Crispy chicken, pickles and a bun

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A famously claims that it didn’t invent the chicken, just the fried chicken sandwich.  There is no denying that the fried chicken sandwich is a classic and crave-able combination.

Before I started making my own version of the sandwich, it was always the first thing I would buy to eat when I visited my hometown.

Six years ago, I created my version for one of my restaurants and called it the “chickwich.” It was my public homage to the sandwiches that I knew and loved from growing up eating Chick-fil-A. For my version, I use an aromatic buttermilk brine to keep the boneless skinless chicken breasts juicy and then dip them three times: first in seasoned flour, then in an egg wash and finally in crushed saltines to make the crust extra crispy.

If you have a large sauté pan or a griddle, a buttered and griddled bun is nice, but the bun is just fine without any prep.  The sliced pickles — the only condiment in this sandwich — are key, and if you are like me and want them in every bite, be sure to layer the entire top bun with pickles.  I like tangy and sour dill pickle slices, but if you prefer bread-and-butter or sweet pickles, they’ll work equally well.

The sandwich can be served hot or cold. If you are packing this for an al fresco dining experience, bring the three components in separate containers and assemble the sandwiches just before eating.  Otherwise, you run the risk of a soggy sandwich.

Elizabeth’s Chickwich

Start to finish: One hour and 20 minutes. Servings: 4

Buttermilk Brine:

1 1/2 cups hot water

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 generous sprig of fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary leaves

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 cups cold buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce or cayenne pepper

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenders removed

Breading:

2 cups self-rising flour

2 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons milk, whisked

1 sleeve of saltines, pounded fine by hand to make uneven crumbs

Peanut or cottonseed oil, for frying

For Serving:

1/2 to 1 cup pickles

4 potato buns

For the brine: In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the water, salt, sugar, rosemary, and peppercorns to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Stir and let cool to warm/room temperature.

Add 4 cups of ice cubes, the buttermilk, and hot sauce or cayenne. Whisk well. When the brine is cool to the touch, submerge the chicken. Refrigerate, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

Remove chicken breasts and pat dry. Discard brine.

For the three-layer breading: Mix the flour well with the granulated garlic, onion powder, paprika and salt. Whisk the eggs in the milk.

When ready to fry, coat chicken lightly and evenly with seasoned flour. One at a time, dip into egg mixture and immediately into cracker crumbs. Pat crumbs into all sides.

Let sit 5 minutes so crust is solid before frying.

Heat a cast-iron skillet with at least 1/2 inch of peanut or cottonseed oil.

Heat oven to 300 degrees.

When the oil is 325 degrees, place chicken in the skillet and cook 3-4 minutes with the lid on. Turn chicken over and cook with the lid off for another 4 minutes or until desired brownness.

To keep chicken warm and crispy until assembling sandwich, place fried chicken on a rack set in a sheet pan in the oven.

To assemble sandwich: Open potato bun and layer one side with sliced pickles; place chicken on the other side and close bun. Enjoy immediately.

To up the ante, you can butter and grill the inside of the bun before making the sandwich.

Per serving: 650 calories; 148 calories from fat; 17 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 160 mg cholesterol; 2186 mg sodium; 89 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 35 g protein.