Thai Fried Chicken Sandwich
A lot of Thai dishes are spicy, sweet, salty, and sour all at once, and that’s why Thai food is so easy to love. This fried chicken sandwich has so much more going on than the traditional version. Its marinade is a little spicy and sweet and gets some sourness from the lime juice. The chicken fries up extra crispy and is worth busting out the oil for. We are honestly obsessed with this sandwich. With the creamy mayo and messy slaw piled high, we just know you are about to be too.
Have you made this yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
(15-oz.) can coconut milk
Juice of 1 lime
reduced-sodium soy sauce
chili-garlic sauce (such as Hoy Fong)
fish sauce
packed light brown sugar
grated fresh ginger
skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 2 lb. total)
Vegetable oil, for frying
all-purpose flour
baking powder
ground coriander
kosher salt
Persian cucumbers (or 1 English cucumber)
rice vinegar
reduced-sodium soy sauce
fish sauce
granulated sugar
mayonnaise
sriracha
honey
head of Napa or green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 c.)
head of red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 c.)
large carrot, shredded (about 1 c.)
scallions, thinly sliced
chopped fresh cilantro
Thai bird chile, seeded and thinly sliced
clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lime
rice vinegar
fish sauce
reduced-sodium soy sauce
grated fresh ginger
toasted sesame oil
toasted sesame seeds
hamburger buns
- In a large bowl, combine milk, lime juice, soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, and ginger. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours.
- Into a large, heavy pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, pour oil to a depth of about 3". Heat over medium heat until thermometer registers 350°.
- In a shallow bowl, combine flour, baking powder, coriander, and salt. Working one at a time, remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip off, and coat in flour, turning to make sure it’s well coated.
- Working in batches, carefully add chicken to hot oil and fry until deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165°, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Adjust heat as needed to maintain oil temperature.
- Place cucumbers in a heatproof bowl or jar. Add vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and granulated sugar. Pour in enough hot water to just cover cucumbers. Let sit until ready to use.
- Make Ahead: Cucumbers can be pickled 2 days ahead. Store in jar in refrigerator.
- In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sriracha, and honey. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make Ahead: Mayonnaise can be made 1 week ahead. Keep chilled.
- In a large bowl, toss Napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrot, scallions, and cilantro.
- In a small bowl, combine chile, garlic, lime juice, vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, ginger, oil, and seeds.
- Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Spread spicy mayonnaise on bottom bun. Top with fried chicken, slaw, and pickled cucumbers. Close with top bun.
