Fried Hot Chicken Sandwiches with Kentucky Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

It’s a win for residents of Louisville, KY that there’s a hot chicken war going on: joints featuring this beloved Nashville import seem to appear faster than beer at a Cardinals basketball game. But if you don’t happen to be lucky enough to live in Louisville, you can get your Hot Chicken Sandwich fix in your very own kitchen. And just so there won’t be any misunderstanding with the folks in Nashville, we made this version 100% Kentucky, thanks to a knock-your-socks off, only-in-Kentucky bourbon barbecue sauce.

By Marge Perry & David Bonom

Yield: 4 Servings
Cuisine: American
Course: Entrée

Ingredients

Sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teasopoon cayenne pepper

Sandwiches:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup Louisiana hot sauce, preferably Crystal
2 8-10 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, halved crosswise
Canola oil
4 soft sandwich rolls
4 lettuce leaves
12 bread and butter pickle chips

Directions

For the sauce, combine the ketchup, bourbon, sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper in an Anolon Advanced Bronze 3 Qt. Saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened, 9-10 minutes.
For the sandwiches, combine the flour, sweet paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper in a shallow bowl. Combine the buttermilk and hot sauce in a separate shallow bowl. Place the chicken breast pieces on a cutting board and with a meat mallet or the heel of your hand flatten them slightly to an even thickness.
Working one at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off excess. Dip in buttermilk mixture, shaking off excess. Dredge again in the flour mixture and shake off excess.
Pour the oil in an Anolon Advanced Bronze 12-Inch Nonstick Deep Skillet to a depth of 1/2-inch. Heat over medium heat until a thermometer registers 350°F. Carefully add the chicken pieces and cook until golden brown and an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 160°F, about 5-6 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Assemble sandwiches with lettuce, chicken, pickle chips and barbecue sauce.