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This recipe is from my cookbook Southern Creole: Recipes from My New Orleans Kitchen. In my personal opinion, this chicken sandwich represents New Orleans in one bite. This recipe embodies all of the love and layers of flavor of a New Orleans recipe. I mean how many times have you seen a chicken sandwich on a buttermilk biscuit with a red beans sauce? I know unique and quite impressive lol.
Recipe Video:
Big Easy Chicken Sandwich Cooking tips:
Make the biscuits and red bean sauce the same day you marinate your chicken. This will allow you to just reheat and serve once the chicken is finished frying.
Can you make ahead?
Freezer: The biscuits are the only thing I recommend freezing from this recipe. After the biscuits cool, place in a freezer storage bag. Keep in freezer for 3 months max.
Fridge: Biscuits: After the biscuits cool, place in a freezer storage bag. Keep in fridge for 7 days max.
Chicken: You can marinate the chicken 1 day in advance for maximum flavor! Mix all ingredients together and place in an airtight container or a freezer storage bag (place bag in a large bowl or pan to prevent spillage).
Red Bean Sauce: Can be made a day in advance and kept in an airtight container for 7 days max.
Reheating: Biscuits: Pop in a 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes.
Chicken: Pop in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
Red Bean Sauce: Turn on heat to medium, bring a small amount of water to a boil in a small or medium sauce pan, stir in add sauce, cook until mixture starts to boil. About 10 minutes or less. *Depends on how much you’re reheating. *A ¼ cup will be enough for 2 servings.
Substitution Options:
If you cannot find buttermilk, you can use any milk in it's place. You will be sacrificing flavor if you do this.
You can use chicken breast in place of chicken thighs.
Use your favorite sausage in the red bean sauce. If you're in a rush you can skip adding the onions, celery and bell pepper. You will be sacrificing flavor if you do this.
what to serve with Big Easy Chicken Sandwich?
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📖 Recipe
The Big Easy Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
Biscuits:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus ½ cup
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 1 stick of unsalted butter cold
- 1 cup buttermilk cold
Chicken:
- 3 cups buttermilk
- ½ cup Creole seasoning plus ¼ cup
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne
- 4 boneless chicken thighs
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons cayenne
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- canola oil
Red Bean Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- ¼ link smoked sausage chopped small
- ¼ cup onion chopped
- ¼ cup celery chopped
- ¼ bell pepper chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 15 oz. can red beans drained
- 1 cup of chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Biscuits:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl mix flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt and black pepper together. Slice butter in by tablespoons and crumble until texture is coarse like cornbread. Make a hole in the middle and pour in buttermilk, mix until dough pulls from sides of bowl.
- Take ½ cup of flour and knead dough 5 times. Cut out biscuits and place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Once finished half each biscuit and spread sugar cane butter inside.
Chicken:
- In a large bowl stir together buttermilk and ¼ cup Creole seasoning, add chicken thighs, cover and sit in the fridge until needed.
- In a heavy bottom skillet add oil and bring to 375 degrees. In a large bowl add flour and remaining ¼ cup Creole seasoning, cayenne and granulated garlic. Dredge chicken: buttermilk, flour, buttermilk and flour. Remove chicken from buttermilk and place in flour then proceed with dredging steps. Place a pinch of flour in hot oil, if it sizzles and disappears then flour is ready. Cook for 7-8 minutes turning chicken every two minutes. If frying in batches places chicken on paper towel lined baking sheet in a 200-degree oven.
Red Bean Sauce:
- In a skillet over medium heat add sausage and 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring often. Browning will happen on the bottom of the skillet and this is great flavor don’t throw away. Remove from skillet, add onion, celery and bell pepper cook for 2 minutes and remove about ¼ of the vegetables and sit to the side. In skillet add garlic, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, cayenne, cumin, oregano, thyme; stir then add red beans, ½ cup stock and worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and puree for 20 seconds.
Lugenia Ricks says
Initially I was not going to even attempt this recipe, but greed won out lol, excellent the instructions helped me through it. It was a hit, will make it again and again