The Ultimate Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich Recipe - The Spruce Eats

This East-Meets-West fried chicken sandwich is the epitome of everything we love about our favorite fast-food orders with the addition of the bold flavors we often cook with. We lean into Asian seasonings and chili sauce to deliver a deeper level of spice, since these often combine a variety of peppers.

Pickles juice and buttermilk in the brine, why not? We love reusing pickle juice for an easy brine, plus it’s what many establishments do for that umami flavor. Buttermilk adheres to the chicken better than most other liquid brines and allows for the breading to also have more sticking power. Both add fat and acid to the brine to help tenderize the chicken for that ideal juicy bite.

We're obsessed with the texture and crunch a combination of all-purpose and mochiko (glutinous rice flour) deliver to this breading. Typically, all-purpose delivers a nice golden-brown coating with neutral flavor, while mochiko is lighter like you would expect from tempura. Baking powder creates very tiny air bubbles on the surface of the battered chicken when it is placed in hot oil, which results in a lighter, crispier fried chicken. The cornstarch helps prevent gluten development, making the flour coating crispier.

In thinking about where we wanted the heat to go, we take it a step further with a glaze reminiscent of Nashville hot chicken. This allows for full spicy sauce coverage. Meanwhile, we like to call it a kitchen sink aioli, since this sauce helps us make use of whatever we have on hand—feel free to make this your own (however, don't sleep on that chili crunch). Finish it with shredded lettuce to cut through the heat, dill pickles to add acidity, and a buttery brioche bun for the ultimate oh-ah moment.

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