Nashville Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 cups Buttermilk
• 1/3 cup Hot sauce
• 2.5 cups All-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp Cornstarch
• 3 tbsp Seasoned salt
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 2 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tbsp Garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Onion powder
• 2 tsp Dry mustard powder
• 2 tbsp Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning
• 2 tbsp Adobo honey seasoning
• 2 tbsp Dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tsp Smoked paprika
• 1.5 cups Cooking oil
• 3 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Ketchup
• 2 tbsp Sweet relish
• Chicken
• Toasted buns
• Shredded romaine lettuce
• Tomato

Method

Pound the chicken breasts to an even 1 cm thickness — you're after uniform cooking and a higher surface-area-to-meat ratio that maximises the crisp. Trim any thick tendons. Set up three bowls: buttermilk mixed with hot sauce in the first; a dry blend of flour, cornstarch, seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dry mustard in the second; and an empty third for the flour-dipped coating to rest.

Dredge each piece in the seasoned flour, shake off excess, dip into the buttermilk (the acid denatures the proteins and keeps the interior moist), then return to the flour mixture and press gently so the coating adheres. Let them sit on a tray for 15 minutes — this resting period allows the flour to hydrate slightly and stick more tenaciously. Heat 1.5 cups of cooking oil to 175°C in a heavy-bottomed pan; use a thermometer, don't guess. Oil at temperature should shimmer and smoke faintly.

Deep-frying the chicken in batches of two or three pieces (crowding the pan drops the temperature and produces greasy results) for 6–7 minutes, turning halfway through. The chicken's done when the external coating is deep mahogany-brown and a skewer inserted at the thickest point reads 75°C internally. Lift each piece onto a wire rack set over a tray — this keeps the underside from steaming and turning soggy.

While the chicken rests for 5 minutes, combine the Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning, adobo honey seasoning, dark brown sugar, chilli powder, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Whisk this into the still-hot oil off the heat (the residual heat blooms the spices without burning them). Brush this hot-oil-finishing slick generously over each piece or, if you prefer intensity, dunk the whole chicken patty into the spiced oil until fully coated.

Assemble on toasted buns with a thin spread of sauce (whisk mayo, ketchup, and sweet relish), shredded romaine, and tomato slice. Eat while the chicken is still hot and the bun hasn't absorbed the oil.