These burgers give fast food places a serious run for their money. Super crispy fried chicken that’s spiced to perfection make these the best chicken sandwiches around!
Just in time for Superbowl Sunday! I’m not a big football watcher – I barely understand it, and as soon as Tom Brady retires, I will not be able to name you a single player…
But I AM a big football snack eater! I love all the chips, dips, finger foods, and deep fried goodness. And what better recipe to share than these abso-freaking-lutely delicious and crispy chicken sandwiches!?
It’s recipes like this that make me wonder why I ever bothered with fast food?!?
Sure, it’s fast.
But this? This is FLAVORFUL!
Fried chicken spices:
We’ve got a healthy amount of spices and seasonings going on in this recipe! I mean, what good fried chicken recipe doesn’t??
It took quite a lot of mixing and matching to come to this (my favorite) group of spices!
For this recipe, you’ll need:
• paprika
• garlic powder
• turmeric
• cumin
• coriander
• black pepper
• salt
These spices are for both the marinade and flour dredge for maximum FLAVOR!
A notable spice that’s missing from the mix is onion powder, which I often see in traditional recipes for fried chicken. I’ve always felt like onion powder brings an off taste to the chicken, so I prefer to use fresh onion instead for an infinitely better flavor!
It’s an added step to grate the onion, but worth it for that pop of freshness.
Another kind of weird thing I like to do is use a mix of garlic powder and fresh garlic in my fried chicken recipe. Because (although they’re both technically garlic-y) they bring in separate flavors to the fold!
FINALLY, we gotta talk about the elephants in the room: turmeric, cumin, and coriander. These are not by any means “traditional” spices to use in fried chicken, but trust me on this! The flavor is out of this world!
Crispy chicken sandwich ingredients:
Other than the spices listed above, here’s everything else you’ll need for this recipe:
• yogurt: for the chicken marinade! I like to make this fried chicken without buttermilk because (a) I always have a hard time finding buttermilk in store! and (b) the yogurt does an amazing job at tenderizing the chicken (thanks to the acidity) and helping the flour stick to the chicken. It also helps keep the chicken ultra moist on the inside without compromising crispiness on the outside!
• fresh onion: I talked a bit about this above, but basically just because I love the flavor more than dried onion!
• fresh garlic: I also kind of touched on this a bit above – fresh garlic adds a nice, fresh kick of garlic flavor!
• olive oil: for flavor
• vinegar: for flavor, tanginess, and to help tenderize the chicken!
• flour: for the breading
• cornstarch: also for the flour breading – it helps absorb moisture and makes for an extra crispy chicken!
• baking powder: my favorite secret ingredient to whip out for extra crispy chicken! It helps dry out the flour and creates a light and flaky crust.
• hamburger buns & toppings: Feel free to customize the type of bun and toppings you use! I used plain hamburger buns and topped my sandwiches with lettuce and mayo.
Check out these other recipes!
• Herb Roasted Potatoes
• The BEST Baked French Fries
• Stovetop Stuffed Pasta Shells
• Chicken Ranch Wrap
Crispy Chicken Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (about 1 pound total)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely grated onion
- 3 cloves finely minced garlic
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 hamburger buns
- your choice of toppings (I went with simple lettuce and mayo)
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Slice each chicken breast in half widthwise. Prick the surface of the chicken with a fork or knife to allow the marinade to flavor the inside of the chicken! Set aside.
- Prep the spice mix: In small bowl, combine black pepper, salt, garlic powder, paprika, coriander, turmeric, and cumin. Mix together.
- Prep the chicken marinade: In a large bowl, add in the yogurt, vinegar, olive oil, grated onion, minced garlic, and half of your spice mix. Mix to combine. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat all sides with the yogurt mixture.
- Cover the chicken and set aside in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour – or up to 12 hours for even more flavor! Take the marinated chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before you plan on frying it to let it come to room temperature.
- Place a wire rack over a large baking sheet, and set aside.
- Flour and fry chicken: In a large plate or bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and the other half of the spice mix. Stir to evenly combine.
- Take a piece of chicken out of the marinade and allow any excess to drip off. Dip the chicken in the flour mixture and toss it to coat all sides with the flour. Set aside the coated chicken onto a piece of parchment paper, and repeat the flouring process with all of the chicken pieces.
- Set a large frying pot (with high sides) onto your stovetop and fill with about 2 inches of oil. Set the stove burner to medium heat and wait for the oil to heat up to 375°F. You can test to see if the oil is hot enough by sprinkling in a pinch of flour and it should sizzle right away.
- Using a pair of tongs, carefully lay several chicken pieces into the preheated oil. Take care not to overcrowd the pan. Fry the chicken for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside, and the inside is fully cooked. The juices of the chicken should run clear and the internal temperature should be at or over 165°F.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to the wire rack, and continue frying the chicken until all the pieces are cooked.
- Lightly warm or toast your hamburger buns and sandwich the chicken with your favorite toppings!
Enjoy!
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