cornflake crunch chicken sandwich with pickly aioli

oven baked AND no egg dredge required

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

SERVES: 4 (small burgers)

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Chef’s knife
Cutting board (not my exact one but very similar)
Large ziploc bag
Baking sheet
Wire rack
Tongs
Mini sheet tray (I used for dredging but a shallow dish works fine)

For the chicken

• 2 cups cornflakes

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

• 1 tsp dried dill

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

• Salt + pepper

• 2 chicken breasts

• 1/4 cup dijon mustard

• avocado oil (spray ideally, or use a pastry brush)

For the dill pickle aioli

• 1/2 cup mayo

• 1 tbsp dill pickle juice

• 2 pickles, finely diced

• 1 tsp dried dill

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

For the rest

• hot honey

• 4 smaller brioche rolls

• leaf lettuce

• tomatoes

Make the chicken coating

• Place 2 cups cornflakes in a large zip-top bag and crush them using a rolling pin or another heavy object. Aim for mostly fine crumbs with a few larger flakes.

• Add to a shallow dish and mix in the 1/4 cup grated parm, 1 tsp dried dill, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and a sprinkle of salt + pepper.

Coat & cook the chicken

• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment and place a wire rack on top. ** Air fryer steps below.

• Cut 2 chicken breasts in half crosswise (not butterflied) to create four even pieces. Place the chicken in the used zip-top bag and pound lightly with a rolling pin until the pieces are an even thickness (not super thin, just uniform).

• Add 2 tbsp Dijon mustard to the bag and mix well to coat the chicken.

• Dredge each piece in the cornflake mixture, pressing firmly to adhere as much coating as possible.

• Place the coated chicken on the wire rack and LIGHTLY spray the pieces with avocado oil (too much = not crisp). Be careful not to spray too much oil onto the sheet tray below as it will smoke in the oven.

• Bake for 10 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes per side to crisp up. On the final broil, place the buns cut-side up on the baking sheet to toast.

Make the dill pickle aioli

• While the chicken bakes, mix together 1/2 cup mayo, 1 tbsp dill pickle juice, 2 pickles, finely diced, 1 tsp dried dill, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Taste and adjust with more pickle juice or a pinch of salt if needed. Set aside.

Assemble

• Spread dill pickle aioli on the toasted buns. Add a piece of crispy chicken and drizzle with hot honey. Layer on lettuce, tomato, and any additional toppings you love. Top with more aioli, add the top bun, and enjoy!