Classic Fried Chicken Sandwich

This fried chicken sandwich is ultra crispy on the outside, tender & juicy on the inside and bursting with flavour all over!

Prep time: PT20M

Cook time: PT15M

Total time: PT35M

Rating

5 stars (30 reviews)

Keywords

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Ingredients

4 boneless skinless Chicken Thighs ((see notes))
Vegetable Oil, (for deep frying (see notes))
1 cup / 250ml Buttermilk ((see notes))
1 tsp EACH: Paprika, Salt
1/2 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, White Pepper, Cayenne Pepper
1 3/4 cups / 250g Plain/All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp EACH: Baking Powder, Oregano, Salt
1/2 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
4 Burger Buns, (toasted (see notes))
1/2 head of Lettuce, (shredded)
sliced Bread & Butter Pickles/Gherkins, (to preference)
1/2 cup / 120g Full Fat Mayo
1 tbsp EACH: Honey, Pickle Juice, Sriracha

Cuisine

American

Steps

Pound Chicken: One by one lay a chicken thigh on a chopping board and rest over cling film. Pinch around the edges to avoid any moisture escaping, then pound with a rolling pin, mallet or even a heavy pan. You want them fairly thin, but not so thin they start breaking apart. The main goal is to achieve even thickness across the thigh.
Marinate: In a medium sized mixing bowl combine 1 cup buttermilk with 1 tsp salt & paprika, 1/2 tsp onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper and cayenne pepper. Add in chicken thighs and use your tongs to ensure they'll all evenly coated. Cover with cling film then marinate in the fridge. I highly recommend a minimum of 4 hours (up to overnight), but just as long as you have time for. Take the chicken out the fridge 30mins before needed to bring close to room temp.
Dredge: In a shallow dish or curved tray, combine 1 3/4 cups flour with 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp baking powder, salt and oregano, 1/2 tsp onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper and 1/4 tsp black pepper. One by one dredge the thighs through the flour, making sure you completely coat each time. Really get in all the cracks and crevices of the chicken to create lots of craggy bits on the batter. Place to one side.
Fry: In a large pot or deep pan heat up 3-4 cups oil to 180C/356F. Place in 1 thigh and fry for 3-4mins each side, or until deep golden and crunchy. The internal temp of the chicken should reach 75C/165F (will continue cooking slightly as it rests). The temp of the oil will likely drop when the chicken starts frying, and that's fine, but make sure the temp stays at around 165C/300F as the chicken fries (a medium flame should obtain this). Carefully remove and rest on wire rack with paper towels underneath (don't place directly on paper towel or they'll lose crispiness). Bring oil temp back up to 180C/356F and fry the next thigh.
Serve: In a small pot whip up your sriracha honey mayo, then stack the sandwiches in the following order - Bottom bun, mayo, lettuce, chicken, pickles, top bun (spread with mayo). Enjoy!

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 477 kcal
Carbohydrates: 44.42 g
Protein: 36.4 g
Fat: 16.22 g
Saturated Fat: 9.323 g
Trans Fat: 0.042 g
Cholesterol: 142 mg
Sodium: 1366 mg
Sugar: 1.77 g
Unsaturated Fat: 5.311 g

Reviews

Daniel Crosswell on 2026-02-01 (5 stars):
WOW! so good. Thanks!
AnnMarie Thomas on 2025-11-10 (5 stars):
I made this for dinner last night and it was fantastic! The best crispy chicken sandwich I have ever had. I cannot wait to try more of your sandwiches 😋
Chelis on 2025-10-22 (5 stars):
What kind of cheese would go best with this sandwich as I enjoy cheese on my chicken sandwich?
Jeff P on 2025-09-03 (5 stars):
Made these twice, and oh are they delicious! The flavor of the breading is so good, and these are so crispy and crunchy out of the fryer. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, and they were so tender and juicy. Only needed 3 minutes per side. Very simple to make, the longest part was waiting for the oil to heat up. Will make again!
Ellen Bunker on 2025-08-28 (5 stars):
Excellent! Made this for dinner tonight and the whole family loved it. I only had time to marinate it for 30 minutes but still A+!
Andrea on 2024-08-11 (5 stars):
Great recipe! I followed the recipe for most of our chicken, and I also altered the recipe for my daughter who has multiple food allergies. For her batch, I used oat milk (with vinegar) to marinate her chicken thighs in. She said, "It's so delicious." I let the kids and hubby pick their toppings, and I used some pepper jack pimento cheese and bacon pepper jelly on mine. Delicious.
Dorothy Ortiz on 2024-03-26 (5 stars):
Great recipe!
Kathleen on 2024-02-07 (5 stars):
I made this for dinner last night and it was a huge hit! Husband and kids loved it! I didn’t change anything and made it exactly as the recipe says to and it was delicious!!!