Easier on the palate than the super spicy Nashville alternative, this Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich is full of the sticky sweet spice that will have you reaching for more instead of reaching for a glass of milk.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb. (about 4 pieces) boneless chicken thighs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- Salt to taste
- 5 cups flour
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 3 medium-small russet potatoes
- 4 cups vegetable oil or fat for frying
- 4 fresh buttermilk biscuits
- Mayo for serving
- Sliced pickles
Hot Honey Sauce
- 3½ cups liquid honey
- 2 hot chilis, sliced
- 1 small clove garlic, sliced
- 1 tbsp.white wine or rice vinegar
- Pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS
- As far in advance as you can, up to 8 hours, marinate your chicken. If you can get skin on, boneless, that is best, but boneless/skinless is also good. Make the marinade by combining the buttermilk, paprika, and salt. Submerge the chicken thighs, cover with plastic wrap or a lid, and store in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
- While waiting for your chicken, make the hot honey sauce. In a small saucepan, add the liquid honey, sliced chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, and salt. Gently heat the honey until it begins to simmer. The second the honey begins simmering, remove it from the heat and strain carefully into a heat-safe container to cool.
- About 30 minutes before you want to start cooking, scrub the potatoes, then pass them through a spiralizer. Take the spiralized potatoes and soak them in warm water with a very healthy dose of salt.
- Place a wok, dutch oven, or other heat-safe vessel for frying, onto your side burner and add 4 cups of oil. Preheat the oil to about 325°F to 350°F (163°C to 177°C). Preheat the main burners on the grill to 350°F (177°C) preparing for indirect heat. Into a small heat-safe pot or vessel, add some of the hot honey sauce. Place it over indirect heat to warm along with the biscuits.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Remove the potatoes from the water, shake, break into smaller lengths, then toss in the flour. Once they’re nicely coated, set aside. Remove the chicken from the fridge and dredge in the remaining flour. You can choose to double coat by returning the floured chicken thighs to the buttermilk and back to the flour a second time too.
- In batches, fry the potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes until golden and crisp. Move finished fries to the grill to stay warm and drain. Repeat until the potatoes are done. Then, fry the chicken for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden and crisp. If they are not completely cooked through, but the coating is getting dark, they can finish on the grill while you cook the rest.
- When you’ve cooked everything, place the chicken and fries onto a wire rack on a baking sheet and season.
- Open up the warmed biscuits and add some mayo. Dip the chicken into the hot honey sauce, then place on the bottom of the biscuit. Top with some sliced pickles, then the top of the biscuit. Enjoy with your spiral-fried potatoes.
