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Cast Iron Fried Chicken Sandwiches

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on September 20, 2016

Time

1 hour, plus 30 minutes resting

Yield

Serves 4

Cast Iron Fried Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients

Kosher salt and pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon dried sage ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 tablespoons water 4 cups peanut or vegetable oil for frying2 large egg whites ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup dill pickle chips, patted dry and chopped fine, plus ½ teaspoon brine2 teaspoons yellow mustard 4 hamburger buns

Before You Begin

You will need a 12-inch cast-iron skillet with at least 2-inch sides for this recipe. Covering the skillet with a splatter screen will reduce the mess that frying inevitably makes. Serve with shredded iceberg lettuce and sliced tomato.

Instructions

  1. Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, paprika, garlic powder, sage, and cayenne in bowl. Measure out and reserve 1 tablespoon spice mixture. Cover chicken with plastic wrap and pound to even 1/2-inch thickness. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with remaining spice mixture.
  2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and reserved spice mixture together in large bowl. Add water and rub into flour mixture using your hands until evenly incorporated and small clumps form. Lightly beat egg whites in shallow dish.
  3. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip chicken in egg whites, then dredge in flour mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer chicken to plate and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
  4. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Add oil to 12-inch cast-iron skillet until it measures about ¾ inch deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Carefully place chicken in oil. Fry, stirring gently to prevent pieces from sticking together, until chicken is golden brown and registers 160 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through frying. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees. Transfer chicken to prepared rack and let rest while making sauce.
  5. Combine mayonnaise, pickles and brine, mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Serve chicken with buns and sauce.
Cast Iron Fried Chicken Sandwiches

Cast Iron Fried Chicken Sandwiches

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

1 hour, plus 30 minutes resting

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

Kosher salt and pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons water
4 cups peanut or vegetable oil for frying
2 large egg whites
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup dill pickle chips, patted dry and chopped fine, plus ½ teaspoon brine
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
4 hamburger buns

Ingredients

Kosher salt and pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons water
4 cups peanut or vegetable oil for frying
2 large egg whites
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup dill pickle chips, patted dry and chopped fine, plus ½ teaspoon brine
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
4 hamburger buns

Ingredients

Kosher salt and pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons water
4 cups peanut or vegetable oil for frying
2 large egg whites
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup dill pickle chips, patted dry and chopped fine, plus ½ teaspoon brine
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
4 hamburger buns

Why This Recipe Works

Fried chicken sandwiches look appealing, but too often they fail to deliver on flavor, leaving you with an overcooked chicken breast and a greasy, bland crust. To create a sandwich with all the crunchy appeal of fried chicken, we needed to start with the right piece of meat; boneless breasts halved crosswise proved to be ideal. We created a simple craggy coating with flour and water plus baking powder for an extra-crisp crust. Dipping the pieces of chicken in egg white first helped the coating adhere without making the chicken taste eggy. Letting the dredged chicken chill for at least 30 minutes before frying helped the coating set up and enabled our salty spice rub—a combination of paprika, garlic powder, dried sage, and cayenne pepper—to season the meat throughout. A mayo-based sauce spiked with mustard and pickles proved to be the perfect condiment to spread on the buns and accent our well-seasoned, crunchy fried chicken. With its high sides and great heat retention, our cast-iron skillet was the perfect frying vessel; we needed only 1 quart of oil to fry all the chicken.

Before You Begin

You will need a 12-inch cast-iron skillet with at least 2-inch sides for this recipe. Covering the skillet with a splatter screen will reduce the mess that frying inevitably makes. Serve with shredded iceberg lettuce and sliced tomato.

Instructions

  1. Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, paprika, garlic powder, sage, and cayenne in bowl. Measure out and reserve 1 tablespoon spice mixture. Cover chicken with plastic wrap and pound to even 1/2-inch thickness. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with remaining spice mixture.
  2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and reserved spice mixture together in large bowl. Add water and rub into flour mixture using your hands until evenly incorporated and small clumps form. Lightly beat egg whites in shallow dish.
  3. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip chicken in egg whites, then dredge in flour mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer chicken to plate and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
  4. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Add oil to 12-inch cast-iron skillet until it measures about ¾ inch deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Carefully place chicken in oil. Fry, stirring gently to prevent pieces from sticking together, until chicken is golden brown and registers 160 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through frying. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees. Transfer chicken to prepared rack and let rest while making sauce.
  5. Combine mayonnaise, pickles and brine, mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Serve chicken with buns and sauce.

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