The Charleston Chicken Sandwich

Hopefully after this post you not only want to make this ridiculous mouthgasm of a sandwich, but take a trip to Charleston, South Carolina.

Charleston is the most inspiring and creative place for food lovers of all kinds. My first trip led me to the recreation of these Potato & Chorizo Tacos and this Stuffed French Toast. This recipe is the aftermath of my latest trip and discovery of the famous Butcher & Bee. 

We stopped in for a homemade popsicle and sweet tea with no appetite because that’s what SC humid does to you in July after you’ve biked 5 plus miles.

As I’m sitting there at the community table downing my iced tea as if I’ve never seen a cold beverage before, the man I’m sitting next to is going to TOWN on his sandwich. I soon realized his sandwich is the one described on their chalk board menu that I was salivating over. Fried Chicken Sandwich with Roasted Tomato, Dill Salsa Verde, and Buttered Buns.

I knew that was going to be my next recreation and I had to get a picture of that man’s sandwich. My girl’s built me up the confidence (imagine what I looked like after a 5 mile bike ride in the middle of a Southern summer) and the man kindly allowed me to creepily take a picture of his half-eaten delicious looking sandwich.  PS: don’t you just LOVE my iPhone camera? 

So, here I am a few months after my trip with my recreation of THE Charleston Chicken Sandwich. I had no idea how B&B’s tastes which allowed me to get creative on my own. Buttermilk fried chicken, dill verde mayonnaise, and roasted tomato slices is all it took to create my now new favorite sandwich. Let’s FINALLY talk about the chicken. 

Buttermilk Fried Chicken 

I’ve already talked your ear off enough so I’m not going to get in complete detail about how to fry chicken. I’ll break down the recipe for you step-by-step so if you’ve never fried chicken, you’ll have no problem. I choose buttermilk because that seemed like the Southern thing to do (and plus there’s nothing like it). 

I’ll eventually create a fried chicken post and get into better detail, but here’s a few highlights:

• Buttermilk not only tenderizes the chicken, but helps the flour to adhere. Allow your chicken to marinade in the buttermilk for 4-6 hours or even overnight. You can add herbs, bay leaf, and seasonings if you’d like! 
• Before breading and frying, allow the chicken to come to room temperature for 30 minutes. 
• Always season your flour before dredging your chicken. My favorite is salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a touch of paprika and cayenne. 
• You don’t need a deep fryer, just fill enough oil (vegetable, peanut, or canola), in a dutch oven or heavy bottom skillet to fill 2-3 inches.
• Keep your oil at 350 degrees, which is like medium high heat. A good test is to throw a splash of flour and if it sizzles, it’s ready!
• A good indicator when your chicken is close to done is a golden crispy crust. This does not mean it’s completely cooked. Be patient, as each side may take 10 minutes to fry. Break the surface of one of your pieces to make sure there’s no pink, juices run clear, and the internal temp is 165. 

Roasted Tomato Slices

Tomato slices drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted at 400 for like 10 minutes. EASY. Moving on, k?

Dill Verde Mayonnaise 

This is the easiest part yet! All I did was throw a bunch of herbs, garlic, capers, lemon juice, and mayonnaise in a food processor and let that do it’s thing. This added such a refreshing touch to the sandwich, definitely don’t skip this stuff.

The crispy juicy chicken, tender roasted tomato, and garlicky dill mayonnaise that added another burst of non-competing flavor could have conquered on their own, but the added crunchy lettuce and toasted buns really knocked this one out of the park.  

Thanks Butcher & Bee for inspiring me in more ways in one (their sweet tea bar set up was perfect for a wedding), thanks stranger who I probably creeped out, and thanks Kristin, Amber, and Kate for talking me into asking him for a picture. 

ENJOY!