Chicken Sliders

Chicken Sliders

Chicken Sliders

Serves about 4-8 people.

• 4 cups peanut oil or vegetable, for frying
• 6 pieces of chicken thighs
• 1 cup dill pickle juice
• 1 cup buttermilk (plus more if needed to cover chicken)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon coarse ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)
• 1 tablespoon paprika (high-quality so it’s not too spicy or bitter)
• 1 tablespoon beau monde
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon sage
• 6 Slider Buns or dinner rolls
• Hamburger dill pickles

Pour the oil into a deep fryer or a heavy duty frying pan and preheat to 375°F.

Salt chicken pieces and place in a large bowl. Coat chicken with buttermilk, cover the bowl of chicken with saran wrap or lid and let sit on the counter for 1 hour or in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Place flour, cornstarch, and seasonings into a large bowl and whisk together.

Remove chicken from buttermilk and remove excess buttermilk from each piece.

Coat each piece of chicken very well in the flour mixture and place on a baking tray. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

Line a clean baking sheet with paper towels and have some salt ready.

When oil reaches 375°F, use a stainless slotted spoon or tongs to carefully place 3-4 pieces of chicken in the fryer (2 for small fryer or more for large fryer). The oil of the temperature can drop considerably. Adjust as needed and watch closely so the oil can keep at least 350°F during the cooking process. If the oil gets too cool, it will make the breading fall off and drench the chicken in grease.

Watch the temperature closely. I use both the deep fryer and my thermometer to make sure my oil stays between 350-375° the entire cooking time. Placing too many pieces of chicken in to fry at the same time can lower the oil temp considerably, so it’s best to cook just 3-4 pieces at a time.

Approximate cooking time is about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Remove the golden brown chicken from the cooking oil, place it on the paper-towel-lined tray, and measure the thickest part of the chicken pieces to be sure they have reached 165°F. If not, place them back into the fryer right away.

After they are for sure at least 165°F, place on the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain excess grease and cool a bit. Sprinkle lightly with salt right away.

Barbecue Aioli

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup horseradish sauce
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper

Stir all ingredients together. Keep refrigerated.

To Assemble

Cut the slider buns in half. Butter the insides of both sides of all the buns. Place buttered sides up onto a baking sheet. Turn the oven onto broil and place the tray of buns into the oven. Watch them closely and remove from the oven when they are light golden brown.

After the buns have finished being toasted, spread the Barbecue Aioli onto the buns.

Top with a few pickle slices, then the chicken, and the top buns.