This is arguably one of the world's first fast food chicken sandwiches…now let’s lay it to rest.
Prep and Rise Time: 2 hours plus overnight
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 10
This is arguably one of the world’s first fast food chicken sandwiches… now let’s lay it to rest.
INGREDIENTS
Buns
½ cup (120ml) water
½ cup (120ml) whole milk
2 ½ teaspoons (11g) instant yeast
3 ½ cups (525g) bread flour
½ teaspoon (3g) amylase enzyme
1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) fine sea salt
⅓ cup (70g) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon (0.5g) diastatic malt powder
2 large eggs, divided
1 large egg yolk
⅓ cup (75g) unsalted butter softened, plus more for brushing
Cook spray
1 tablespoon water
Chicken Patty
2 pounds (900g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
3/4 pound (340g) pork fat back, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons (22g) Kosher salt, plus more to taste
3/4 teaspoon (4g) MSG
1 1/2 teaspoons (8g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (0.5g) sage powder
1 teaspoon (2g) ground white pepper
1 teaspoon (4g) garlic powder
1 teaspoon (2g) celery powder
½ teaspoon (0.5g) onion powder
Cooking spray
2 quarts (1.9L) vegetable oil
2 cups (130g) panko
1 cup (150g) all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
Dressed Shredduce
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon (3g) thinly sliced chives
1 tablespoon (3g) finely chopped dill
Zest of 1 lemon
Mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoons (28g) Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, grated
3 tablespoons (11g) finely grated Pecorino Romano
2 tablespoon (24g) water
1 tablespoon (14g) lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
Assembly
Unsalted butter
Burger buns
Mayonnaise
Cooked Chicken Patties
Dressed Shredduce
INSTRUCTIONS
For The Buns
Pour the water and whole milk into a microwavable container and microwave on high until the liquid is 95°F. Stir in the instant yeast until it dissolves.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, whisk together the bread flour, amylase enzyme, fine sea salt, sugar, and diastatic malt powder.
Turn the stand mixer to medium low and slowly pour in the yeast mixture. Once fully incorporated add in 1 egg and the egg yolk. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together until a shaggy dough forms.
Next, add in the softened butter and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and homogenous. Remove the dough to a clean work surface and knead by hand until completely smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
Place the dough in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.
Punch the dough down and cut into 10 evenly sized pieces, weighing approximately 80-90g each. Roll each piece of dough into a nice, round, ball.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
Add a maximum of 6 dough balls, evenly spaced, to the prepared pans. Spray lightly with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap and proof at room temperature for 55 minutes or until plumped.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg and water until combined. Lightly brush each bun with the egg wash before baking for 17 minutes or until deeply golden brown on the top and bottom.
Remove the buns from the oven, brush with melted butter and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For The Chicken Patty
Grind the chicken and pork fat back in a meat grinder or a food processor until finely ground. A meat grinder is ideal for the best texture, but you can use your food processor if needed.
To the chicken farce, add Kosher salt, MSG, sugar, sage powder, ground white pepper, garlic powder, celery powder, and onion powder. Mix together with your hands, ideally wearing gloves, until the ingredients are emulsified and in a smooth paste.
Line two sheet pans with parchment and grease with cooking spray. Divide the meat into ten 4-ounce balls. Flatten each ball into a patty just slightly larger than the width of the buns and place on the prepared sheet pan. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Fill a large (5-6 quart) Dutch oven halfway with vegetable oil and heat to 350°F.
Add panko bread crumbs to a food processor. Grind until the crumbs are about 50% finer than they come packaged. Pour the fine crumbs into a bowl.
In another bowl, add two eggs, whisked together until homogenous.
In a third bowl, add the all-purpose flour.
Remove the chicken patties from the freezer. This is optional, but for a perfectly round patty, use a circle cutter the size of the bun to cut the chicken patty.
Working quickly, coat the patty in the flour, tapping off any excess, followed by dipping in the egg and then coating completely in the breadcrumbs. Add 2-3 patties to the fry oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until the bubbling subsides and the chicken patties are deeply golden brown. Drain on a wire rack, and salt to taste before assembly.
For The Dressed Shredduce
In a large bowl, toss together all the ingredients and keep chilled until assembly.
For The Mayonnaise
In a quart sized container that fits an immersion blender, add the egg yolks, mustard, garlic, cheese, water, and lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Very gently pour the oil over top of these ingredients.
Gently lower in the blender and blend until combined, slowly lifting the blender higher to fully emulsify the ingredients together. The mayonnaise will be thick, smooth and glossy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
To Assemble
Cut each of the buns in half. Melt 1-2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat and place the buns cut side down. Toast until golden brown. Repeat toasting the remaining buns, adding more butter as needed.
Spread a generous schmear of mayo over the top and bottom of the toasted buns. Top the bottom bun with a fried chicken patty, and top the patty with shredduce. Finally, victoriously crown the McChicken with the top bun. Repeat building McChickens with the remaining ingredients and enjoy!
Big McChicken
Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus time needed to make McChicken patties and mayonnaise above)
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2
INGREDIENTS
Fried Onions
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups (473ml) buttermilk
2 1/2 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
Fry oil (from chicken patty recipe above)
Salt to taste
Assembly
Mayonnaise (see recipe above)
2-3 tablespoons sriracha, to taste
4 slices thick cut bacon
2 buns (see recipe above), toasted
2 slices Swiss cheese
2 McChicken patties (see recipe above)
2 slices American cheese
Fried onions
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Fried Onions
Use the same oil as the you did to fry the chicken patties to fry the onions, making sure it is again at 350℉ / 177℃.
Combine the onions and buttermilk in a medium bowl, making sure the onions are completely submerged.
In a separate bowl, add the flour. Toss the buttermilk soaked onions in the flour, making sure they are evenly coated. Place on a sheet pan and repeat with the remaining onions.
Gently drop the onions in the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel lined tray and season with salt to taste.
To Assemble
To the McChicken mayonnaise recipe, stir in sriracha to taste. Set aside.
Place bacon in a medium to large, cold pan. Place over medium heat, and as the pan gets hotter and the bacon begins to cook, flip the bacon every minute or so until it has reached the desired crispiness. Drain on a paper towel.
Spread a generous schmear of sriracha mayo on the bottom bun. Top that with a slice of Swiss cheese and use a torch or a broiler to melt the cheese. Add a chicken patty on top and cover with a slice of American cheese. Again use a blow torch or broiler to melt the cheese. Add on two slices of bacon and a generous portion of fried onions. Schmear the top bun with more sriracha mayo and crown the Big McChicken with the top bun. Repeat building the second Big McChicken with the remaining ingredients.
