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Hot Honey Fried Chicken Sliders

I lived in Washington D.C. for a long time before enrolling in Culinary School. At
the time, there was a restaurant in Southeast D.C. called Pineapple & Pearls, which
had one of the more expensive tasting menus in the city at the time. I never had
the opportunity to try the tasting menu there, but they did offer a fried chicken
sandwich during the early morning that was to die for, and only $8. Granted it was
on the smaller side, and there was usually a line, so I would normally order two. I
still have vivid memories of it to this day.
The following recipe makes about 8 smaller-sized fried chicken sliders.

Ingredients

  • 16 oz 1 lb chicken thighs, cut in half
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper (to taste)
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 Tbsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tbsp ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce (or more to taste)
  • 8 slider buns
  • 4 Tbsp salted butter (softened at room temperature)
  • ΒΌ head iceberg lettuce (thinly sliced)
  • 2 Roma tomatoes (thinly sliced)
  • 1 small red onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 large white onion (caramelized)
  • Bread & Butter pickles
  • Mayonnaise

Instructions 

  • Start by marinating the chicken.
  • Place the chicken pieces in a bowl, pour the buttermilk over them, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
  • To make the hot honey, combine the honey, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce in a saucepan over low heat.
  • Stir until fully combined, remove from the heat, and set aside to cool.
  • Heat vegetable oil in a deep-frying pan over medium-high heat.
  • In a shallow dish, mix together flour, paprika, garlic powder, Kosher salt, and freshly-ground black pepper.
  • Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk, letting the excess drip off, and coat thoroughly in the flour mixture.
  • Fry the chicken in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
  • Cook each piece until golden brown and fully cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side.
  • Drain the cooked pieces of fried chicken on a paper towel-lined plate.
  • Butter the slider buns and griddle them until they are golden-brown in color.
  • To assemble the sliders, spread mayonnaise on the bottom half of each bun.
  • Place a piece of fried chicken on top, then drizzle liberally with the hot honey.
  • Add lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, raw onion slices, and a few caramelized onions.
  • Cap with the top half of the bun, and serve immediately.

Notes

Fried chicken is best eaten hot, right after it comes out of the oil and is drained.