Southwest Fried Chicken Sandwich with Fried Jalapenos

• Meat

  • 2 Chicken breasts

• Produce

  • 1/2 tsp Chipotle chili pepper
  • 1 tsp Garlic powder
  • 2 Jalapeno peppers
  • 1 Lettuce
  • 1 tsp Onion powder
  • 1 Red onion
  • 1 Tomato

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 cup Flour
  • 1 tsp Paprika, smoked
  • 1 Salt & black pepper

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 Peanut oil

• Bread & Baked Goods

  • 4 Burger buns

• Dairy

  • 1 Butter
  • 2 cups Buttermilk

Found on saltandlavender.com

Description

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
• Salt & black pepper, to taste
• Peanut oil
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 4 burger buns
• Butter
• See recipe here
• Tomato
• Lettuce
• Red onion

Directions

• Butterfly chicken breasts and cut in half lengthwise so youre left with four thinner cutlets.
• Place chicken in a bowl and cover with buttermilk. Marinate for six hours (overnight is fine, dont exceed 24 hours).
• Make the sauce (see recipe here). I suggest making it a few hours prior to making these sandwiches as itll thicken up and the flavors will meld together more.
• Add flour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chipotle chili pepper, and salt & pepper to a bowl.
• Fill a heavy pot with about 3/4-1 inch of peanut oil. Heat on medium-high heat.
• To test if the oil is hot, I drop a little flour in and see if it sizzles (a thermometer should read between 350-375F). Add the chicken pieces in one at a time (take a piece of chicken out of the buttermilk, coat in flour, place in pan, repeat). Cook for about 5 minutes/side or until theyre cooked through. Dont overcrowd the chicken. Youll probably have to do two batches. Best practices say the oil should be kept around 300-325F while cooking (the temperature will drop once you add the chicken in). I use tongs to turn the chicken.
• While the chicken is cooking, prepare your lettuce, tomato, and onion, and slice the jalapeno peppers into rings.
• If desired, you can toast the insides of the buns. I cut the buns in half and spread butter on both sides. I then placed them in a separate skillet that was on medium-high heat and fried them for a couple minutes (check them often and remove when theyre toasted enough for you).
• I cooked the jalapenos after I finished frying the chicken. It would work if you tossed them in with your last batch of chicken, though (like when youre on the last five minutes of frying). I dunked the jalapeno slices in the buttermilk and then the flour mixture, and then I added them to the hot oil for five minutes.
• Once the chicken is cooked, assemble the burgers by spreading on the sauce and then adding the chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, and fried jalapenos.