Fried Chicken Sandwich with Fennel Slaw

How to make Fried Chicken Sandwich with Fennel Slaw Recipe - Zak Silverman adds his own flair to this fried chicken sandwich by incorporating the wonderfully aromatic fennel plant. "We start by brining the chicken, resulting in a final product that is perfectly juicy, salty and a little sweet," he explains. "As the chicken fries, the fennel seed in the breading starts to toast and releases a ton of flavor."

Makes 12 Sandwiches

Ingredients:
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

BRINE
2 qt (2l) water
1 cup (128g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50g) packed brown sugar
1 cup (161g) salt
1 tbsp (15g) black pepper
1/4 cup (30g) chopped fennel

FENNEL SLAW:
1 head green cabbage
1 bulb fresh fennel
3 large carrots
1 bunch of dill

JALAPEÑO BUTTERMILK SLAW DRESSING:
3 to 5 jalapeños
1 to 2 cups (220 to 440g) garlic aioli or mayonnaise
1 to 2 cups (236 to 473ml) buttermilk
1 tbsp (15g) black pepper

FOR DREDGING AND FRYING:
2 qt (2l) canola oil
1/2 cup (50g) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp (45g) salt
3 tbsp (45g) black pepper
1/4 cup (30g) whole fennel seed
1/4 cup (30g) ground fennel seed
3 tbsp (22g) paprika
1/2 cup (11g) ground cornflakes
3 large eggs
1 cup (79ml) water
12 brioche buns

Method:
Cut the chicken breasts into sandwich-size pieces.

To make the brine, pour the water into a container large enough to hold the chicken. Add the sugars, salt, black pepper and fennel. Stir the ingredients until the sugars and salt dissolve. Add the chicken and allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator.

To make the slaw, remove the outermost leaves from the green cabbage head, cut out the core and slice it into pieces that will fit into the feeder of a food processor. Use a rotating slicing attachment to shred the cabbage and fennel. If you don’t have a food processor or a slicing attachment, slice the cabbage and fennel very thinly with a knife. Switch to a grating attachment for the food processor and shred the carrots. If you don’t have a food processor, use a manual grater. Chop the dill roughly and mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

To make the dressing, de-seed the jalapeños and puree them in a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender or dice them extremely fine. Stir together equal parts aioli and buttermilk, the pureed jalapeños and the black pepper until combined. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C, or gas mark 2) and fill a large pot with frying oil. Heat the oil to 325°F (163°C) on a deep-fat thermometer. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet

Remove the chicken from the brine and spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the chicken for about 10 minutes. The inside should no longer be pink, but still very moist.

While the chicken cools, set up a breading station. Mix the flour, salt, pepper, both fennel seeds, paprika and cornflakes in a large bowl. Crack the eggs into a second bowl, add the water and scramble the eggs.

Just before frying, dip each piece of chicken thoroughly in the egg mixture. Generously coat the chicken in the flour mixture. Transfer to another bowl for the finished chicken.

Fry the chicken for 1 to 2 minutes, until the crust is golden and crispy and the inside of the chicken is hot.

Just before serving, dress the slaw generously. Load the bottom bun with the slaw, add a piece of chicken and then add a little more dressing on top to the make the top bun stick.

Fried Chicken Sandwich with Fennel Slaw