Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Peach-Jalapeño Slaw

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp hot sauce, divided
• 2 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 2 ripe peaches, pitted and thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 cup thinly shredded red cabbage (about 1/4 small head)
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 cup neutral oil, for shallow frying
• 4 brioche buns, toasted
• 1/2 cup dill pickle slices

Steps

1. 1

   Start the chicken first so it can marinate while you do everything else — whisk the buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of the hot sauce, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl, add the chicken thighs, and let them sit. Even 20 minutes does real work here.

2. 2

   Make the slaw — toss the peaches, jalapeño, cabbage, red onion, lime juice, honey, and a good pinch of salt in a large bowl. Let it sit so the lime can soften the cabbage and the peaches can release a little juice into the dressing. Stir the mayonnaise and the remaining 1 tablespoon hot sauce together in a small bowl and set both aside.

3. 3

   Set up the dredge — whisk the flour, cornstarch, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a wide shallow bowl. Now the important part: drizzle 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade straight into the dry mix and rake it through with your fingers until shaggy little clumps form. Those clumps fry into the craggy, crunchy shards that make a sandwich look like it came from somewhere with a drive-thru line.

4. 4

   Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high until it reaches 350°F — a pinch of dredge should sizzle immediately. While it heats, pull each thigh from the marinade, press it firmly into the dredge on both sides, and set it on a plate. Press hard — you want the clumps to stick.

5. 5

   Fry the thighs in two batches, 4 to 5 minutes per side, until deeply golden and an instant-read thermometer hits 175°F. Thighs are forgiving — a minute over won't dry them out, which is exactly why we're not using breasts. Rest the fried chicken on a wire rack, never paper towels — steam is the enemy of everything you just accomplished.

6. 6

   Build the sandwiches — spicy mayo on both cut sides of each toasted bun, then chicken, then pickles, then a generous, slightly reckless pile of peach-jalapeño slaw. Crown with the top bun, press down gently, and serve while the crust still crackles.