Recipe: Sheet Pan Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Eyes tend to light up when you say “fried chicken.” But when you add the word “sandwich” to the mix? Now you’re in true excitement territory. Using just a single sheet pan, this recipe makes juicy, crispy chicken (no scary deep frying involved!) on one side and pillowy buttermilk biscuits on the other. And the two come together into one delicious chicken-and-biscuit sandwich that the whole family will be clamoring for.
Sheet Pan Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Buttermilk Is the Key
Doubling down on the buttermilk is key to these sandwiches. First, use it to add some tang to pounded chicken breasts and keep them nice and juicy. When the chicken is ready to be dredged in some spices and a crunchy coating, take it out of the buttermilk and pat it dry on one layer of Bounty paper towels to absorb the excess milk. Next, use more buttermilk to make the buttermilk biscuits. This recipe uses almost two cups of buttermilk, but you can freeze any extra for your next batch of chicken sandwiches (which we’re pretty sure will happen shortly after you inhale these).
How to Get the Deep-Fried Quality from Your Oven
Oven-frying chicken on a sheet pan is one of the easiest ways to get crispy chicken without the fussiness of deep-frying. The trick is to coat the chicken in something that’s already crunchy. In this case, crushed cornflakes cereal sticks to the chicken and helps bake them to a beautiful golden brown.
Once the chicken and biscuits are baked, all the sandwiches need are a swipe of honey-mustard and a few dill pickle slices. Assemble the sandwiches and then elicit the help of a few more Bounty paper towels, which are a great kitchen helper.
Sheet Pan Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Prep time 40 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Serves 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 3
(6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup
cold buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons
cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon
dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon
garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon
paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon
ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 2
large egg whites
- 4 cups
cornflakes cereal
- 1 teaspoon
vegetable oil
For the biscuits:
- 1 1/2 cups
all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon
baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons
cold, unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup
cold buttermilk
For the sandwiches:
- 2 tablespoons
Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons
honey
- 12
dill pickle slices
Instructions
Marinate the chicken: Pound 1 piece of chicken at a time: Place it on a work surface, cover with a piece of plastic wrap, and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin until uniformly 3/4-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Cut each piece in half crosswise, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and turn the chicken to coat; set aside.
Make the biscuits: Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400ºF. Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven while it heats.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Grate the butter on the large holes of a box grater and add to the flour mixture. Gently work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbles. Add the buttermilk and stir until a sticky dough forms.
Dust a work surface with flour. Turn the dough out onto it and pat into an 5-inch square. Work the dough 10 times by folding the square in half, patting it down to a 5-inch square, and rotating it 90 degrees after each fold. Pat the dough into a 4x6-inch rectangle. Cutting straight down with a chef’s knife (do not saw back and forth), cut the dough into 6 (2-inch) squares. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate.
Bread the chicken: Mix the cornstarch, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, ground mustard, and salt together in a shallow bowl. Place the egg whites in a second shallow bowl and whisk with a fork to break them up. Place the cornflakes in a gallon-sized zip-top bag, seal, and crush into fine crumbs.
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and pat dry with Bounty paper towels. Dredge the chicken: working one piece at a time, first dredge it in the cornstarch-spice mixture to coat in a thin layer, then dip in the egg whites, and finally place the chicken in the bag. Seal the bag and shake until the chicken is evenly coated in the crumbs. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Bake the chicken and biscuits: Carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven. Drizzle the oil onto the baking sheet and coat the sheet with the oil. Use tongs to transfer the chicken from the bag to one half of the baking sheet, arranging it in a single layer. Bake for 5 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Arrange the biscuits 1-inch apart on the other half of the baking sheet. Continue to bake until the chicken is crisp and cooked through, and the biscuits are tall and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.
Build the sandwiches: Stir the mustard and honey together in a small bowl. Split the biscuits in half. Place 2 pickle slices on each bottom biscuit. Top each with 1 piece of chicken, drizzle with honey mustard sauce, and close with the top half of the biscuit. Wrap in Bounty paper towels for short-term warming.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftover chicken can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days. Leftover biscuits can be stored at room temperature up to 1 day.