A sweet, hot, and crunchy build on the cornmeal-fried breast. Sweet pickles and maple bring the sweetness, the chilies and mustard bring the heat and sharpness, and the slaw is the cold crunch.
Picks
Sweet and hot over a crunchy crust, with cold slaw.
- Chicken sandwich patties: Whole breast, pounded to 1 cm, buttermilk soak
- Breading and frying chicken patties: Cornmeal dredgeDredgeCoat food in a dry layer, usually seasoned flour, before frying or searing., shallow-fried
- Assembling chicken sandwiches: Sweet pickles and slaw, on a toasted bun
- Chicken sandwich sauces: Spicy maple mustard (mayo, mustard, maple syrup, ground hot chilies), drizzled over the patty
Why these picks
- A drizzle, not a spread. Thin enough to season the crust without soaking it. The mayo in it carries the fat a bun spread would.
- Slaw for the cold crunch. It does the lettuce’s job with more crunch and some acid. It goes on top, away from the crust.
- Sweet pickles. Sweet and sour at once, against the heat.
How it fails
- Soggy: the slaw sat on the sandwich, or was too wet. Drain it and build right before eating.
- Cloying: too much maple. Add more mustard or chili.
Variations
- Honey mustard: swap the maple for honey.
- Ground patty: swap the breast for a Pan-fried chicken burger patty.