Gordon Ramsay’s chicken sandwich is a buttermilk-marinated thigh, double-dredged in spiced flour and fried until the crust shatters, then stacked in a bun with butter lettuce, light coleslaw, hot sauce and a squeeze of mayo. The order you build it matters as much as the chicken itself.
Ramsay makes this sandwich in his Scrambled episode with Tom Holland, where he says the buttermilk tenderises chicken “off the charts” and double-dredges for extra crunch. In a separate Hell’s Kitchen sandwich battle he’s blunt about his preferences: “I prefer the actual thigh. The breast is very difficult to get right. But for me, it’s all about the breading.”
The assembly order is what sets a great chicken sandwich apart from a pile of ingredients in bread. Ramsay’s rule from the Hell’s Kitchen video: “It’s not just the ingredients, it’s the ORDER. The order, the edibility, the messiness, the dribble.” Lettuce goes on the bottom to stop the bun going soggy, chicken in the middle, sauce on top where it hits your tongue first.
Gordon Ramsay Fried Chicken Sandwich
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium4
servings15
minutes10
minutes550
kcal25
minutesBuilt from Gordon Ramsay’s buttermilk-fried chicken technique from Ultimate Home Cooking and his sandwich assembly method from the Scrambled episode with Tom Holland. Thigh meat, double-dredged, with butter lettuce, coleslaw and hot sauce in a toasted brioche bun.
Ingredients
- For the Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
300ml buttermilk
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the Coating:
200g plain flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying
- For the Sandwich:
4 brioche buns, toasted
4 leaves of butter lettuce
4 tbsp mayonnaise
Hot sauce, to taste
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
- For the Quick Coleslaw:
¼ white cabbage, finely shredded
1 carrot, grated
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Juice of ½ lime
Directions
- Marinate the chicken: Season the thighs with salt and pepper, place in a bowl and pour over the buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, overnight is better.
- Make the coleslaw: Toss the shredded cabbage and grated carrot with the mayo and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Keep it light, not heavy.
- Set up the coating: Mix the flour with the smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne and a pinch of salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.
- Double dredge: Remove each thigh from the buttermilk, shake off the excess, press into the flour. Dip back into the buttermilk, then through the flour again. The second coat gives you the thick crust.
- Fry the chicken: Heat a 2cm depth of oil in a heavy pan to 170°C (340°F). Fry the thighs for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until deep golden and cooked through. Drain on a wire rack.
- Build the sandwich: Toast the brioche buns. Spread mayo on the bottom bun. Lay the butter lettuce on top, then a spoonful of coleslaw, then the hot chicken, then hot sauce and sliced jalapeno. Press the top bun down firmly.
Notes
- Chicken technique from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Home Cooking. Sandwich assembly and preferences from the Scrambled episode with Tom Holland and the Hell’s Kitchen sandwich battle. Double-dredge for maximum crunch.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay use thigh instead of breast for sandwiches?
He explains it in the Hell’s Kitchen episode: “I prefer the actual thigh. The breast is very difficult to get right.” Thigh has more fat, so it stays juicy through the frying and still holds moisture after you stack it in a bun. Breast dries out fast, especially when it’s sitting in a warm sandwich.
If you do use breast, butterfly and pound it thin so it cooks evenly. But thigh is the better call.
Why does the assembly order matter?
Ramsay is specific about this: “It’s not just the ingredients, it’s the ORDER. The edibility, the messiness, the dribble.” Lettuce on the bottom acts as a waterproof layer between the bun and the coleslaw. Chicken goes in the middle so the crunch stays intact. Sauce on top means it hits your tongue first.
The wrong order and the bottom bun goes soggy in two minutes. His way, it holds together all the way through.
Does Ramsay have a healthier chicken sandwich?
Yes. In Ultimate Fit Food he has a Californian fried chicken sandwich that’s baked, not fried. Mini chicken breast fillets coated in puffed rice instead of flour, baked in the oven, served on wholemeal buns with avocado and a yoghurt dressing. Completely different texture but solid if you want the sandwich without the deep frying.
His burger sauce works with both versions, since it’s tangy enough to cut through the chicken whether it’s fried or baked.
What bread should you use?
Ramsay uses brioche in the Tom Holland video. It’s soft enough to compress when you press the sandwich down, which he does deliberately so every bite gets chicken, sauce and crunch together. A stiff bread or a thick roll fights back and you end up with ingredients sliding out.
Toast the cut side only. The outside stays soft so you can grip it, the inside is sturdy enough to hold the sauce.
Can you make the chicken ahead?
You can coat the thighs and refrigerate them for up to 4 hours before frying. The buttermilk keeps working while they sit, so the chicken actually gets more tender.
Don’t fry ahead though. A fried chicken sandwich lives or dies on the contrast between the hot crunchy chicken and the cold coleslaw. If the chicken goes cold, the whole point is lost. A coleslaw made an hour ahead and kept in the fridge is fine because it actually improves as the lime juice softens the cabbage.
How spicy is this sandwich?
As spicy as you make it. The cayenne in the flour gives a background warmth, the hot sauce and jalapeno add the real heat. Ramsay uses both in the Tom Holland video and tells the audience the sandwich might be “quite spicy.”
Start with one jalapeno between four sandwiches. If you want more, add a second. Removing the seeds and white pith cuts about half the heat if you want the flavour without the burn.
