How Babish Makes His Perfect Fried Chicken Sandwich: Every Choice, Every Step | Epicurious

When making a spicy fried chicken sandwich at home you need to make a lot of decisions. Picking your chicken filet, the buns, sauces, toppings, condiments, and more-everything has to work in harmony to produce the perfect bite. Andrew Rea (AKA Babish) breaks down every decision he makes when whipping up his ultimate juicy and crispy spicy fried chicken sandwich.
Andrew Rea's cookbook, Basics With Babish, publishes on October 24. Preorder at: www.amazon.com/Basics-Babish-...
Director: Dan Siegel
Director of Photography: Ben Dewey
Editor: Micah Phillips
Talent: Andrew Rea
Director of Culinary Production: Kelly Janke
Creative Producer: Christie Garcia
Culinary Producer: Jessica Do
Culinary Associate Producer: Leslie Raney
Line Producer: Jen McGinity
Associate Producer: Amy Haskour; Oadhan Lynch
Production Manager: Janine Dispensa
Production Coordinator: Elizabeth Hymes
Talent Booker: Meredith Judkins
Camera Operator: Erron Francis
Sound Mixer: Mike Guggino
Groomer: Nicole Vidro
Post Production Supervisor: Andrea Farr
Post Production Coordinator: Scout Alter
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araujo
Assistant Editor: Lauren Worona
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[@everthealtruist]

If you've ever wondered what makes panko different than regular breadcrumbs, panko is actually made by electrocuting bread dough to cook it. It's a really interesting process with a complex history.

[@LeHazy]

I read that the samurai used to channel lightning through their body in order to make it in the olden times, which is why it's so overpriced now.

[@Bein_Ian]

Panko is 10/10. Katsu is glory

[@teriyakipuppy]

​@@LeHazythe secret of tomoe

[@Scyon13]

Chidori

[@UsDiYoNa]

Countless things invented by the Japanese

[@narnia4703]

"I'm not gonna make a fricken flaming hot cheeto breaded mozzerella stick whatever fuckfest." - Babish

[@NotaPizzaGRL]

but wild food hacks is part of the fun of cooking

[@tomc-d8491]

Isn't that literally what his channel is?

[@hiarus8850]

​@@tomc-d8491 kind of, the other guy that posts there tends to be the one that makes the more wild stuff

[@SomethingBoutEclipse]

I never thought I hear Babish be genuinely grossed out with a genuine reaction

[@nappa0582]

You've never watched any of his videos before, huh?

[@joeywilliams4883]

babish turns more and more into Vsauce with each passing day

[@CuteNarpNarpPlush]

But with food

[@babyplaneswalker341]

Are you telling me they are different people? This is news to me

[@hachirokami]

I think you mean saucestace.

[@magmamuffz1246]

the bite into the head of lettuce was definitely the best part

[@seansterling5322]

I would also suggest adding corn or potato starch to the flour mix as it causes far more crispiness to the breading

[@cheesepizza87]

And a little more seasoning, If we’re adding

[@MrScubajsb]

He knows that. But they didn't put it on the table as an option☺️

[@walrider]

@@MrScubajsb Yeah I think that's why he used the cornflakes as substitute

[@MrScubajsb]

@@walrider true

[@aesir748]

​@@cheesepizza87why would you season the breading if you are making a Nashville hot sandwich. Thats where the flavor iz

[@Komotz]

FYI you can use peanut oil if you have a peanut allergy. 90% of regular peanut frying oil is refined and removes the protein that causes the allergy. The only peanut oil you avoid is unrefined peanut oil, or 'raw' peanut oil, as that still has the allergen protein.

[@Dell-ol6hb]

I mean I’d probably still avoid it, it’s not like you’re missing much by not using peanut oil

[@sv650rider]

@@Dell-ol6hb heed the advice above,.don't avoid it. Peanut oil is THE BEST frying oil.

[@Dell-ol6hb]

@@sv650rider not worth risking a potentially lethal allergic reaction, it’s a marginal improvement over vegetable oil

[@ts_30]

⁠@@Dell-ol6hbthe protein causing the allergy literally isn’t there. no “potentially lethal allergic reaction” to worry about

[@jovi_monet]

hello, someone with a potentially lethal peanut allergy here: my doctor said it's fine to eat stuff fried in peanut oil :)

[@satanhimself4773]

next video idea: How Babish Gets His Perfect Charisma: Every Choice, Every Step

[@BenjaminOwusu-lp4qj]

That's a mystery the gods will uncover someday

[@king_supreme1102]

It’s weird because I’m so put off by him now.

[@HisVirusness]

@@king_supreme1102 ...Why?

[@king_supreme1102]

@@HisVirusness I really don’t know 😂, I just don’t even want to watch his videos anymore.

[@MoBeatz94]

​@@king_supreme1102n😅 FS😊😊😊😊ss😊d

[@Mimimo188]

Just made this for my parents and brother and it was so delicious, I really liked how you showed the different option and how they would effect the final product. The homemade mayo was delicious and the recipe was very easy to recreate and cheap as-well. Love the content But when marinating it in buttermilk it made the breading not stick very well, and since we cut them in half it was difficult to keep the chicken to stay. I’ve heard the marinating in pickle juice solves the problem and tastes great.

[@RabbitWatchShop]

Pro tip: don't use his ridiculous brushing method. Us Native Nashvillians dunk the chicken in that hot nashville oil. It coats everything better. He barely had any hot oil on his fillets.

[@taggie_]

If I am not mistaken, in the video he does include Pickle juice into the mixture at 3:25. Otherwise thank you for sharing your take on the recipe! I will be trying this out tomorrow and hopefully it also turns into something great!

[@Bozebo]

He missed the option of cornflour/starch or potato starch for breading, bonus points with some Bird's custard powder mixed in :P

[@notimportant768]

Lettuce is used in sandwiches not only for the pop of color but also for textural variety. Its a slightly cooler crunch in the context of ordinary meat and tomato. Which I say is worth an addition on a few sandwhiches if you aren't looking for the flavor of another green.

[@joyl7842]

13:45 I think you haven't had homegrown lettuce before. It is delicious and crispy. It is nothing but a positive addition to virtually any dish.

[@zzzetsulive]

the way he just TOOK A BITE OUT OF IT with the worlds best crunch sound... Babish you comedic genuis

[@chrisfuerte1622]

⁠@@zzzetsulive I noticed him eyeing that lettuce and knowing Babish, was begging him not to take a bite out of it, then he went and did exactly that.

[@hiarus8850]

Tbf I think Lettuce is normally added to burgers to add a little crunch to it, but fried chicken is already crunchy/crispy, so I don't see the point in adding it to that kind of sandwich unless you wanna add color

[@CorwinBos]

I double bread with flour and panko. Super crunchy. And huge thumbs up on homemade mayo. Super simple to make. The only thing Ive found thats even close is Dukes!

[@AshleyMcMahon]

I am a North Carolinian. And even though I don’t like mayo, if I have to use and/or provide it, Dukes is my go to.

[@1999tenorio]

My daughter has a horrible peanut allergy. However her funcle took her to Chic Fila and she had zero reaction. I looked it up and it seems the process of making peanut oil removes the proteins that cause MOST peanut allergies. Wow who knew?

[@SomethingBoutEclipse]

Would you still risk it? I wouldn’t with a 10 foot pole

[@TheHomerowKeys]

@@SomethingBoutEclipse Did you not read her comment? She DID "risk it" and nothing happened.

[@SomethingBoutEclipse]

@@TheHomerowKeys I just said that I wouldn’t risk it. I swear people can’t understand English nowadays…

[@TheHomerowKeys]

@@SomethingBoutEclipse You asked "Would you still risk it?" She did risk it, with her daughter eating the food fried in Peanut Oil. Did you not even read what you wrote, you illiterate clod? You asked a redundant and pointless question. Who cares what you would do?

[@sarat8577]

Glad to knwow she’s okay but I am so mad by proxy… that was so irresponsible of her uncle.

[@tylera5432]

Babbish i need to know what was your choice of bread that was not on the table. It seems like you chose brioche because that was best of the choices available.

[@D.O.Sarash]

wonder if he bake his own bread 🤔

[@matthewslater3767]

Martin’s 100%

[@38orangsweet]

Fantastic topic and entertaining mixture of reviews/recommendations with great personality. For my chicken; after making bacon I reserve the grease - and that becomes my chicken frying oil. If you are worried about the bits smoking, you can strain it.

[@Eric-yt7fp]

I've never heard of mixing the oil with spices and coating on top. I'm definitely going to have to give that a try!

[@AbigatorM]

i only know it with very thinly sliced chillis for asian food. you take the thin sliced chillis and drop hot oil over it for instant crispy chili + chili oil to put as toppings on ramen and similar stuff

[@father042]

I'm waiting for an episode on how Ordinary Sausage makes a perfect sausage

[@Odessa0v0]

I just love lettuce in sandwhiches because crunch. I understand it's flavorless and yadda yadda. But it's crunchy.

[@retrogamerdave362]

one of the best cooking videos I have ever seen

[@jtd66]

Chef Frank was too busy raising his own chickens to be featured. Now I wanna see how Chef Saul would make his own.

[@Joxxerfoxy]

I would love to see Babish and Chef Frank collab

[@phj223]

Looks absolutely delicious! 😍 I would have put mayo on the bottom bun as well, and maybe gone with truffle mayo. Yeah, yeah, everybody puts truffle mayo on everything, but I really love it. 😊

[@gentledov3]

This is such an amazing collab

[@mandypaproski]

Well, I'm about to level up!! Excellent, clear and concise video! Loved it! Also, hilarious! ❤

[@TheGeekyChef1190]

i made fermented peppers for hot sauce recently. ill be keeping some of the brine to brine chicken in. THATS going to be spicy!!

[@dunestar29]

When Babish talked about the unrefined coconut oil, it reminded me of Alton Brown a bit.

[@Renaissance464]

Fresh lettuce makes burgers so much better imo. It gives the burger some crunch and some freshness too.

[@ayrasanmiguel9363]

Thank you so much for this! So Lit!😮

[@cristinyrodrigues6854]

Brasil amando essas ideias

[@faolannus]

love this guy's content always vote for the Babish

[@maxmajoros8917]

Brioche being "too sweet", "too rich". Bro exactly.

[@kizzychiz]

that looks phenomenal!

[@kittvt]

Crushed cornflakes + panko. Can't beat the flavor or crunch.

[@ianp1986]

Thank you for not using the word unctuous. I feel the way about that word that a lot of people feel about the word moist

[@wellintonmajolo882]

Adorei o vídeo. ❤

[@thomasredden4263]

Sweet pickles with Nashville hot chicken is a delicious meal, I like it with dill too, but the bread and butter pickles just add a sweet tang to the kick of the chicken that is delicious. I usually keep a jar with me while I eat the chicken bc I want a bit of pickle in every bite lol

[@ryanfilmz3827]

I would love a video like this but for Thanksgiving turkey. Since the holidays are coming up and I want to try cooking my 1st turkey

[@taraburnett]

back in '19 Bon Appetit did a whole series doing this for each element of the Thanksgiving meal, look up "Making Perfect"

[@Jinxanator66]

I do believe Babish did do a thankgiving episode on his channel. Also the food theorists did a video on spatchcock cooking for turkey as well

[@iancryar6431]

I was born & raised in the state that kicked off the fried chicken sandwich war and I’m happy about that. Popeye’s FTW!

[@kaelenburton2236]

Could use roasted garlic aoli coleslaw or fresh organic lettuce to balance the heat and grilled sour pickles. Otherwise flawles! 😋

[@niemandschuldet]

WOW. I will copy your way 100%. Looks perfect and yummy

[@catdadeh]

Always love seeing people like Babish on here!

[@ianhernandez533]

You can use a toaster on the bagel setting to only toast the inside of the bun

[@Totem-Fury]

I prefer to do a tempura style batter and then lightly add a coat of panko. Light, flakey, crispy and crunchy and the adhesion rate is stellar.

[@SpoiledJQ]

13:51 babbish really took a munch on that head of lettuce..... i was not expecting that

Adorei o vídeo.

[@SentientPickle]

regarding mayo, there's really only two brands I can find in some stores that I'd reach for if not doing homemade and that's the Japanese Kewpie mayo which is yolkier or the Southern US brand Duke's mayo.

[@Luka1180]

Have you tried Kraft mayo? It's next level!

[@jimv1983]

I've always wanted to try Kewpie mayo but I've heard it's vinegary. If that's true it would end up getting wasted.

[@IvanITpro]

OMG! At 1:30 he says the chicken patty tastes like the entirety of High School cafeteria - LMAO!!!!!!! So true and so hilarious, I was laughing for a long time and had to write this comment before watching on! Thx Babish!! :)

[@RetroView66]

"This tastes like the entirety of a high school cafeteria." Brilliant. Exactly why I never ate in mine once.

[@user-vr5gq2vw1q]

Eu adorei esse vídeo

[@paultimson6674]

just made a sandwich, salad cream, beetroot and red onion. Simple and tasty. I really like it and its pretty healthy. You can add other elements? Tomato? or potato crisps? or cheese. But all you need is three fillers.

[@user-vr5gq2vw1q]

Eu adorei esse vídeos

[@tiagoalmeida7017]

Adorei o vídeo

[@robertallison9653]

Amazing sandwich!

[@theoldgrowler3489]

Great pacing, explanations, and results! Pair with an American Lager!

[@randybookman]

Insightful video. I was expecting it to be more of a fried chicken sandwich video. It was an amalgam. I'm curious to know what you would change with a spicy chicken sandwhich over a hotchicken.

[@bothellkenmore]

I find breaking the yolk as annoying as a fleck of shell when I make sunny side up eggs. Happens maybe every 72 eggs or so. Chasing the shell flek and getting it out is one thing but a broken yolk throws your whole game off if you're making 2.

[@Jinxanator66]

Once I break the yolk I immediately scramble I cannot stand eggs with overcooked yolks

[@galacticmechanic1]

The only thing I would change is cutting up the pickles into a fine dice. Oh and iceberg lettuce is kinda flavourless, try something else like oakleaf or cos.

[@otra0440]

I feel like Babish is the son of Ryan Renolds and Vsauce if he became a chef.

[@bloodkool]

5:05 taking a jab at guga for his cheetos mozza sticks 😂

[@idgamingfederation202]

thoughts on crushed up pork rinds as part of the breading

[@keenkind]

Excellent 👌

[@davecardwell4452]

Brioche bun is the GOAT, even for burgers.

[@PHiLLy2c]

Sweet pickles on a chicken sandwich is so 🔥

[@Bluemayje]

I'm not putting sweet pickles on my sandwich, but other than that. Yeah I'm on board with this.

[@mojojojo2232]

Cool. Personally i would love a little bit of lettuce or coleslaw in there. I love veggies in my sandwich 💚

[@Unboxcityunboxcity]

We freaking love Babbish

[@eddinvarghese5234]

LEGEND !!! THANKS FOR THE TIPS.. smASH IT !!!

[@myfinalheaven9590]

I honestly thought he was going to say, Sir Kensingtons was going to be better than Hellmans until his reaction to Sir Kensingtons

[@JoahTheThread5ive]

I like tomatoes on pretty much every sandwich. .

[@gamemasteranthony2756]

Damn...I am hungry for one of those now, and I just had a decent dinner!

[@nappa0582]

Crew: we'll cut this out Babish: don't you do it. Editor: OUT WITH YOU!

[@caioalbuquerque2330]

Muito bom

[@pollsweetn7488]

"It's the best frying oil unless of course if you have deathly peanut allergy "😂😂

[@junootone]

I loved

[@frankjames6276]

My kid walks in while I am watching this on TV and says "hey, V Sauce" 🤪

[@dcarota]

Sweet pickles are a no. Dill all the way.

[@ciscocalixto]

Only a sith deals in absolutes.

[@themixvisuals_]

Agreed😌

[@HilbertXVI]

When you realize people have different tastes

[@Doinstuffman]

Sweet pickles are a crime against nature

[@themixvisuals_]

@@HilbertXVI Definitely No hate Towards his choice But when I make this myself Will For sure go for the Dill Pickle Instead

[@jobidrumkenobi]

Dude made the universe’s best Mayo.

[@darlanruy3631]

Excelente 😂😮

[@Jinxanator66]

Would using a longer sandwich roll not be more efficient than a small brioche bun?

[@knownofear1]

thought: Would you add a bit of honey to the nashville sauce marinade?

[@zacharylona]

Time to clip this and add a "moist" counter to the corner.

[@AttommicDog]

I always fry with corn oil. To my taste buds it imparts the most neutral flavor.

[@Bound4Earth]

He didn't show boneless/skinless chicken thighs. Although they aren't as readily available, it is the best option for chicken sandwiches.

[@dmcclin1]

yum

[@jessonjupiter]

Babish omg

[@niqhteyes]

i usually go for boneless skinless chicken thighs, but that's just a personal preference of dark meat over white meat.

[@Aghor4166]

coleslaw fried chicken sandwiches are my favourite...

[@someguy9873]

Epicurious really made a recipe tutorial about a guy whose entire channel is recipe tutorials...

[@waryaballan9077]

This guy's the Ryan Reynolds of cooking

[@Kodarayne420]

Bread and butter pickles are a crime against sandwiches. Dill pickles are a way better flavor profile.

[@JCho133]

amen! saddens me dearly to learn he’s a fan…

[@NadiaSeesIt]

It's a preference, everyone has one dude

[@faaaaaaaaaaack]

First of all how dare you

[@nikolasmokalis3425]

By themselves sure, but they’re not complimentary in a sandwich like this

[@faaaaaaaaaaack]

@@nikolasmokalis3425 then make your own sandwich

[@jackraider1039]

How could you not like brioche on a burger?!

[@bread9486]

Have you ever tried tartar sauce on a hot chicken sandwich cold and creamy contrasts hot and spicy

[@belleviewbibliophile9835]

I agree with everything EXCEPT the best hot chicken sandwich I’ve ever had did have some slaw on it 😊

[@tomgreen876]

sweet baby rays BBQ is both amazing and deadly and a must for a chicken sandwich

[@uppityglivestockian]

Now I'm hungry for exactly this sandwich. I dig Chik-Fil-A ok, but when I think about them serving this too? Ok, now that would get me to be a regular.

[@Chef_PC]

I love kashmiri chili powder in place of cayenne.

[@DeadHawk23]

Banana pepper on a spicy chicken sandwich works depending on what you used to make your chicken spicy.

[@vtoldaccount1222]

My 2 favorite cooking channel s

[@dayanaemtyl7942]

6:45 Why didn’t you get him a tiny whisk? 😂

[@joshmedina5471]

Japanese Mayo for the win!!! 😎🤘