I have been craving any form of crispy fried chicken this winter it’s crazy. I tossed these crispy chicken bites in sweet Thai chili sauce mixed with hot sauce and green onion. Then I packed them into a baguette bun and topped it with shredded carrots, cabbage and onion. To make things easier, I bought the shredded package of coleslaw which contains two veggies in one. I paired this with my homemade lemonade soda and I had the best lunch in a long time.
What is a Po’ boy?
The Po’ boy sandwich comes from Louisiana where a French style bread was stuffed with all types of meat. Po’ boys are usually stuffed with seafood, fried chicken, Louisiana hot sausage or roast beef. I used baguette buns which resemble hotdog buns but are much thicker and denser. The filling for this is so simple-just your saucy, fried chicken bites topped with shredded veggies and sliced green onion in a bun. No extra sauces and it is so bomb! It’s a great midnight snack.
The Thai chili sauce
You can find a bottle of sweet Thai chili dipping sauce among other sauces at the grocery store, usually next to where you can find soy sauce. You can also make it at home if you wish. I think this Thai chili recipe by the Daring Gourmet looks really good. You may be tempted to use chicken thighs but you can use chicken breast for the fried chicken to get nice, chunky pieces. You have to cut it into small squares since this is going into a sandwich. I used potato starch to coat the chicken but corn starch works just as great. The starch makes the chicken crispy so that it still remains firm even after you toss it in heaps of sauce. So don’t substitute it with flour because the results are not the same.
This sweet Thai chili recipe is also perfect for making cheesy loaded fries, nachos or even in tacos. I actually served the leftovers with boiled rice and it was still really yummy! So go hard with this one or go home…
Ingredients
1 kg/ 2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
6-8 baguette buns (or French-style bread)
Shredded carrots
Shredded cabbage or lettuce
Sliced red or green onions
Marinade
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 large eggs, whisked
Coating
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup potato starch or corn starch
2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
3 cups cooking oil
Sweet Thai chili sauce
341ml jar sweet Thai chili dipping sauce
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 green onion stalks, trimmed and sliced
Instructions
- Make two large bowls: one for the marinade ingredients and another for the coating ingredients.
- Place the chicken breasts next to each other on a chopping board and place foil or parchment paper on top. Pound away at the top part where it is much thicker so it becomes flattened.
- Cut the chicken into 2 inch squares.
- Coat the chicken in the marinade bowl first then the coating mixture.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan on medium heat.
- Fry the chicken in batches for about 6 minutes on each side, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. I fried mine in 6 batches).
- Let the fried chicken cool on a wire rack to maintain its crispiness (see notes below).
- Stir the Thai chili sauce ingredients in a very large mixing bowl and generously toss the fried chicken with it.
- Arrange the sauced chicken in the buns and add the shredded vegetables.
- You can garnish this with green onions or sesame seeds.
- The chicken goes great with boiled rice as well, so if you have some leftover, put it in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
-The starch is what makes the chicken crispy so that it still remains firm even after it is tossed in heaps of sauce. So don't substitute it with flour because the results are not the same. -Letting the chicken cool on a wire rack is what prevents moisture from building up at the bottom of the chicken and making it soggy.