Jalapeño Brined Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Pickled Red Onion Slaw

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 25 minutes, plus overnight marinating
Cook Time: 45 minutes

*Your Chef will lead you through all the techniques, so prepping ahead of class is optional

Ingredients:

Ingredients for the Zesty Jalapeno Sauce

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup Mezzetta® Sliced Tamed Jalapeños*, minced
  • Zest and juice of 1 lime

Ingredients for the Fried Chicken Sandwich

  • ½ cup Mezzetta® Sliced Tamed Jalapeños, plus more for serving½ cup Mezzetta® Sliced Tamed Jalapeño brine
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 6 cups canola oil, for frying
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for finishing
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups thinly sliced green cabbage
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias
  • ½ cup Mezzetta® Pickled Red Onions, drained
  • 4 brioche buns, toasted

Procedure:

1. Make the sauce: Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Make the chicken sandwich: To a blender, add the Mezzetta® Sliced Tamed Jalapeños and brine and blend until smooth.
3. In a large resealable bag, add the chicken, buttermilk, and the blended jalapeño mixture and place in the refrigerator to brine for at least 8 hours up to 24 hours.
4. Once the chicken has brined, heat the oil to 350°F** in a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven.
5. Add the flour, cornstarch and salt and pepper to a large bowl and whisk together to combine. Add 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk brine to the mixture to create a shaggy flour mixture.
6. Add the chicken thighs, one at a time from the buttermilk marinade into the flour mixture and toss to fully coat, using your hands to press the flour mixture onto the chicken.
7. Add the chicken to the oil and cook, in batches, until golden brown and crispy and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 8 minutes. The oil temperature will drop once the chicken is added so adjust the heat on the stove as needed. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt.
8. In a medium bowl, add the cabbage and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Using your hands, scrunch the cabbage until tender and it releases some of its liquid. Add the scallions, Mezzetta® Pickled Red Onions and a little bit of the juice from the jar and toss to combine.
9. Add a spoonful of the zesty jalapeno sauce to both halves of the toasted brioche bun and add 3-4 Mezzetta® Sliced Tamed Jalapeños to the bottom half of the bun. Add a piece of fried chicken and top with a handful of the cabbage mixture. Add the top half of the bun and serve. Repeat this process with the remaining fried chicken thighs and buns.
10. Enjoy!

Chef’s Notes:
*For more heat, use our Mezzetta® Sliced Hot Jalapeños!
**The best way to regulate the temperature of the oil is to use a candy or oil thermometer.

Jalapeño Lime Margarita

Yield: 1 cocktail
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients:

  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 ounces (¼ cup) silver tequila
  • ½ ounce (1 tablespoon) triple sec
  • 1 teaspoon agave
  • 2 tablespoons Mezzetta® Sliced Hot Jalapeño Peppers brine*, plus extra slices for serving
  • Ice
  • 2 tablespoons chili-lime salt, such as Tajin
  • Lime wedges, for serving
  • Cocktail shaker

Procedure:

1. To a cocktail shaker add the lime juice, tequila, triple sec, agave and Mezzetta® Sliced Hot
Jalapeño Peppers brine. Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
2. Add the chili lime sat to a small plate and rub the rim of your serving glass with a lime wedge.
Dip the rim of the glass into the chili lime salt and fill the glass with ice.
3. Strain the cocktail into the prepared glass and garnish with a lime wedge and slices of Mezzetta®
Sliced Hot Jalapeño Peppers.
4. Enjoy!

*Chef’s Note: For less heat, use our Mezzetta® Sliced Tamed Jalapeño Peppers.