Fried Chicken Sandwiches "Store Chicken"

Oh man, time flies, no posts since April?!  I totally didn't intend to take that much of a break, life just kinda got busy, you know?  It's been a year since the passing of my Father-in-law, Ike, and we're finally at the final stages for settling his estate.  Which means allot of driving back and forth to Red Deer, and allot of work!  But we're almost there, and then we have the rest of the summer to chill out, and maybe do some work and organization at our own home.

 After a really intensive weekend of cleaning/organizing/sorting etc, myself and Cory were both totally burnt out by the end of our work day on Monday. Instead of ordering out, like a normal person might do, I made a delicious complicated meal! ha ha.  Not that this chicken is too too much work, but not doing it would be allot easier.  Does that make sense, even?
I was so tired, but this chicken is THE BOMB, and we were all making yum yum noises while enjoying our sandwiches, and my smartypants description, was to declare  "This tastes like store chicken"!  Meaning this chicken is so good, it tastes like it came from a store, but we were all in fits of giggles, with our tired sillies.  And so, that is how this chicken came to be called "Store Chicken". The End.

Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Recipe Adapted from: Date Night In, Page 174

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts (I’ve used bone-in as well, just allow for more baking time.)
Approx. 4 cups Vegetable, canola or peanut oil, for frying

Spice mix
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

Flour dredge
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Buttermilk dredge
1 cup buttermilk (1 Tbsp lemon to 1 cup milk =tada!)
1 egg

** The day before you plan on frying the chicken, whisk together the paprika, oregano, thyme, marjoram, garlic powder, pepper and salt to form the spice mix. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the spice mix and sprinkle the rest over the chicken. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. ** I’ve managed to make this recipe on the fly, by just seasoning as my chicken breasts defrost in the microwave, and I get all my other ingredients organized, and they were still delish.

Set up a wire rack over a baking sheet, and set aside. Fill a large, heavy skillet (I use a cast-iron pan) with about 3/4 inch of oil, and bring to a medium high heat.

To fry the chicken, mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and reserved 1 Tbsp spice mix in a bowl or shallow dish. And in a separate bowl or disk, whisk together the buttermilk and egg

Dredge the chicken in the buttermilk mixture, then the flour mixture, then the buttermilk mixture again and finally back into the flour. I fry 2 pieces at a time, so the oil doesn’t cool off too much. Fry the chicken for 3 minutes per side until deep golden brown, then place on the rack over the baking sheet.

Once all the chicken is fried, place the pan , wire rack and all, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until just done inside. If you use bone-in chicken, increase time to 15-20 minutes.

We served these with bacon, lettuce, and tomato, on fresh yummy buns. They are great as an entrée with your fave sides too. Kid approved!

Enjoy!