FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH WITH SPICY MAYONNAISE

Fried Chicken Sandwich With Spicy Mayonnaise image

"Fried," "Chicken" and "Sandwich": three alluring enough words on their own; together, they promise pure, unbridled pleasure.

Provided by Nigella Lawson

Categories HarperCollins Sandwich Fry Chicken Spring Fall Summer Winter Dairy Tree Nut Free Lunch Dinner

Yield 1

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

5 tablespoons kefir, buttermilk or plain yogurt
½ teaspoon hot smoked paprika, plus ¼ teaspoon for flour, below
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon maple syrup
1 fat clove of garlic
1 small skinless, boneless chicken thigh
4-5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Sunflower oil for frying, approx. 6 cups for a 9-inch saucepan, more for a wok
For assembling
¼ cup garlic mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Chili Crisp oil or other chili sauce
¼ teaspoon honey
1 burger bun or 2 slices of white bread
A few leaves of iceberg lettuce, shredded
Kimchi or pickles of your choice

Steps:

Pour the kefir, or buttermilk, or yogurt into a small dish and stir in the ½ teaspoon of hot smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon of salt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup. Peel the garlic and mince or grate it in, too. Give a good stir, then add the chicken thigh and turn it in the marinade to make sure it's well coated. Cover the dish, then leave for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days in the fridge. (If you simply cannot wait that long, leave the chicken in its marinade out on the kitchen countertop for 20-40 minutes.)
Take the chicken, in its marinade, out of the fridge in good time to get to room temperature before you start to cook it.
Mix the flour with the remaining ¼ teaspoon each of hot smoked paprika and salt in a shallow dish. Lift the chicken out of the marinade, but don't try and shake it off. Dredge both sides of the chicken in the seasoned flour, then dip briefly back into the marinade and dredge again. This double-dredging is essential to get a thick, shaggy coating. You can leave the coated chicken in the flour dish until you fry.
Mix the garlic mayonnaise with the Chili Crisp oil and honey, and spread both pieces of a split burger bun (or a couple of slices of bread) with it. Put a plate lined with paper towels by (but not dangerously near) the stove, if you want to get rid of any excess fat once the chicken's cooked.
Pour enough oil into your chosen pan to come about 1½ inches up the sides. Heat until a small piece of bread becomes golden and crisp almost instantly; if you want to be precise, and have a food thermometer, then you want the fat to be at 375ºF when the chicken goes in (and about 350ºF as it cooks).
Using tongs, gently lower the chicken thigh into the hot oil, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, by which time the coating should be deep gold and very crisp and the chicken completely cooked through. Remove to the waiting paper-lined plate, remembering to take the pan of oil off the heat, and leave to stand for a couple of minutes while you shred some iceberg lettuce and get out your pickles. Put a handful of shredded lettuce on top of the mayo on the bottom slice, top with the fried chicken, add kimchi, pink-pickled onions and any other pickles you want. Scatter with a bit more lettuce and squidge on the top of the bun or second slice of bread. Go in cautiously: I have more than once burned my mouth.