July 12, 2015

7 New-Wave, Next-Level Fried-Chicken Sandwiches

Photo: Bobby Doherty

Sky-high beef prices and the enduring sandwich craze have laid the groundwork for a new between-the-bread obsession: the fried-chicken sandwich. No longer the sole province of fast-food chains and southern-inflected Williamsburg diners, it has become a business plan for industry titans like David Chang and Danny Meyer, who just the other day — too late for pre-deadline sampling — unveiled Shake Shack’s own ChickenShack sandwich at three Brooklyn locations. Ahead, the new breed of birds on buns.

*This article appears in the July 13, 2015 issue of New York Magazine.

Egg Shop’s DIY Egg-Cheese-and-Fried-Chicken
$14; 151 Elizabeth St., nr. Kenmare St. 646-666-0810
You may have to do your best Five Easy Pieces Jack Nicholson impression for the waitress, but it’s worth it. Order the sunny-side egg with Cheddar and hot sauce on a “panini” roll ($7), plus a side of fried chicken ($7), and ask the kitchen to put the chicken on the sandwich, or just assemble it yourself.

Egg Shop’s DIY Egg-Cheese-and-Fried-Chicken
$14; 151 Elizabeth St., nr. Kenmare St. 646-666-0810
You may have to do your best Five Easy Pieces Jack Nicholson impression for the waitress, but it’s worth it. Order the sunny-side egg with Cheddar and hot sauce on a “panini” roll ($7), plus a side of fried chicken ($7), and ask the kitchen to put the chicken on the sandwich, or just assemble it yourself.

El Cortez’s Chicken Buddies
$11; 17 Ingraham St., nr. Bogart St., East Williamsburg; 347-599-2976
Stephen Tanner’s terrific fried-chicken “sliders” come with lettuce, pickle, mayonnaise, and an overgrown toothpick holding all four of them together like a shish kebab. So, yes, the skewer trendlet has met the fried-chicken-sandwich trendlet.

El Cortez’s Chicken Buddies
$11; 17 Ingraham St., nr. Bogart St., East Williamsburg; 347-599-2976
Stephen Tanner’s terrific fried-chicken “sliders” come with lettuce, pickle, mayonnaise, and an overgrown toothpick holding all four of them together like a shish kebab. So, yes, the skewer trendlet has met the fried-chicken-sandwich trendlet.

Meat Hook Sandwich’s Hot Chicken
$13; 495 Lorimer St., nr. Powers St., Williamsburg; 718-302-4665
The recipe calls for chicken thighs, a little meat glue, a hot-sauce bath, and a few techniques that would do Nathan Myhrvold proud. The result: a crisp puck of almost-porky meat perfectly tailored to fit its soft bun. Plus bread-and-butter slaw to cool things down.

Meat Hook Sandwich’s Hot Chicken
$13; 495 Lorimer St., nr. Powers St., Williamsburg; 718-302-4665
The recipe calls for chicken thighs, a little meat glue, a hot-sauce bath, and a few techniques that would do Nathan Myhrvold proud. The result: a crisp puck of almost-porky meat perfectly tailored to fit its soft bun. Plus bread-and-butter slaw to cool things down.

Fuku’s Spicy Fried-Chicken Sandwich
$8; 163 First Ave., nr. 10th St.; no phone
David Chang’s latest food line is long but moves quickly, and the reward is ample: a fried-chicken sandwich that is as crisp and juicy as any you’ve ever had, and with enough thigh meat to make about eight El Cortez Chicken Buddies. The key, apparently, is a technique as closely guarded as Colonel Sanders’s 11 herbs and spices.

Fuku’s Spicy Fried-Chicken Sandwich
$8; 163 First Ave., nr. 10th St.; no phone
David Chang’s latest food line is long but moves quickly, and the reward is ample: a fried-chicken sandwich that is as crisp and juicy as any you’ve ever had, and with enough thigh meat to make about eight El Cortez Chicken Buddies. The key, apparently, is a technique as closely guarded as Colonel Sanders’s 11 herbs and spices.

Boomwich’s Buffalo a la Chicken Sandwich
$10; 311 Atlantic Ave., nr. Smith St., Boerum Hill 718-643-9229
Boneless chunks of fried chicken practically infused with Frank’s Red Hot sauce, a Neapolitan pizza’s worth of fresh mozzarella, carrot-celery slaw, and ranch dressing on a long pretzel roll. Someone has finally successfully crossed a chicken-parm hero with a basket of Buffalo wings.

Boomwich’s Buffalo a la Chicken Sandwich
$10; 311 Atlantic Ave., nr. Smith St., Boerum Hill 718-643-9229
Boneless chunks of fried chicken practically infused with Frank’s Red Hot sauce, a Neapolitan pizza’s worth of fresh mozzarella, carrot-celery slaw, and ranch dressing on a long pretzel roll. Someone has finally successfully crossed a chicken-parm hero with a basket of Buffalo wings.

Wilma Jean’s Fried Chicken Sandwich
$7; 345 Smith St., nr. Carroll St., Carroll Gardens; 718-422-0444
Robert Newton’s buttermilk-battered deep-fried chicken-thigh with iceberg lettuce and buttermilk dressing on a griddled Martin’s potato roll is pretty much perfect in every way — size, balance, proportion, contrasting flavors and textures. But go ahead and get it with the housemade pimento cheese ($2) if you like.

Wilma Jean’s Fried Chicken Sandwich
$7; 345 Smith St., nr. Carroll St., Carroll Gardens; 718-422-0444
Robert Newton’s buttermilk-battered deep-fried chicken-thigh with iceberg lettuce and buttermilk dressing on a griddled Martin’s potato roll is pretty much perfect in every way — size, balance, proportion, contrasting flavors and textures. But go ahead and get it with the housemade pimento cheese ($2) if you like.

Uncle Sam’s NYC Chicken Samwich
$7; 307 Fifth Ave., nr. 32nd St.; 212-213-3938
The Chinese burger chain’s American-style fried-chicken sandwich is surprisingly spot-on. The white meat is moist enough, the panko crust is remarkably crisp, the black-bean mayo and bread-and-butter pickles add richness and tang, and the bun is as soft and squishy as cotton candy. Even the kale confetti doesn’t detract.

Uncle Sam’s NYC Chicken Samwich
$7; 307 Fifth Ave., nr. 32nd St.; 212-213-3938
The Chinese burger chain’s American-style fried-chicken sandwich is surprisingly spot-on. The white meat is moist enough, the panko crust is remarkably crisp, the black-bean mayo and bread-and-butter pickles add richness and tang, and the bun is as soft and squishy as cotton candy. Even the kale confetti doesn’t detract.

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