If you can look at this spicy chicken sandwich with honey-lime slaw and not drool, kudos to you. Doesn’t it look delicious? Nicole was raving about it the whole evening after supper! Even to her vegetarian boyfriend…sin, eh. Point is it’s good. And it’s not terribly unhealthy either, since we “oven-fry” the chicken, rather than deep-fry it!
The inspiration for this sandwich came from the weather. And no, that’s not a joke!! It was calling for snow here in Western Newfoundland and I found myself dreaming of this time last year, when I had a really good hot chicken sandwich at the Bird & Bone café in Miami Beach. I knew I wouldn’t be able to recreate the beach, but I could do the sandwich!!!
So I know that I could’ve created a closer recreation of the sandwich if I had deep-fried it, but there are some things that make me nervous and one of those are deep fat fryers in the house. Knowing my klutzy self, I would probably either sustain some serious 3rd degree burns or burn the house down. Or both. Plus, I don’t have a deep-fryer, so it’s a moot point.
Instead I chose to “oven-fry” the chicken, which is just fancy-speak for baking it. I find baked chicken can be dry, so I kept it moist by marinating in buttermilk for several hours beforehand. Don’t skip this step!! The buttermilk also works to tenderize the chicken. Also, the chicken needs to be pounded thin, this gives a good ratio of batter to chicken. Then, it’s topped with a simple spicy mayo, easy honey-lime slaw, and some dill pickles, all piled on a brioche bun. OMG you guys it’s so good. I don’t even miss the beach (just kidding I want to be on a beach so bad right now…excuse me while I google last-minute flights to southern destinations.
I hope you enjoy it! Let us know in the comments
Spicy Chicken Sandwich with Honey Lime Slaw
Ingredients
For the Baked Chicken
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tbsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme cayenne pepper and salt, each
- 1/2 cup cornflakes crushed
- 2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2-3 tbsp melted butter
For the Spicy Mayo
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2-3 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce to desired spice level
For the Slaw
- 1 cup cabbage shredded
- 1/8 cup red onion sliced thin
- 1/3 cup carrot grated
- 2 limes juiced
- 1 tbsp honey
- For the burger
- dill pickle slices
- brioche burger buns
Instructions
- To make the chicken
- Place the chicken in a plastic freezer bag and pound lightly, until it's an even width. Add the buttermilk to the bag, massage until coated, seal the bag and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400F and prep a sheet pan with a light coating of butter.
- In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, spices, and cornflakes together until evenly combined. One at a time, remove the chicken from the buttermilk marinade and dredge completely in flour mixture, shake off any excess, and place on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of each breast with the melted butter.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown and crispy, and the chicken is cooked through.
- To make the slaw & spicy mayo.
- Slaw: Add lime and honey to a bowl and stir until combined. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
- Mayo: Add hot sauce, cayenne and mayo together in a bowl, stir until combined.
- To assemble the sandwich
- Spread either side of a split bun with a generous helping of spicy mayo. Add a chicken breast to the bottom half, top it with 2-3 tbsp of slaw and pickle slices, and the top of the bun.
The recipe is credited to Nicole and Katherine – The former owner of SaltwaterDaughter.com.
