Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast
• 1/4 cup pickle juice
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup olive oil, for frying
• 2 sesame seed burger buns
• pickle slices, for serving

Equipment

• Meat mallet
• Two shallow bowls
• Skillet
• Instant-read thermometer
• Tongs

Instructions

1. Place the chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound it gently with the flat side of a meat mallet until it is an even 1/2 inch thick, so it cooks quickly and stays tender.
2. Slice the pounded breast into two even pieces, one for each bun.
3. Put the chicken in a bowl or bag with the pickle juice and let it marinate 30 minutes to 1 hour, which seasons the meat and keeps it juicy (add a teaspoon of hot sauce now if you want it spicy).
4. Whisk the egg and milk together in a shallow bowl until smooth and combined.
5. In a second shallow bowl, stir together the flour, icing sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, celery salt, and cayenne so the seasoning is evenly distributed.
6. Dip each chicken piece into the egg mixture to coat both sides, then dredge in the seasoned flour, pressing so it sticks and forms a craggy crust.
7. Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet to 345 to 350 degrees F, hot enough that a pinch of flour sizzles right away.
8. Fry each cutlet about 2 minutes per side until deep golden and cooked through (165 degrees F at the center).
9. Drain the chicken on paper towels for a minute, then serve on toasted buns with pickle slices.