Oven Fried Chicken Sandwich with Old Bay Slaw
June 15, 2020 by Nicole Collins
This past weekend was the perfect weekend.
As perfect as it can be with a global pandemic and a world in crisis, that it.
The weather = perfect.
The food = perfect.
The responsibility level = perfect.
It was one of those weekends where my fridge was fully stocked from a fresh grocery trip. I had plenty to do to keep me busy, but I also had enough done that I didn't need to stress if I had a lazy moment. And, I got to spend the entire weekend with the windows open in the house and my behind outside soaking up the sun.
Side note, isn't it crazy how the sun can rejuvenate you in a matter of seconds?
I can have toothpicks holding up my eyelids one moment, or I could be grumpier than grumpy cat; but the moment I step outside and the sun hits my skin, I can close my eyes, let it work it's magic, and feel instantly better.
Anyways, I also got to do something a littler different and super fun this weekend. I've mentioned to you before that I'm part of this online supper club, and this weekend I got to takeover their Instagram account. It was such a fun way to connect with local foodies while talking about all the things that I love and getting to showcase what we do here at The Yummy Muffin.
Perfect weekend!
On the Saturday of the perfect weekend, I debuted the perfect sandwich to my fellow supper clubbers. And, that's exactly what we're making here today.
So today, we're making an Oven Fried Chicken Sandwich with Old Bay Slaw!
This is one of those recipes that I pieced together backwards. It all started with a bag of coleslaw mix that was about to meet its maker, and the rest is history.
Let's talk chicken first. This recipe starts with two big old chicken breasts. We're going to cut them in half them pound them out to a nice, sandwich sized shape. There are a couple of benefits to pounding the chicken: 1. It promotes even cooking times which means a less chance of a dry bird, and 2. It helps to improve that chicken to bread ratio. Once we have our chicken the size we want, we're going to let it sit overnight in a bath of salty buttermilk.
After the chicken has had a chance to soak up all of the flavor and moisture from the buttermilk, we're going to get it ready for breading and baking! To coat the chicken, we need a nice crunchy mix of panko breadcrumbs, crushed cornflakes, and a little Old Bay for flavor. Then, the chicken goes straight from the buttermilk to the breading for coating, then on to a well greased backing rack set over a foil lined baking sheet. Give the coated chicken a little spritz of olive oil to help it get crispy, then off the oven it goes.
While the chicken is the oven, we can work on the slaw. I actually took the same base that I use for my Shrimp and Mac Salad, did a little math to divide and majorly reduce the portion size, then tossed my coleslaw mix right in the dressing. Voila! Old Bay Slaw!
Once the chicken is perfectly cooked, the assembly is as simple as load up the chicken and slaw on a brioche bun, and DEVOUR.
This. Sandwich. Is. Everything. The chicken is audibly crunchy yet incredibly moist. The slaw is a little sweet and a little savory. And, the Old Bay in both layers is subtle, but present. It's hot and cold and creamy and crunchy and pure deliciousness in every bite.
It's completely worth the little bit of extra time you have to put into it. Which is basically just waiting for it to marinate, so let's not be dramatic about having to work any harder!
Ok everyone. That's all I've got for today. What was the most fun and exciting thing to happen to you this weekend? I want to hear all about it!
In the meantime, enjoy! And, let's eat!
Oven Fried Chicken Sandwich with Old Bay Slaw
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
For the Oven Fried Chicken:
1 lb chicken breasts (2 large), cut in half
1 cup buttermilk
½ tbsp salt, plus more to taste
2 cups cornflakes, crushed
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ tsp Old Bay
olive oil cooking spray
For the Old Bay Slaw:
4 cups coleslaw mix or thinly shredded cabbage
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Old Bay
2 green onions, chopped
4 brioche buns
Directions:
Marinate the Chicken: To a mixing bowl, add buttermilk and ½ tbsp salt. Stir to combine. Place cut chicken pieces into a freezer safe ziploc bag. Alternatively, place the chicken pieces between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken to about ½ inch thick. Place the chicken into the buttermilk, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
Bake the Chicken: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray a baking rack generously with olive oil cooking spray, and place on top of the baking sheet. Set aside.
To a shallow bowl, add crushed cornflakes, panko, ½ tsp Old Bay, and a pinch of salt. Toss to combine. Using tongs, remove one piece of chicken from the buttermilk letting the excess drip off. Place the chicken in the cornflake mix, and coat the chicken in the breading, pressing gently to adhere. Place the chicken on prepared baking rack. Repeat with remaining chicken. Gently spritz the tops of the chicken with olive oil cooking spray. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Meanwhile, make the Old Bay Slaw: To a mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, water, sugar, and 1 tsp Old Bay. Stir well to combine until the dressing is smooth and creamy. Add in the slaw mix and green onions. Mix until the slaw is completely coated in the dressing.
To serve, place 1 piece of chicken and a heaping scoop of slaw on a brioche bun. Enjoy!
Recipe notes:
*Pounding out the chicken breasts helps to make them the perfect size for sandwiches while ensuring even cooking.
*You can make the chicken ahead, store the pieces wrapped in foil in the fridge, and reheat them at 400 degrees in the oven for about 10 minutes. The prepared slaw can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days.
*Measure the cornflakes before you crush them. You want the crumbs to be pretty fine but still with a little texture. To crush the cornflakes, just put them in a baggie and crunch them with your hands.
*Soaking the chicken overnight in buttermilk helps to keep the chicken moist and flavorful while it bakes.
*The baking rack on the baking sheet is a necessary step to the process. It helps the warm air of the oven circulate around the chicken so it gets nice and crispy on both sides! And, we don't have to stop and flip them and risk losing some of our breading!! Don't forget to spray the rack with cooking spray though, or it will stick.
*The aluminum foil on the baking sheet is just for easy cleanup up.
