Rachael's Fried Chicken Sandwich with Hot Ranch Slaw

For the Slaw:

• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
• 1 small or ½ medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, grated or pasted
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 4 cups shredded cabbage (or 1 sack store-bought pre-shredded slaw blend)
• ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• About 3 tablespoons buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper hot sauce (Rach’s go-to is Frank’s RedHot)
• ¼ cup chopped herbs (parsley, chives and dill)

For the Chicken Sandwiches:

• Frying oil, such as safflower or canola, 2-3 inches in Dutch oven or 2 quarts for tabletop fryers
• 1½ cups AP flour
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (½ palmful)
• 2 teaspoons white pepper (2/3 palmful)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin (2/3 palmful)
• 2 teaspoons paprika (2/3 palmful)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2-3 (4 to 6 portions) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally into 4-6 cutlets
• Soft sandwich buns and bread-and-butter pickles, to serve

For the slaw, pour the vinegar over peppers, onions and garlic and add a liberal amount of salt and some pepper and celery seed; let stand 10 minutes, then toss with cabbage. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream or yogurt with buttermilk, cayenne pepper hot sauce, and chopped herbs; add to slaw, toss to combine, and adjust seasoning.

For the chicken sandwiches, heat oil to 365˚F for frying.

Combine the flour with spices and salt and pepper and divide into 2 shallow dishes. Place a dish of buttermilk between the dishes of flour. Cooking 2 pieces of chicken at a time, dredge in flour, dip in buttermilk, dredge again, then fry to crispy and deep-golden and drain.

Serve chicken on rolls with slaw and pickles on top.