The news is pretty big! Chick-fil-a came out with a new sandwich after years of their tried and true menu. Many Chick-fil-a fans waited in line to get a taste of this sandwich to see for themselves if it was worth the hype. So as someone who is not a fan of the chain, I wanted to see if this sandwich would change my life…..did it?
After one bite, I can confidently say, NO IT DID NOT. I was quite disappointed with the sandwich. The seasoning of the chicken was tasty, but that was about it! The blend of flavors felt off, and the pimento cheese filling was a disaster. So what does a chef do in situations like these? Remake it of course.
To start, we needed to make the pimento cheese dip something that was tasty and had a little kick. The cream cheese, cheddar, jalapeño, and pimentos blend perfectly while the much needed salt was missing from the original recipe.
Next, for the chicken, I double fry mine for the ultimate crunch. You can season how you want to. I season the flour for extra flavor.
Lastly, I liked making my own pickled jalapeños. But this step can be skipped and I do not think it affects the quality of your sandwich. Get the brioche bun and spicy honey to add sweetness to the sandwich. I feel Chick-fil-a had a good idea, but their recipe was just off. This one felt much better and once I made it, I knew this would be an instant hit!
Ingredients:
Chicken:
-2 chicken breasts
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 cups of flour
-Seasoning of choice (I used 1 tsp each salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder)
Pimento Cheese Spread:
-1/2 block of room temperature cream cheese
-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-1/2 cup of pimentos
-1 jalapeno diced
-3 tbsp mayonaise
-1 tsp cayenne pepper
-1 tsp each salt and pepper
Pickled Jalapeños:
-Store bought or make your own
-2 jalapeños sliced
-1 cup white vinegar
-1/2 cup water
-2 cloves garlic
-1 tbsp pickling seasoning mix
-Brioche buns
-honey
-Frying oil like vegetable or canola
Instructions:
First, if you are going to pickle your jalapeños, I recommend doing it at least 24-48 hours in advance. Just use a glass jar and mix the following ingredients. Or you can use store-bought. Both are perfectly acceptable and just depends on how much work you want to put into it! The longer they sit in the fridge the better.
For your pimento sauce, add your pimento ingredients into a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
Now, normally I am a chicken thigh user for the classic chicken sandwich, however for the sake of this recipe, I am using chicken breasts. If you think your chicken breast is really thick, you can also slice it in half width-wise for a thinner more even cook.
Beat 2 eggs and leave in a dish. In a second dish season your flour. I did the double dip method of two times in the egg wash and 2 times in the flour for extra crispy breading. Fry until golden brown and the chicken is 165F internal.
To assemble the sandwich, first toast your buns. Then layer your pickled jalapeños. Place your chicken on top and drizzle with honey on top. Lastly, top with your pimento dip and bun. Enjoy and I hope you skip the drive-
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