Chef notes
I love this recipe because it backs all the tastes of the South into one delicious sandwich. Crispy fried chicken, spicy butter sauce and collard greens satisfy all my Southern food cravings.
Swap option: Try boneless pork chops instead of chicken.
Ingredients
- 2 slices thick cut bacon, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic. minced
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cane syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 bunch collard greens, ribs removed and cut into 1-inch ribbons
- 5 ounces hot sauce, preferably Crystal
- 4 ounces (1 stick) butter
- 1½ cups low-fat buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce, preferably Crystal
- 4 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3 cups canola oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 Kaiser buns, cut in half, buttered and hard toasted
- 4 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
Preparation
For the greens:
Heat a large Dutch oven over low heat add bacon and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add stock, vinegar, syrup, salt and collards to pot. Bring to a simmer and cook covers for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 15-20 minutes until very little liquid is left.
For the hot sauce butter:
In a small pot warm hot sauce gently and whisk in butter till emulsified. Set aside.
For the chicken:
1.In a bowl, whisk buttermilk, hot sauce, 2 teaspoons of the salt, pepper and paprika spices together. Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
2.Heat canola oil in a large Dutch oven or cast iron pan to 350°F.
3.In a bowl, whisk the flour, garlic powder and cayenne together.
4.Remove chicken from buttermilk and dredge in flour mixture well. Making sure all crevices are coated.
5.Add chicken to pan and fry for 3 minutes. Flip and fry for another 2 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
To serve:
Put a pile of hot collards on each bottom bun and top with 1 ounce Swiss cheese. Place fried chicken on top of greens then drizzle 2 ounces hot sauce butter. Finish with top buns and serve.
