a large bowl, add buttermilk and pickle juice.  Mix it together and place the chicken in the brine. I went with boneless chicken thighs as they are more flavorful and fattier than the breast.  Marinade the chicken for at 1-4 hours for best results.

How to make the perfect classic fried chicken sandwich

After the chicken has sat in the brine long enough, remove them from the liquid bath and place them on a wire rack.  Do not discard the brine, this will be repurposed as the wet mix.

In the buttermilk and pickle juice brine, add cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder and a pinch of salt.  Mix it all together and set aside.

For the dry mix, in a mixing bowl, add flour, corn starch, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika and a pinch of salt. Blend the spices together and set a side.

For the best coating, dip the chicken thighs in the dry and wet mixes twice!  To start, dip the brined chicken in the wet mix first making sure to fully coat the meat.  Transfer it to the dry mix again covering the entire piece.  Repeat these steps and set on a new wire rack.

Fill up a frying pan half way with either vegetable or peanut oil.  I went with vegetable oil in my recipe, but both work great.  It all depends on preference and potential allergies.

Wait until the oil reaches 375 degrees before dunking the chicken.  Fry time should be 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reach 175 degrees.  The crust should be a nice golden brown.

Assemble the classic fried chicken sandwich.

I kept the sandwich ingredients simple.  You want to enjoy the flavorful and tender fried chicken.  On a brioche bun, add some mayo for the base followed by boston lettuce.  Place a crispy fried chicken thigh onto the lettuce, a few pickle slices and drizzle hot honey all over the top.

As you bite into this classic fried chicken sandwich, you’ll get the crispiness of the crust, tenderness and juiciness from the brine and notes of sweetness from the honey.  This is the perfect trio! Enjoy!

Printer friendly recipe below:

Check out the Recipes Page for other tasty ideas!