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Hot honey fried chicken sandwich on a dark wooden board with small bowl of gochujang aioli in the background.

Hot Honey Fried Chicken Sandwich


  • Author: Kate Alexandra
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x

Description

Super crispy, juicy fried chicken drizzled with sweet, spicy hot honey, sandwiched between a soft brioche bun? This hot honey fried chicken sandwich might just be the ultimate crowd-pleasing comfort food I know you’ll love.


Ingredients

Units Scale

For the fried chicken –

  • 1lb/500g chicken thighs, skinless, boneless and free-range
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 cups plain flour
  • 1/2 cup cornflour (cornstarch)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1litre vegetable oil, for frying

For the sandwich –

  • 4 brioche buns
  • 4 tablespoons gochujang aioli (or another spicy mayo)
  • 4 tablespoons hot honey sauce
  • 1 Romaine lettuce, shredded (or use gem, baby gem, iceberg or another crunchy lettuce)
  • 12 sliced pickles

Instructions

  1. Marinate the chicken. Add 1/2 cup yogurt, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce and 1 teaspoon of salt to a large bowl, or a container you have a lid for. Mix with a fork to combine, then add the chicken thighs. Toss the chicken through the yogurt marinade, then cover and pop it into the fridge for at least 30 minutes, if not overnight.
  2. Prepare the sandwich toppings. If you’re making the hot honey sauce, add 1/2 cup honey, 2 teaspoons of chilli flakes and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a small pot over medium heat. Stir, and bring to a simmer. The honey will bubble up and loosen in consistency as you do this. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then remove from the heat and let cool, Slice your buns, then get your shredded lettuce, pickles and aioli ready to assemble the sandwiches.
  3. Coat the chicken. Add 1 1/2 cups of plain flour, 1/2 cup cornflour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon turmeric to a large bowl and give it a good mix to combine. Get a plate or oven tray ready to place the dredged chicken on. Remove the chicken from the fridge. Pick up a piece of chicken and let any excess yogurt marinade drip off, then place it in the bowl with the flour mix. Flip the chicken over a couple of times in the flour, pressing it into the mixture and scrunching the chicken up with your hands to create lots of craggy bits of flour (this will give you lots of texture and lovely crispy edges). Transfer to the prepared plate or tray and repeat with the rest of the chicken.
  4. Heat the oil. Prepare a wire rack set over an oven tray lined with a paper towelPour your oil into a large, deep-sided saucepan. You want the oil to come about halfway up the sides. Set the pan over high heat, and if you have a thermometer (my recommended method), heat the oil to 180C/356F. If you don’t have a thermometer, place a chopstick upright in the oil. If you see lots of bubbles appearing around it, the oil is ready to use.
  5. Fry the chicken. Once the oil hits the right temperature, carefully lower a piece of coated chicken into the oil. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to do this in batches. Use a fish slice to move the chicken around and rotate it in the oil occasionally as it cooks. Deep-fry for about 6 minutes, until the coating is looking super golden and crispy. Carefully transfer it to your wire rack and sprinkle each piece with 1/4 teaspoon salt. If you’re worried, you can always cut into the middle of the chicken to check it’s cooked through (no one will notice once you’ve put it in the sandwiches! PRO TIP: The key to super crispy fried chicken is both monitoring the temperature and not crowding the pot. Try to keep the oil temperature at 180C/356F and remember that when you add the chicken, the temperature will drop. You may need to turn the heat on and off to do this. If the oil is too cold, the coating will just go soggy, and if it’s too hot, the coating will burn before the chicken is cooked through.
  6. Assemble the sandwiches. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of gochujang aioli onto both cut sides of each bun. Pile on the shredded lettuce, then top with a piece of fried chicken. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of hot honey over each piece of chicken, then top with the pickles. Place the bun on top to finish the sandwich, and enjoy!

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: Chicken thighs are ideal for frying because they’re super juicy. You can use chicken breast if you prefer, but you’ll need to slice them into slightly smaller pieces (about 3 pieces) before marinating. Make sure you use an oil with a high smoke point, rather than something like olive oil when you’re deep-frying. I like to use sunflower/rapeseed oil but any similar vegetable oil will do.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Use regular mayo or aioli in place of the gochujang aioli if you like, and use any soft bun if you can’t find brioche. You can use more lemon juice if you don’t have fish sauce, and make it gluten-free by using gluten-free flour and a gluten-free bun.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: These sandwiches are best served right away – all that sauciness means they don’t store well when they’re assembled. However, if you want to, you can prep everything in advance and then reheat the chicken and assemble it when you’re ready. The chicken will keep well for 3 days in the fridge. The best way to reheat fried chicken so it stays crispy is either in the oven or in the air fryer. Place the chicken on a wire rack set over an oven tray, then place it in the oven preheated to 205C/400F fan. Cook for 10 minutes, until hot and crispy.  Or, place the chicken in your air fryer at  400F/205C for 5 minutes, giving the basket a little shake halfway through. You can also enjoy fried chicken cold, that’s equally delicious!

  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Category: fakeaways
  • Method: deep frying
  • Cuisine: american

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 sandwich

Keywords: fried chicken burger, hot honey chicken, fried chicken