There was a LOT of news this past week about this certain most-definitely-NOT hamburger-based chain and some stuff the owner of the chain said. I’m gonna stay out of all of that; because folk who know me already know my opinion.
Thing is, I had never tried this chain’s product before; partially because smug piety always makes me want to check for my wallet, but MOSTLY because I have ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST in a chicken sammich without any mayonnaise.
I mean, PLEASE. Chicken, bread, and a pickle? Sounds like someone is trying to boost sales of the iced tea, if you ask me.
TSK. The tea is no doubt too sweet too.
All that said, I really don’t have a dog in this fight (well, except for my husband and our marriage and stuff like that); so whatever some guy who slings chicken sammiches 
and can’t spell all that well thinks or says was just another sad little reminder that the world can be a mean-spirited place.
Then, I saw this wicked cool recipe on the interwebs by this very nice lady Hilah who runs a video blog at HilahCooking.com. A fried chicken sammich that has been marinated in pickle juice? I was intrigued, well-stocked with mayonnaise, and immediately set about making some for our dinner, ermmm, with a few, small changes to suit my tastes and my pantry.
INGREDIENTS
•2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
•1-1/4 cup pickle juice – I used 3/4 cup spicy sweet Famous Dave’s and 1/2 cup kosher dill
•2 eggs
•1/2 cup water
•1 cup flour
•2 tbsp powdered sugar
•1 tsp paprika
•1 tsp Seasoned Salt
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•1/2 tsp garlic powder
•1/2 tsp celery salt
•1/2 tsp dried basil
•1/2 tsp dried parsley
•1/2 tsp cayenne
•Canola oil
First, wrap each chicken breast well in plastic wrap, then flatten out using the smooth end of a meat mallet. Don’t wrap the chicken too tightly in the plastic, you want to leave it room to spread out as it flattens. The 
plastic wrap is really just there to keep bits of chicken from flinging themselves around your kitchen.
Once the chicken breasts have been flattened out nicely, cut each in half, place in a bowl, and cover with the pickle juice.
Stash in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.
Whisk the eggs together with the water in a small bowl and set aside.
Whisk the flour together with the seasonings in a large, flat bowl and arrange next to the egg and water.
Heat about 1/2 inch of canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Dip each chicken piece into the egg and water, then the seasoned flour, being sure to coat both sides, then add to the hot oil. I did 2 at a time so as not to crowd the pan.
Cook the chicken about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through, then remove to a rack set over a rimmed pan to drain. If you’re making a LOT of these sammiches, keep cooking the chicken a couple of pieces at a time, transfer them to the rack, then stash the pan in a low oven to keep it all warm until all the chicken is cooked.
You might have noticed that I, ermmm, over browned a couple of my chicken breast pieces; so we had the VERY tasty nicely golden bits for our dinner, and I stashed the remainder in the fridge to be dealt with later.
As it happened, later turned out to be the next day at lunch time, and I was feeling peckish. A lightly toasted roll, a bit of mayonnaise on one side and a schmear of Pineapple Mustard on the other, a couple of dill slices and a bit of fresh romaine and we were ready to talk sammich!
YUM!
Even tho’ the chicken was, ermmm, over browned on the outside, the inside was moist and tender and juicy and delicious! I credit the pickle juice marinade.
Oh, and those toasted rolls? A new take on my Challah, baby; and well worth the wait for the recipe recap and cool new method on Friday.