As a whole, these sandwiches were very good, but the chicken itself was the clear highlight. There wasn’t a ton of spice to it, despite the jalapeño in the marinade and the cayenne in the dredge, but there was just enough to make it tasty and to balance the sweetness of the potato bun.
The texture of the chicken was fantastic — the breading was nice and crispy and the chicken was incredibly moist. Plus, the lettuce and pickles gave the sandwich some crunch and some tanginess.
I had leftover fried chicken cutlets afterwards, and I was pleased to find they maintained both their moisture and their crispness when reheated in the air fryer.
However, both my wife and I agreed the buttermilk-herb mayo mostly just tasted like mayonnaise. While we were eating the sandwiches, we found ourselves speculating about other sauces that would go better with the chicken and require less effort.
The only other downsides were that the double-dredging and frying left my kitchen a mess, and my whole apartment smelled strongly of oil for about the next 24 hours.
So, although I enjoyed the sandwiches, I can’t imagine preparing them for guests unless I somehow come into a much larger home with a much airier kitchen.
But since the chicken cutlets themselves were a hit, I will likely use that portion of the recipe again. Next time, I’ll skip the mayonnaise and double the chicken, since I know it keeps and reheats fairly well.
