He’s a “Top Chef” alum and fixture on national television, but San Anselmo’s Ryan Scott is like any other Bay Area dad who needs to get dinner on the table in a timely manner. And these chicken sandwiches — marinated in pickle juice, rolled in cornflakes, then baked until crispy — satisfy everyone from 3-year-old Olive to Scott’s chef buddies. Clients of his San Francisco boutique catering company, Ryan Scott 2Go Catering, request it as mini sammies, next to foie gras and quail.
These sandwiches are good hot out of the oven or at room temperature, with a dab of your favorite hot sauce. Just don’t marinate the chicken for more than an hour; the acid in the pickle juice will start to cook the meat, making it tough.
Cornflake-Crusted Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Serves 4
Chicken:
Cooking spray
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 to 5 extra-sour dill pickles, sliced, plus ¾ cup brine from the jar
Poppy seed slaw:
3⁄4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 small-medium head green cabbage, shredded (about 6 cups)
Old Bay mayo:
1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
1⁄2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1⁄2 teaspoon classic Old Bay seasoning (not the low sodium or salt-free version)
To assemble:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic salt, divided use
4 eggs
4 cups cornflakes
Kosher salt
4 King’s Hawaiian burger buns
Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray generously with cooking spray.
Butterfly the chicken breasts by making a horizontal slice in the thickest part of the breast almost all the way through, then flipping the flap open. Press the breast down slightly with your palm to even it out at the cut. Put the butterflied chicken breasts in a shallow container and toss with the pickle juice, making sure they are all coated. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the slaw: In a large bowl, whisk together 3⁄4 cup mayonnaise with the vinegar, poppy seeds, sugar, lemon juice and salt. Add the cabbage and toss to coat. Refrigerate the slaw until the sandwiches are ready to assemble. (You can make the slaw the day before.)
For the Old Bay mayo: In a small bowl, whisk together 1⁄2 cup mayo with the lemon juice and Old Bay. (The seasoned mayo can be prepared the day before, covered and refrigerated.)
In a large zip-top bag, combine the flour and 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic salt. Give it a good shake to mix it thoroughly. In a large shallow container, like a glass baking dish or shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic salt. Pour the cornflakes on to a baking sheet.
Drain the chicken breasts and toss them in the bag with the flour: Seal the bag and shake until the chicken breasts are fully coated. One at a time, dip the floured chicken breasts in the egg mixture, then into the cornflakes. Using your palms, press the chicken down into the cornflakes to make sure you have a really good crunchy coating on both sides. Set the coated chicken breast on the prepared baking sheet and repeat to coat the remaining chicken. Give the coated chicken breasts a light mist of cooking spray on top. Bake the chicken until cooked through and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Immediately transfer the chicken to a wire rack to cool slightly and sprinkle them with a pinch of kosher salt per breast.
To assemble the sandwiches, spread 1½ tablespoons of the seasoned mayo on each side of the burger buns. (You can toast the buns if you like, but I prefer the soft texture of the untoasted bun against the crisp chicken.) Arrange 5 or 6 slices of pickle on each bottom bun, and top with the chicken. Scoop about ½ cup of the slaw onto each chicken breast and finish the sandwiches with the top bun. Give the sandwiches a gentle press to make sure they don’t fall apart while serving.
— From Ryan Scott’s “The No-Fuss Family Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Everyday Life” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $30)
