5-Ingredient Fried Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 Jar sliced pickles, such as Vlasic, with brine.
• 4 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• 1 cup buttermilk.
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour.
• 1 Quart peanut, vegetable, or canola oil.
• 4 Soft hamburger buns or potato rolls, toasted.

Directions

1. Pour 3/4 cup pickle juice out of pickle jar into a cup. Reserve pickles.
2. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.
3. Place in a plastic zipper-lock bag and pour in pickle juice
4. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible.
5. Refrigerate and let chicken soak in pickle juice for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
6. When ready to fry, remove chicken from bag and discard pickle juice. Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
7. Pour buttermilk into a medium bowl. Add flour and 1 tablespoon pepper to a second bowl
8. Transfer 3 tablespoons of buttermilk to bowl with flour and work it into the flour with your fingertips.
9. Transfer chicken to bowl with buttermilk and turn to coat.
10. Working with one piece at a time, remove chicken from buttermilk, allowing excess to drip off.
11. Add chicken to bowl with flour and turn, lifting the flour on top of it and pressing it down firmly until a thick, shaggy layer of flour has stuck to the chicken.
12. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
13. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet, using a frying thermometer or an instant-read thermometer.
14. Carefully lower chicken pieces into the hot oil; temperature will drop.
15. Adjust flame to maintain a temperature of between 300 and 350°F.
16. Cook without moving until well browned on first side, about 2 minutes.
17. Flip chicken carefully using tongs and a slotted spatula and cook until second side is browned and chicken is fully cooked, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
18. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.
19. Place bottom buns on a work surface and top with a few pickles each
20. Top with fried chicken, followed by top buns. Serve immediately.