Comfort food resides within this Honey Chipotle Fried Chicken Sandwich, peeps! Marinated in buttermilk and well-seasoned fried chicken coated in a delicious honey chipotle sauce. Paired with creamy coleslaw, cajun lemon dill aioli, and pickle chips on a toasted brioche bun. The best homemade fried chicken sandwich, ever!

honey chipotle fried chicken sandwich on black plate with toothpick in the center

Ain’t nothing like a fried chicken sammie, y’all! I remember when Popeyes came out with their sandwich and the whole world, it seemed, went into a tailspin. They’re simply delicious and the epitome of comfort food at its finest. That crispy, crunchy, and flavorful bite of pure chicken heaven…fried chicken. There are endless ways to have one; with cheese or without, creamy slaw, sauced up or naked? Nevertheless, this honey chipotle number is simply scrumptious!

Honey Chipotle Fried Chicken Sandwich 😛

Sheesh! I am crying actual tears at how pleased I am with this sandwich, friends. Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but you feel me. The flavors here are my favorite because while I enjoy a naked fried chicken sandwich, a saucy one will always have my heart. This sandwich has a lovely, sweet flavor with a slight punch of heat while also giving umami and molasses notes as well.

Furthermore, the cajun lemon dill aioli slaw comes in to provide a harmonious balance. The slaw acts as an exciting contrast on the palate; and gives a cooling, bright and fresh, crisp bite to round out the whole fried chicken sandwich experience. That slaw has big, bold flavors that you’ll love, gahhh!

⇢ More crazy-good recipes: chicken po’ boys, this lemon herb butter ravioli, cozy cabbage and sausage, my birria tacos, and of course, chicken and waffles!

honey chipotle fried chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries on black plate

What You’ll Need For These Sandwiches

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

  • Honey chipotle sauce: canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, pure honey, packed brown sugar (light or dark), and low-sodium soy sauce.
  • Cajun lemon dill aioli slaw: mayonnaise, garlic, lemon (zest + juice), cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chachere’s or Slap Ya Mama), freshly chopped dill, red pepper flakes (optional), and tri-color coleslaw mix.
  • Fried chicken and sandwich assembly: boneless/skinless chicken thighs, salt, garlic powder, ground white pepper, onion powder, smoked paprika, buttermilk, dill pickle juice, flour, oil for frying, brioche buns, and pickle chips.

Making homemade fried chicken can appear daunting, I get it. Have no worries, this honey chipotle fried chicken sandwich comes together so easily!

⇢ First step, prep the honey chipotle sauce and the slaw. They both entail combing all the ingredients together and then keeping them inside the refrigerator until the fried chicken sandwiches are ready to go!

What You Need To Fry Chicken At Home

  • Deep fry thermometer: A handy tool to monitor precise temperatures.
  • Dutch oven: These enameled cast-iron pots are perfect for conducting and evenly distributing heat. They are the most used types of vessels in the BBR kitchen and what I consider to be my holy grail pieces of cookware!
  • Kitchen spider: This tool allows for getting things easily out of the hot pot.
  • Shallow pie plate: I love using this for flour dredging work.
chicken thighs marinating in buttermilk and spices inside of a white bowl
flour and seasonings inside of glass pie plate
hand dipping raw chicken inside of seasoned flour in pie plate
flour coated chicken thighs resting on small silver tray

How To Make A Fried Chicken Sandwich

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

>> Don’t let this sammich fool you, it’s so easy to make at-home!

  1. Buttermilk soak. Listen, the very best fried chicken most definitely includes a good buttermilk brine…please don’t let anyone tell you different! Letting the chicken marinate and sit in a buttermilk bath prior to frying will impart more flavor and promote juiciness. My buttermilk brine includes buttermilk, pickle juice (also keeps things juicy and flavorful!), and some seasoning.
  2. Seasoned flour dredge. After sitting in the buttermilk brine, the chicken will get sopped up and coated in the seasoned flour. This is the big factor that gives fried chicken that signature, crunchy crunch coating on the outside, whew. The flour is also seasoned so that flavor is ensured at every stage prior to the chicken going into the fryer. Seasoning is life, mmmkay!
  3. Fry it up, baby! We’re in the home stretch of things, yasss. I like to use a deep fry thermometer to ensure that my oil is precisely on point. It’s one of my trusty kitchen items that I highly recommend having on hand. However, you can use the old school method of inserting the end of a wooden spoon into the center of the oil. If there are little bubbles around it, then the oil is hot and ready. Otherwise, let it continue to heat up.
  4. Sandwich assembly. Coat the fried chicken in the honey chipotle sauce. Then serve on lightly toasted brioche buns, pile the slaw on top along with pickle chips, if desired…then enjoy your fried chicken sandwich!
fried chicken thighs resting on silver wire rack with baking sheet

Tips + Tricks For The Best Fried Chicken Sandwich, Additional Recipe Notes, & More

  • Prep ahead! This entire recipe is a breeze once you prep ahead. I highly recommend making both the honey chipotle sauce as well as the slaw in advance. That way, they’re ready to use once all the chicken is fried.
  • What kind of chicken part is best? I prefer to use boneless/skinless chicken thighs for this honey chipotle fried chicken sandwich. Because dark meat contains more fat than white meat, it’s the extra fat that gives it a juicier texture. Use boneless/skinless chicken breasts if you’d like. I recommend using a meat tenderizer to pound the breasts to an even thickness.
  • Buttermilk soak, how long? If pressed for time, the shortest amount of time advised is at least 3 hours. However, for best results, I recommend keeping the chicken in the buttermilk brine overnight. This gives the chicken plenty of time to sit and for the connective tissues in the chicken to break down and tenderize. Tons of flavor builds up the longer the chicken marinates (but be mindful, no more than overnight, 8-10 hours).
  • Can I use gluten-free flour? Yes, absolutely! To keep things gf-friendly, use your fave gf flour in place of all-purpose flour as a 1:1 ratio.
  • Let it rest, woosah. After frying, let them rest on a wire rack. This allows for any excess oil to drip off and for the juices within the chicken to settle.
  • How much oil do I need? Just enough for the oil to come halfway up the pot, enough for the chicken to float. Any more and splattering may occur.
  • How do I get rid of oil? After frying, let the oil cool all the way back down to room temperature. Afterwards, use a funnel to strain the oil back into the same container it came from. Then discard like normal. Boom.
ingredients for honey chipotle sauce inside of small food processor
honey chipotle sauce inside of small food processor
black hand coating fried chicken thighs with honey chipotle sauce
honey chipotle sauce on fried chicken thighs on silver baking tray

This Honey Chipotle Sauce Thooo 🙌🏾

Lawd hamercy, ha! Y’all, I love this sauce so very much and it is the most perfect companion to a fried chicken sandwich. The honey chipotle sauce is sweet, smoky, subtly spicy, and flavorful to the bone. While we’re using whole chipotle peppers, there is a balance with the brown sugar and honey. Also, there’s some umami flavor in there with soy sauce. It’s simple yet dayum good!

⇢ Recipe note, if making the honey chipotle sauce ahead of time, refrigerate the sauce and then warm it up (microwave or stovetop) before using. Otherwise, leave it out on the counter a few hours before using.

Cajun Lemon Dill Aioli Slaw Me, Plz!

Adapted from my quick aioli on this salmon cakes recipe, this slaw situation is perfection. Aioli is a sauce that is made from an emulsification of olive oil and garlic. I like to think of mine as a “quick aioli” using mayo and a few other ingredients. Combine that with some coleslaw mix and you have the dreamiest, flavor-filled, refreshingly cool topping to pile on top of your fried chicken sandwich! It’s super simple to whip up and pairs well with the other flavors.

What To Pair Alongside This Honey Chipotle Fried Chicken Sandwich? 🤝

We love serving our honey chipotle fried chicken sandwiches right alongside some french fries or sweet potato fries! While you have the hot oil still sitting there- I mean, why not toss in some fresh cut taters, too? Either that or some store-bought frozen fries (ooh, those waffle fries!) of your choosing. Additionally, these sandwiches are great with a cute little side salad or chips.

black hand holding honey chipotle fried chicken sandwich

This Honey Chipotle Fried Chicken Sandwich is a big-time comfort foods staple and a recipe that hits the soul! Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾

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honey chipotle fried chicken sandwich on black plate with toothpick in the center

Honey Chipotle Fried Chicken Sandwich

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 20m
  • Cook Time: 10m
  • Total Time: 30m
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: Deep Frying
  • Cuisine: Southern
Print Recipe

Description

Comfort food resides within this Honey Chipotle Fried Chicken Sandwich, peeps! Marinated in buttermilk and well-seasoned fried chicken coated in a delicious honey chipotle sauce. Paired with creamy coleslaw, cajun lemon dill aioli, and pickle chips on a toasted brioche bun. The best homemade fried chicken sandwich, ever!

Ingredients

Scale

For the honey chipotle sauce:

  • 1 (7.5 ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 1/2 cup pure honey
  • 1/4 cup light or dark packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

For the cajun lemon dill aioli slaw:

  • 1/2 cup full-fat mayonnaise 
  • 1 tablespoon garlic paste or minced garlic
  • zest and juice of 1 small lemon
  • 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning, plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
  • 2 heaping cups store-bought, tri-color coleslaw mix

For the fried chicken & sandwich assembly:

  • 4 boneless/skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper, divided 
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder, divided
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, divided
  • 1 cup whole buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice, optional
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
  • 4 brioche or potato buns, halved & lightly toasted
  • dill pickle chips, for serving

Instructions

For the honey chipotle sauce:

  1. Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse to thoroughly combine. Be sure to check and make sure the chipotle peppers have all been blended. Then transfer the sauce into an airtight container and keep on the counter until ready to use.

For the cajun lemon dill aioli slaw:

  1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients together. Use your hands (fitted with disposable gloves, if desired) or tongs to toss the mixture together until well combined and the slaw is coated. Taste the slaw and add more cajun seasoning, if desired. Then cover the bowl with a lid/plastic wrap and place in the fridge until ready to use.

For the fried chicken:

  1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Then season the chicken with 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and garlic powder, then 1/2 teaspoon each of ground white pepper, onion powder and smoked paprika.
  2. Place the chicken inside of a large bowl and cover with the buttermilk and pickle juice, if using. Toss everything together to combine, making sure all chicken is fully coated, and then cover the bowl with a lid/plastic wrap. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to marinate for at least 3 hours, or overnight for best results.
  3. In a shallow pie plate, combine the flour and remaining 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt, garlic powder, ground white pepper, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Whisk the mixture together to thoroughly combine- then set the seasoned flour aside.
  4. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven. For optimal precision, use a deep fry thermometer to heat the oil up to 350-370°F.
  5. Back to the chicken, set a baking sheet aside. Then take a piece of chicken from the buttermilk brine, shaking off any excess, and coat the chicken into the seasoned flour mixture. Be sure to generously coat the chicken, filling in all un-floured gaps and crevices. Shake off any excess and set the chicken onto the baking sheet. Repeat this process until all chicken is fully coated and covered.
  6. While the oil is heating, allow the chicken to rest on the baking sheet.
  7. Once the oil temperature has been reached, carefully place the chicken into the hot oil. Note: I like to add two chicken thighs in at a time to avoid overcrowding. Fry the chicken until golden brown and crispy, about 5-7 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165°F- flipping every so often for even frying. Then place the fried chicken onto a clean baking sheet fitted with a wire rack (or paper towel-lined). Make sure the oil is back up to 350°F in between each batch of frying chicken.
  8. Allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes. Then use a pastry brush or utensil to coat the chicken with the honey chipotle sauce- use as little or as much as you’d like. You will likely have a little sauce leftover to which you can use for more chicken or as you desire.
  9. Fried chicken sandwich assembly: Place the coated fried chicken onto the bottom of your toasted bun, and generously top with the slaw and dill pickle chips, if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

  1. Please read the blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.

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