Darryl Postelnick’s love for Southern cooking shines in this sweet-heat infused Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. Each sandwich is mellowed out by his Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing, complemented by buttermilk and white vinegar.
Darryl Postelnick’s Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
Makes 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole buttermilk
- ¾ cup dill pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 4 (8-ounce) boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 3 tablespoons ground red pepper, divided
- 2 tablespoons paprika, divided
- 2¼ teaspoons ground black pepper, divided
- Bacon drippings* or vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 brioche buns
- Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing (recipe follows)
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Sliced dill pickles
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, pickle juice, and hot sauce. Add chicken, cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours or overnight.
- In a large shallow dish, combine flour, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon red pepper, 1 tablespoon paprika, and 2 teaspoons black pepper, stirring until blended. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off. Dredge in flour mixture, and repeat. Each piece should be double dipped. Let stand while oil heats.
- In a large Dutch Oven, pour bacon drippings or vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches, and heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°.
- Fry chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of the chicken registers 165°, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken using tongs or a spider strainer, and let drain on a wire rack.
- Carefully ladle about 1 cup hot oil from pot into a glass measuring cup. Stir in brown sugar, chili powder, remaining 2 tablespoons red pepper, remaining 1 tablespoon paprika, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon black pepper until well combined. Brush hot oil mixture over both sides of each piece of chicken.
- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat, add buns, cut side down, and cook until lightly browned and toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing on the bottom half of buns. Add lettuce, pickles, chicken, and top half of buns.
Notes
*Darryl uses Bacon Up®, prepackaged bacon drippings. It can found in the cooking oil aisle of the grocery store.
Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons whole buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients until blended. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.
You can find this recipe and more when you pre-order Darryl Postelnick’s book “R U Kidding Me? Cooking with Darryl” or flip through our March/April 2024 issue! And make sure to follow Darryl Postelnick for announcements, recipes, and more.
