A chicken sandwich follows the same rule as a burger: the patty brings salt, fat, and crunch, and the build adds something cold and crunchy and something sharp. The difference is the crust. A fried crust goes soft under anything wet, so the build keeps the juicy layers away from it, or puts a barrier between them.
The variables
- The bun. Toasted, cut side down in a dry pan. A soft hamburger bun, a long sesame bun for the BK classic, or a kaiser for a breast with some chew. Toasting in olive oil suits the Italian build.
- Mayo. On both buns. It’s the fat that a lean chicken patty lacks, and it keeps the bun from soaking up juice.
- Cold crunch. Shredded iceberg (shredduce), slaw, or pickles.
- Sharp. Thin raw red onion, mustard, or sour pickles (Sandwich sour pickles).
- Sweet. Sweet pickles, maple, or honey. Chicken takes more sweetness than beef does.
- Juicy. Tomato, sliced thin, kept off the crust.
Order
Bottom up:
- Bottom bun, mayo
- Patty, with any sauce, mustard, or cheese on top of it
- Pickles, onion
- Tomato, lettuce or slaw
- Mayo on the top bun, then the top bun
Wet things go above the patty, not under it, so the bottom crust stays dry against the mayo.
How it fails
- One note: no cold crunch or nothing sharp. The McChicken problem.
- Soggy crust: tomato, slaw, or sauce sat on it too long. Build and eat it.
- Dry: no mayo. Chicken needs the fat.
Recipes
Pan-fried chicken burger (with its builds under Variations), Cornmeal fried chicken.