How To Make A Fried Chicken Cemita. Here’s A Recipe And Video

Brine

• 4 jalapeños
• 8 sprigs fresh oregano
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup salt

Fried chicken

• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

The rest

Beer beans

Pickled onions and jalapenos

Iceberg slaw

• 1 ball oaxacan cheese
• 1 avocado
• 4 rolls (or 2 giant cemita rolls from a Latin bakery)

1. 1. Check chicken for bone bits or large fatty parts that can be removed, trim them off and discard.
2. 2. Blend the oregano and jalapeños for the brine, and mix with salt and water.
3. 3. Put chicken in brine for at least one hour (up to overnight).
4. 4. Get the beans started after the chicken goes into the brine. When these finish, set them aside and reheat them before you build the sandwiches.
5. 5. Prep your iceberg slaw as well, but don’t mix together yet, just keep in fridge and mix right before building sandwiches (or it'll get soggy).
6. 6. Pulse the tortillas in a food processor until they have the consistency of bread crumbs.
7. 7. Add half the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to the ground tortillas. Add the other half of the seasonings to the flour.
8. 8. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together.
9. 9. Take chicken out of brine and pat dry.
10. 10. Dredge chicken and let sit for 30 minutes.
11. The order for dredging the chicken is: flour, egg wash, crumbs. Use one hand for your dry ingredients and the other for the wet.
12. 11. Unroll Oaxacan cheese and tear into large pieces.
13. 12. Heat fryer or cast-iron pan with 2 inches of oil to 350° F.
14. 13. Fry chicken 2 pieces at a time (unless you can fit all 4 without crowding it, but you’ll need a huge pan for that) for 8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove chicken from oil and place on cookie racks.
15. 14. Put cheese right onto chicken to melt it as it comes out.
16. 15. While chicken rests (for about 10 minutes), slice the avocados, mix your slaw and reheat your beans.
17. 16. Build sandwich (bottom up)
18. beans
19. pickled onions and jalapeño
20. avocado
21. chicken
22. lettuce slaw