Farmers Market Chicken Sandwich with Quick Pickled Zucchini
Brining the chicken in buttermilk (or yogurt) for up to two hours ensures tender and juicy chicken, while helping the flavors from the marinade season the meat, in this case smoky-hot mustard for a perfectly juicy spicy chicken sandwich without the drive thru.
Summer is upon us, and here in Southwest Idaho we’re having a heatwave of record proportions. Yesterday I hit the farmers market EARLY, like the minute they were done setting up, my goal was to get what I needed and get back home before it got ridiculously hot, which I somewhat achieved, it was just shy of 100 when I got back home. YUCK!
With it getting so hot after such a long wet cold spring the chickens this year have been significantly smaller, which is actually great for making sandwiches, though somewhat less great for our farmer friends. Instead of having to butterfly and pound the breasts, it takes nothing more than a couple whacks with the bottom of a cast iron skillet to render the whole breast an even thickness. I’ll call that a win! The other bonus of smaller cuts and heat—by the time I get back home they’re usually pretty close to being defrosted (I bring a cooler for everything else).
Most chicken sandwiches will use a sad piece of lettuce to bring a cooling crunch to the table, but I had a chance to taste the leek microgreens from High Vibe Micro this weekend and knew that the mildly onion flavor would pair nicely with the spicy mustard + mayo combo while also providing that crunch as well. Microgreens also pack a pretty significant nutrient profile, especially compared to lettuce, so it was an added bonus in addition to the texture and color pops!
For the Chicken
1/2 cup Yogurt or Buttermilk ( Steele Legacy Dairy, Raw)
1/4 cup Grainy Mustard, Smoky-Hot (Wagners Idaho Foods) for a “Spicy Chicken Sandwich”
1 tsp Sea Salt
4 sm-med chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
1 cup Sourdough bread crumbs, Panko or Crushed Rice Crispy
1 cup flour of choice
1 cup-ish fat for frying, beef tallow or avocado oil is my fat of choice
Combine the yogurt, mustard and salt in a bowl or bag big enough to hold the chicken and the marinade.
Pound the chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thickness, It is not necessary to remove them from the cryo-bag first.
Add the chicken to the yogurt mixture and toss to coat. Let this marinade sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Bread and fry the chicken breast; remove the chicken from the yogurt, allowing any excess to drip off, don’t scrape it off as the yogurt is what will adhere the breading. Chicken can be grilled at this point if you prefer to have grilled chicken.
Combine Flour and Bread Crumbs
Dredge the chicken in the bread crumbs and allow to rest there for about 5 minutes. This helps ensure your breading stays stuck to the chicken. Failure to let it rest before frying will often result in a beautiful crispy coating that falls right off. We want it stickin’ to the chicken, so let it rest.
Heat the beef tallow or other neutral high temperature suitable oil to about 375f in a wide skillet. Cast iron is best for temperature retention.
Press the breading in to all of the nooks and crannies of the chicken. Carefully transfer the cutlets to the hot oil and fry on both sides until an internal temperature of 160f and crispy and golden on the exterior.
Remove from the oil with a slotted spatula and transfer to a paper lined cooling rack, salt lightly. Brown Paper bags work excellent, but paper toweling will work well too.
For the Sandwich
4 Sourdough Burger Buns (Ehlembie Gardens)
4-6 oz Leek (or other) microgreens (High Vibe Micro)
1 batch Mayonnaise
Split and lightly toast the inside of the bun
Spread both bun halves with mayo, then add zucchini pickles to one side and the microgreens to the other.
Add the chicken breast and dig in!
Thinly sliced zucchini is the perfect medium for a quick pickle given it's lower density than cucumber, it takes up the flavors from the hot brine much quicker. If the seeds are bigger/tougher, just scoop them out with a spoon before cutting the ribbons.
For the Zucchini Pickles
1 Medium zucchini, cut in to thin ribbons with vegetable peeler or mandoline
1/2 cup Vinegar (white wine or ACV)
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp Whole Grain Mustard (Wagner’s Idaho Foods), or mustard seed and one clove of crushed garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp Honey (Oasis Honey)
1 cup boiling water
Thoroughly combine Vinegar, salt, turmeric, red pepper flakes, mustard and honey in the bottom of a pint jar, pack the zucchini ribbons in to the jar tightly.
Top with boiling water, place the lid on and shake to combine. You may not need all of the water.
They’re ready to eat when they’ve come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.