Air-Fried Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Fried Chicken Sandwiches have been all the rage lately so I wanted to take my own spin on a homemade air-fried spicy chicken sandwich. This recipe doesn't require long waits in line and can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. This recipe was paired with refreshing cocktail called a Gold Rush with 2oz whiskey, 1oz honey syrup and 3/4oz lemon juice.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup pickle juice

1/2 cup buttermilk OR 1 egg and 1 cup of milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 TBSP Garlic powder

1 TBSP onion powder

1 TBSP smoked paprika

1 TSP cayenne pepper

1 TSP salt

1 TSP black pepper

10 bread & butter pickle slices

2 brioche buns

1 TBSP butter (for buns)

1 TSP Mayo

Avocado Spray Oil

Hot Honey Sauce:

1/4 cup honey

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP your favorite hot sauce (I used Tapatio)

Ingredients:

Step 1: In a sauce pan over medium heat, add the honey, butter & hot sauce. Cook until the butter is melted. Set sauce pan aside.

Step 2: In a large bowl, place the chicken breasts and 1 cup of pickle juice. Cover the bowl and let the chicken brine for at least 1 hour. This will help tenderize the chicken and keep it juicy.

Step 3: In a separate large bowl, add the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and mix together and set aside.

Step 4: In a shallow dish, add 1/2 of buttermilk OR 1/2 milk with 1 egg whisked and set aside.

Step 5: Take the chicken marinated in pickle juice and dip in the buttermilk OR egg and milk, be sure the entire chicken breast is coated, then dip and press the chicken breast into the flour and spices mix. Flip the chicken breast over to coat the other side.

Step 6: Dip the chicken in the buttermilk again, be sure to coat the entire chicken breast, then dip the chicken again in the flour mix, pressing down on the chicken firmly to make sure the chicken is coated and set aside.

Step 7: Repeat steps 5 and 6 with additional chicken breast pieces.

Step 8: Spray your air fryer basket with avocado oil so that the chicken doesn’t stick to the basket. Set air fryer to 400 degree and cook chicken for 8 minutes on each side.

Step 9: After 8 minutes, use tongs to carefully flip the chicken and cook for an additional 8 minutes. NOTE: Be sure to check the temperature on the chicken breast to reach at least 165 degrees inside so that the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Step 10: Once the chicken is done in air-fryer take the chicken breast and toss in the hot honey sauce to coat the chicken breast and set aside, continue with each chicken breast.

Step 11: In a large skillet over medium heat, coat the brioche buns in butter and toast until golden brown, add mayo to the top bun.

Step 12: Once the buns are done toasting, prepare the spicy chicken sandwich. Add 4-5 pickle slices on the bottom bun then place the air fried chicken breast, and top bun and enjoy!

¡Buen Provecho!