Honey Chicken Biscuit Sandwich: Buttermilk Fried Chicken on a Tall Flaky Biscuit

The chicken sandwich wars have a new, smaller front. On 28 September Popeyes rolled out its Honey Chicken Biscuit nationally, a roughly $5 sandwich that the chain says is permanent and is built from parts it already makes: a larger buttermilk biscuit, a crispy chicken fillet and honey sauce. The company insists it is an all-day item rather than a breakfast one, and it has no formal breakfast menu.

The idea did not come from a boardroom. Tasting Table reported on the same day that it was inspired by a fan hack, in which customers used the biscuit from a tender meal as the bun and drizzled honey sauce over the chicken. It is an old Southern instinct, the sweet-salt pairing of fried chicken and honey on a split biscuit, and it is easy to do at home.

The two things that decide whether it works are the biscuit and the crust. The biscuit needs cold butter and a light hand so it rises tall and splits in layers. The chicken needs a long buttermilk soak and a flour coating that is pressed on firmly, so the crust stays craggy and crisp under the honey.

Ingredients

Makes 4 sandwiches. Total time about 3 hours, of which 2 hours is the buttermilk soak.

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 120 g each)
• 250 ml buttermilk, plus 2 tablespoons for the coating
• 1 teaspoon fine salt and 1 teaspoon hot sauce, for the soak
• 150 g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon fine salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• About 1 litre neutral oil for frying
• For the biscuits: 300 g plain flour, 1 tablespoon (15 g) baking powder, 1 teaspoon fine salt, 1 teaspoon sugar
• 115 g cold unsalted butter, coarsely grated
• 200 ml cold buttermilk, plus a little to brush
• For the honey sauce: 80 g honey, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, a pinch of salt

Method

1. Soak the thighs: stir 250 ml buttermilk with 1 teaspoon salt and the hot sauce, add the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Heat the oven to 220 C (200 C fan). Whisk 300 g flour, the baking powder, salt and sugar. Rub in the grated butter with your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces left.
3. Stir in 200 ml cold buttermilk with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. Tip it onto a floured counter, pat to 3 cm thick, fold it in thirds twice, and pat out to 3 cm again.
4. Cut four rounds with a 9 cm cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Place them touching on a lined tray, brush the tops with buttermilk and bake for 15 to 17 minutes until deep golden.
5. Whisk 150 g flour with the paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of buttermilk and rub it through with your fingers to make small clumps.
6. Lift each thigh from the soak, let the excess drip off, and press firmly into the flour, turning and packing it on. Rest the coated thighs on a rack for 10 minutes.
7. Heat the oil to 175 C in a deep, heavy pan. Fry the thighs in two batches for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and 76 C at the thickest point. Drain on a rack.
8. Warm the honey with the lemon juice and salt in a small pan for 1 minute, until it flows freely.
9. Split the warm biscuits, set a thigh on each base, spoon over the honey and close the lid. Serve at once.

Tips, swaps and storage

Keep the butter cold enough to see in the dough; grating it from the freezer is the easiest way. Tall biscuits come from straight cuts, a hot oven and not overworking the dough.