The Ultimate Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich Recipe

Brine the Chicken - Gather the ingredients.

Brine the Chicken - Mix together the buttermilk, pickle juice, egg, chili sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken, turning to coat in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to overnight.

Brine the Chicken - Turn to coat the chicken in the pickle-buttermilk brine once more, then place on the counter to come back to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

Fry the Chicken - Gather the ingredients.

Fry the Chicken - In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and baking powder. Add 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk-pickle brine to the flour mixture and work it into the flour with your hands. This will help create the extra crunchy nuggets on the fried chicken.

Fry the Chicken - Remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk-pickle brine to a plate (reserve the brine). Working with one piece at a time, dip the chicken into the flour mixture, then back in the brine, and finally the flour mixture once more, pressing to coat. Place the coated chicken on rimmed baking sheet; repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Fry the Chicken - Place 1 1/2 inches of peanut or neutral oil in a large Dutch oven or deep cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until it registers 350 F on a deep-fry or candy thermometer.

Fry the Chicken - Set up one more baking sheets lined with paper towels and a wire rack set on top (this will be your cooling rack). Working in batches, carefully add 3 chicken thighs to the oil (placing them into the oil, away from you) and fry until golden brown, turning occasionally with tongs, about 8 minutes. Transfer to the cooling rack using tongs or a spider. Reserve the frying oil; you will use it for the glaze. (While frying, the oil should maintain 325 F and then bring back to 350 F between batches.)

Make the Glaze - Gather the ingredients.

Make the Glaze - Once all the chicken is fried, carefully scoop out 1/2 cup of the reserved frying oil using a measuring cup and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the chili sauce, honey, gochujang, salt, and garlic powder. Whisk vigorously until well combined. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Make the Glaze - Dunk each piece of chicken in the glaze, then transfer back to the wire rack. Alternatively, you can brush the fried chicken with the glaze.

Make the Toppings & Serve - Gather the ingredients.

Make the Toppings & Serve - To make the aioli, stir together the mayo, scallions, chili crunch, ketchup, and lime juice. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Make the Toppings & Serve - Halve the brioche buns. Add the 1/4 tablespoon of the frying oil to a medium skillet and heat over medium-high. Place each bun half, cut-side down onto the skillet and toast until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. If the skillet becomes dry, add a little more oil, as needed.

Make the Toppings & Serve - Smear each cut side with 1 heaping tablespoon of aioli. Place the pickles on the bottom bun, then top with the glazed chicken. Pile shredded lettuce over the chicken, then cover with bun top. Serve immediately.