You’ll need a medium-sized pot or deep fryer to cook the chicken. You could also shallow-fry it in a cast iron skillet. I also recommend a wire rack to go inside of a baking sheet, two if you have them. The above mentioned spices are what made this chicken sandwich so amazing. Feel free to use whatever you have, though.

For the chicken marinade

Sprinkle equal amounts kosher salt and sugar all over the chicken, then place it into a large ziploc bag. Pour the pickle juice and buttermilk mixture over the chicken, massaging each piece through the bag. Squeeze any excess air out before sealing. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

For the pickles

In a medium-sized pot, bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Taste it, and determine if you’d like it to be a bit sweeter. Pour hot mixture over sliced cucumbers and set aside at room temperature. Make this at LEAST 2 hours before you plan on eating them, or a day ahead. They can be stored in your refrigerator for up to a month.

For the spicy mayo

Mix both ingredients until combined. Taste and adjust as needed.

For the wet dredge

Whisk the buttermilk, egg whites, kosher salt, and hot sauce together until combined. Set aside.

For the dry breading mixture

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl, and set aside.

For cooking the chicken & assembly

Remove chicken from fridge an hour before you plan to fry, so that they come to room temp. Place marinated chicken in a small colander in the bottom of your clean kitchen sink and gently, WITH A LOW STREAM, rinse most of the marinade off, careful not to splash raw chicken juice everywhere.

Dip the thighs into the egg white/buttermilk (wet dredge) mixture, let the excess drip off. Then, coat it evenly in the flour mixture. Lay the breaded chicken on a wire rack. Meanwhile, heat the oil to 345°. You can use a dutch-oven, deep fryer, or cast-iron skillet to fry. Right before the oil hits proper temp, dunk the thighs back in the flour mixture one more time. Dust off the excess then immediately fry until golden brown or unto the internal temperature reaches 175°F on an instant-read thermometer — about 8 minutes, depending. When in doubt, use an instant-read thermometer. Remove the chicken from the hot oil and let it drain and rest for about 5 minutes on a wire rack, which helps avoid them steaming and sogging up.

Meanwhile, butter and toast your brioche buns. Assemble your sandwiches and enjoy!