Dave’s Hot Chicken (Copycat Recipe for Sliders and Sauce)
Crispy fried chicken is a fast food staple, but this one is so good that it tastes like a fancy meal from a 5-star restaurant. Chicken is incredibly tender, double-coated in aromatic breading, and deep-fried to golden perfection. The flavor lies in a signature sauce that hits all the taste buds, as it is savory, spicy, acidic, and sweet all at the same time. This is a copycat recipe of Dave’s spicy chicken, sliders, and sauce, but slightly altered and, subjectively, more delicious!
Equipment
- 1 frying pan
- 1 kitchen mallet
- 4 bowls
Ingredients
- 2 pieces chicken breast (large)
- 6 brioche buns
For Breading
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper (less or more, to your taste)
- 1 tsp MSG
For Brining
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 egg (large)
- 2 tbsp vinegar-based hot sauce
- ¼ cup pickle juice (with dill)
- 1 clove garlic (freshly grated)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
For the Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp pickle juice
- 2 tbsp hot sauce (more or less, to taste)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 pickles (finely diced, optionally)
For Frying
- 2-3 cups frying oil
Instructions
Note
- This chicken is pretty spicy, so be free to alter everything to your own liking.
Marinate the Chicken
- Slice chicken breasts into fillets as big as sliders. I like to leave them just a tad bigger, as they look better like that. Optionally, tenderize them a bit with a kitchen mallet.
- Start with making a brine. In a big bowl marry the following ingredients: buttermilk, hot sauce (acid-based), egg, freshly grated garlic, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
- Leave the chicken to marinate for about 4 hours or more. I like to do it in the morning so it's ready in time for lunch.
Make a Sauce
- Making signature sauce is just combining a bunch of different ingredients, so you can do it in advance and store it in the fridge.
- Mix up mayonnaise, hot sauce (I used Sriracha), ketchup, pickle juice with dill, and honey. For spices, go for garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and dried parsley.
- Optionally, dice some pickles very finely and combine everything.
Make a Breading
- Breading is super important here, so make sure to add three main ingredients: all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.
- When you have a base, add spices: salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, MSG, and garlic powder.
- Mix everything well to disperse spices evenly.
Coat the Chicken
- Before you start coating, take a few tablespoons of brine and add it to the breading mix. Stir it in so you have a few crumbles but still airy breading.
- Take a chicken fillet, roll it into the breading, dip it back into the brine, then back into the breading.
- Arrange the coated fillets on a rack or baking paper and leave them to rest for at least 20 minutes.
Frying
- Pour frying oil into the pan so it is about 2 inches deep. Heat it over high heat.
- Before placing chicken in the pan, reduce the heat to medium. Transfer chicken into hot oil, but be careful not to overcrowd the pan, so each piece can fry perfectly.
- Fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides; that's about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on how big your pieces are.
- Once the chicken achieves the desired color, remove it from the oil and arrange it on the plate you covered with a paper towel. The paper towel will absorb the residual oil.
- Repeat the process until you have no more chicken left.
Assembling Sliders
- Toast the buns for maximum taste and generously smear the sauce you previously made.
- Place a piece of fried chicken on top and cover it with coleslaw and sliced pickles. Of course, you can change it for any other salad you fancy. Serve them with fries.