Crispy chicken sandwich BLTs marinated in a pickle brine and buttermilk brine and tossed with a crispy breading. Cooked until tender and crunchy in an air fryer. Sandwich between two toasted buttery slices of thick cut bread and dressed as a classic BLT with thinly sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, crispy bacon, onions and pickles.

Air Fryer

The healthy alternative to deep fried/ frying in oil and much faster than baking with almost identical results. Grease free fried chicken with a crunchy exterior and a thick juicy centre. Once you’ve made your first batch and have that first bite you won’t go back. The only noticeable comparison with deep fried/ takeout chicken sandwiches is that it doesn’t have those thick pockets of air and deep crunch. It’s a thin layer of crunch followed by the juicy chicken. Seriously who cares.. the sandwich doesn’t need that. SOOOO GOOOD we can assure you this might become a new normal for you.

 BRINE

A combination of buttermilk paired with pickle juice, lemon zest and salt are all that’s needed. Submerge the chicken fully and let sit refrigerated for minimum 1 hour and overnight if you’ve got the time. This combination helps to keep the breasts juicy by locking in moisture and will allow the breading to coat nicely to the chicken without using any egg mixture. Of course it does add a small hint of pickle juice taste to the chicken.

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Print Recipe

crispy chicken BLT

Crispy chicken sandwich BLTs marinated in a pickle brine and coated with a flour mixture. Cooked until tender and crunchy in an air fryer. Sandwich between toasted bread and dressed as a classic BLT.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Additional Time1 min

Total Time31 mins

Course: Burgers & Sandwiches

Servings: 4 -10

Author: the communal feast

Ingredients

• Crispy chicken:
• boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 L buttermilk
• 1 lemon zested
• 1/3 cup pickle juice brine
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 TBS cornstarch
• 1 TBS salt
• 2 TBS chipotle chili powder
• cooking spray
• Sandwiches:
• french loaf or sourdough bread
• tomato thinly sliced
• shredded lettuce
• bacon strips
• pickles
• red onion
• spicy mayo or regular mayo

Instructions

• Cut each breast in half, use a mallet to pound down chicken into an even thickness. Place chicken in a plastic bag or tupperware container. Pour buttermilk, pickle juice, salt and lemon zest overtop. Ensure each piece is fully submerged. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for 10 minutes before tossing in flour.
• In a shallow bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, salt, chipotle chili and toss to combine. Remove chicken from brine and dredge in the flour mixture. Press down with your hand to ensure the chicken is fully covered in the mixture on both sides. Repeat until all the pieces have been made.
• Preheat your air-fryer as you normally would for 10 minutes. Once ready, spray the bottom with cooking oil and coat chicken on both sides with a generous amount of cooking oil. Transfer chicken to the air-fryer basket, ensure not to overlap. Cook for 20 minutes flipping half way at 400 degrees F. Repeat if cooking in batches.
• In the meantime, cook bacon, and prepare all of the sandwich toppings. Toast bread once chicken has fully cooked and removed from the air-fryer.
• To assemble: spread a generous amount of sauce on top and bottom buns. Layer with lettuce, tomato, onion, and bacon, followed by the crispy chicken and finish with pickles on top. ENJOY!

Notes

1 breast will make 2 pieces of fried chicken