A Fried Chicken Sandwich made with tender chicken in a spicy coating can be hard to resist. Freshly made at home this simple but tasty recipe is a joy to eat, served with a little spicy sauce in a soft bread roll.
Fried Chicken without Buttermilk
A lot of recipes for fried chicken use buttermilk to marinate the chicken. The buttermilk tenderises the chicken and then sticks the seasoned coating to the chicken ready for frying. I find buttermilk can be a little hard to get hold of, so I often substitute with plain natural yoghurt. It's generally very successful and this fried chicken recipe is no exception. The yoghurt tenderises the chicken in the same way, so if possible allow for the marinating time to ensure your chicken is super succulent. Of course, if you can get buttermilk you can use that.
I've used chicken thigh fillets as I think they have more flavour than chicken breasts. They are ideal, all you need to do is open them out flat then coat with the yoghurt. If you prefer to use chicken breasts, flatten the chicken slightly by hitting it with the flat side of a meat hammer or a rolling pin.
Like many people now I don't often deep fry food. So, rather than use a deep fat fryer, I shallow fried these in a heavy based pan with about 6mm (¼in) oil.
So that they are not too heavy on the calories, I have served them with a delicious Harissa yoghurt sauce (which is a rather grand name for yoghurt with a little harissa stirred in). Very simple and really tasty. And although you could use the more traditional mayonnaise, given that you have the yoghurt anyway why not use that?
Tuck the chicken into a soft bread roll with a few salad leaves and you have a great snack or light meal. Some sliced avocado goes well too or, if you feel so inclined, you could make some guacamole to go with it - So good!!! For a more substantial meal some Oven Roasted chips are the perfect side.
Fried Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 150 ml full-fat natural yoghurt or Greek style natural yoghurt
- 4 chicken thigh fillets
- 50 g plain flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- pinch ground nutmeg
- pinch sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4-8 tablespoon rapeseed oil for shallow frying
Harissa Yogurt Sauce
- 100 ml full-fat natural yoghurt or Greek style natural yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon harissa
To Serve
- 4 soft bread rolls or burger buns
- salad leaves
Instructions
- Place the yoghurt in a shallow dish and season with a little salt and pepper. Open out the chicken thigh fillets and check for any tiny pieces of bone. Dip in the yoghurt and turn until well coated. Allow to marinate in the yoghurt for about 2 hours or overnight if possible.
- Mix the yoghurt and harissa for the sauce together, chill until ready to serve.
- When ready to cook. Place the flour in a shallow dish and add the herbs and spices. Mix well.
- Remove the chicken from the yoghurt then dip into the seasoned flour until well coated.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan and shallow fry the chicken for about 10 minutes each side until the chicken is cooked through. The juices will run clear when pierced with the tip of a knife. If you have a thermometer the centre of the chicken should be at least to 75℃ (167°F).
- Drain on kitchen paper and serve in a bread roll with a few salad leaves and a dollop of the harissa yoghurt sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
- Easy
- Spicy
- Family Favourite
Sabrina Sommer says
Yummy, when can I come to try them, please?
They look delicious
Emma says
I LOVE Chicken !
Can't wait to try this
Emma xxx
Monika Dabrowski says
Love these little sliders (is that what they'd call them in America?), especially with that spicy yogurt dip! #CookBlogShare
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
I have never quite been sure what a slidder is .
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
Great idea to marinate with yoghurt: I do the same for Indian dishes, but never thought of applying it to fried chicken. And I'm with you: chicken thighs have it ALL OVER breasts in the flavor department. These sandwiches look to-die-for!!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thanks Michelle, it is essntially what happens when the more traditional buttermilk is used. or when we use lemon juice or vinegar when marinading kebabs etc.
jenny paulin says
mmmmmm my OH would devour these ! I also think my children and I would enjoy tucking into them too. I didn't know about coating in yogurt to tenderise , I mean I have done this for a curry but I wouldn't think to do it for fried chicken., xx
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thank Jenny, It the acidity in the yoghurt that has the tenderising effect
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
These look absolutely amazing. My husband loves fried chicken so would be in heaven if I made him this. Do you think it would work if you oven baked them instead of frying them? I know it wouldn't have quite the same delicious flavour. If not I may just have to make these as a treat!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Hi Cat, I think they may stick to the tray and not go crispy. To be honest they didn't absorb that much of the oil I fried them in so they are not as naughty as you might think.
Cat | Curly’s Cooking says
I did think baked might not work. They’d taste so much better you way and like you said I’m sure it wouldn’t absorb much. Thanks for a great recipe.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
You are welcome. j x