The quest to defeat this spicy chicken sandwich might have created our best homemade chicken sandwich so far.
INGREDIENTS:
Buns:
½ cup (125ml) milk, heated to 100*F
½ cup plus 45 ml (170ml) water, heated to 100*F
11g bread machine yeast
4g amylase
3 ½ cups (525g) unbleached bread flour
60g granulated sugar
1 ½ (9g) fine sea salt
55g unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Toum Mayo:
15 cloves garlic
1 cup (237ml) oil
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon (14g) white vinegar
1 tablespoon (25g) Dijon
2 teaspoons (10g) sugar
1 tablespoon (5g) nutritional yeast
salt to taste
Chicken:
1.5 lbs (680g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 cups (473ml) buttermilk
1 tablespoon (14g) kosher salt
1 teaspoon (5g) sugar
1 teaspoon (5g) MSG
1 tablespoon (7g) paprika
1.5 teaspoons (4g) cayenne
½ teaspoon (1g) onion powder
1 tablespoon (11g) garlic powder
Dredge:
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (6g) paprika
2 teaspoons (8g) garlic powder
1.5 teaspoon (7g)kosher salt
½ teaspoon (0.5g) cayenne
1 tablespoon (5g) nutritional yeast
Spicy Chicken Dip:
2.5 tablespoons (13g) cayenne
1 tablespoon (10g) smoked paprika
1 tablespoon (10g) garlic powder
1 tablespoon (10g) brown sugar
1 teaspoon (4g) kosher salt
1.5 cups (360ml) hot oil from fried chicken
Assembly:
2 large tomatoes, sliced and salted
butter lettuce leaves
buns
mayo
chicken
INSTRUCTIONS:
Buns:
Preheat oven to 375F. Combine water and milk in a small bowl, whisk in yeast to dissolve, place in a stand mixer bowl along with the whole egg and egg yolk; mix on low speed, until combined. Mix flour, sugar, salt, and amylase in a separate bowl. While your stand mixer is running, add in your flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time until all of your flour has been added.
Once it begins to form a rough dough, knead for 3 minutes or until it turns smooth. Then add your butter, allow to mix until fully incorporated, and knead for 2-4 more minutes or till your dough is very smooth and begins to pull from the sides of the bowl.
The dough may be a little sticky, which is okay. Roll your dough into a light ball, and place it in a medium-sized greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
Punch dough down to degass, remove from the bowl, and place on a lightly floured work surface. Separate dough into 90g pieces (about ten total pieces), spray two baking sheets with cooking spray and lay down a sheet of parchment on each. Line each baking sheet with six metal 3.5-inch English muffin ring molds evenly spaced apart.
Roll all your pieces of dough into taught balls, and place them in the center of each ring mold. Spray the tops of your dough with cooking spray, lightly press each of them with a flat bottomed cup or container to get a thick disc. Cover each baking sheet with plastic wrap and proof for 1 hour at room temperature.
In a small bowl, whisk together one egg and a splash of water for your egg wash and place in a spray bottle (if you have one). Spray the tops of your proofed dough with the egg wash, or brush them if you don’t have a spray bottle. Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds optionally. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven, immediately brush with melted butter, and optionally top with flakey salt. Cool completely on a wire rack and enjoy.
Toum Mayo:
In a small pan, add garlic and oil, set it over medium-high, and let it come up to a light fry, occasionally stirring for about 5 minutes; once your garlic is soft and golden brown, cut the heat and let it sit for 5 more minutes.
Strain your garlic out and let your oil cool to room temperature. Once cooled, in a blender combine, mustard, sugar, confit garlic, yolk, vinegar and blend at high speed until you get a paste, then slowly stream your oil (room temp).
Pass through a fine-mesh sieve, taste, and adjust salt levels.
Chicken:
Add buttermilk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, sugar, paprika, and cayenne powder; whisk to combine. Add chicken to the buttermilk mixture marinate for at least 20 minutes in the fridge or overnight.
Take one piece of chicken from the marinade, let the excess drop from it, and toss in the dredge; ensure the chicken is coated in flour and place it on a baking sheet with a rack. Do not pile on top of each other. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
Fill a cast-iron pan with a neutral oil about halfway full. Using a fry or candy thermometer, heat oil to 350 degrees. Once heated, drop the chicken away from you and fry until golden brown with an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Take the chicken out of the oil into a sheet tray with a rack on top.
Dredge:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Spicy Chicken Dip:
Mix brown sugar, garlic powder, salt, paprika, and cayenne in a medium-size heat-proof bowl. Ladle in oil (from fried chicken) and mix.
Add your fried chicken while it is still hot, coated with the spicy oil, and place it on a wire rack to drain. Repeat with the rest of your fried chicken.
Assembly:
Slice and toast your buns in butter until golden brown.
Heavily mayo your bottom toasted bun, place a piece of your spicy fried chicken, then a layer of lettuce, one thick tomato slice, sauce the top bun, and crown your magnificent spicy chicken sandwich.