On the off chance that you missed the delivery (or re-arrival) of Popeyes chicken sandwich, you're in good company. Things got sort of insane out there, with supervisors working genuine extra time hours, individuals battling in the roads, and a lady mysteriously devastating her vehicle attempting to pass different vehicles in the drive-through line.
Popeyes may have run out of sandwiches (at any rate in certain areas), however you can at present get your hands on one — from the solace of your home, no less. We taste-tried the genuine article before going to the kitchen to attempt to repeat it. We distinguished a couple of key fixings — the rich, brioche bun and fresh pickles were truly simple to sort out — however needed to utilize our culinary analytical abilities to decide the remainder of the fixings.
Ingredients:
(For the brine)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoons MSG
(For the fried chicken)
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon MSG
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Neutral oil for frying, like canola or peanut oil
(For the Sandwich)
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
- 4 brioche buns
- 12 to 16 pickle slices
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine the brine ingredients and whisk until they're well mixed.
- Trim off the thin, tapered end of the chicken and butterfly each breast, slicing it in half crosswise to create four fillets that are roughly 1/2 inch thick.
- Add the chicken to the brine and cover it with a piece of plastic wrap. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for four hours.
- Make the breading in a large bowl by combining the flour, baking powder, salt, MSG, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and buttermilk.
- In a large Dutch oven or wok, heat 3 inches of oil over medium-high heat. If you're using an electric tabletop fryer, fill the unit to its MAX line. When the oil reaches 325 degrees, reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and shake off any excess liquid. Dip the brined chicken into the flour mixture, pressing it lightly until the flour adheres. Dunk the chicken into the egg mixture before returning it to the flour mixture, pressing it down firmly into the flour. Toss the chicken around in the flour mixture a bit to create a craggly, bumpy flour coating.
- Shake off any excess flour and carefully drop the chicken into the hot oil. Be careful not to overcrowd the fryer. Depending on the size of your fryer, you should be able to fry two to four chicken pieces at a time.
- Fry the chicken until it's golden brown and crispy on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes, and a meat thermometer probed into the center of the chicken registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and allow the oil to come back up to temperature before frying the rest of the chicken.
- Meanwhile, heat a cast iron skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Butter the insides of each top and bottom bun with 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Place the buns butter-side down on the skillet and cook until they're golden brown and toasted, about 2 minutes.
- Make the sandwiches by coating the bottom and top bun with 1/2 tablespoon of mayonnaise. For spicy mayonnaise, combine the mayo, hot sauce, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne before spreading it on the bun.
- Add three or four pickles to the bottom bun and top it with the fried chicken. Finish the sandwich by placing the top bun on top of the fried chicken.
