This is the BEST spicy, crispy buttermilk chicken sandwich! Golden-fried chicken on a buttery brioche bun, piled high with shredded lettuce, pickles and a heavy drizzle of homemade ranch. Recipe yields 4 sandwiches and rivals Popeye’s, Chick-fil-a and McDonalds!
There are three variations of this spicy chicken sandwich on my site, and this ranch version just happens to be my favorite! Check them all out here!

Why this recipe works
Here are all the reasons why this is the best recipe!
- The fried chicken is super tender and juicy because it’s marinated overnight in a spicy buttermilk marinade.
- The chicken is perfectly crispy on the outside because its dredged twice in a mixture of seasoned flour and cornstarch, and fried to a golden crisp. No messy breadcrumbs!
- The homemade ranch only takes a few minutes to make and doesn’t have the heavy aftertaste of bottled ranch!
- The sandwiches sit on warm, buttery brioche buns which are such an upgrade from basic hamburger buns!
- Kosher pickle chips and crisp fresh lettuce are used as toppings!
- It only takes about 35 minutes to fry and assemble the sandwiches, which makes them the perfect weekend lunch or weekday dinner!
Let the fast food chains have their little showdown! Nothing compares to homemade.
Chicken breasts vs. thighs – which to use?
There is no wrong answer, it comes down to preference. Chicken thighs are hugely popular because they’re slightly fatty which makes them more tender and flavorful. Thighs also tend to be smaller so they fit better on the bun.
Personally, I love the non-fatty texture of white meat chicken breast. If you choose breasts, you can pound them out to tenderize and make them thinner or you can slice or trim them, since breasts tend to be larger.

Common questions about using buttermilk as a marinade
Buttermilk acts as a tenderizer, which makes the chicken tender and juicy. Dry seasonings and hot sauce are added for flavor and spice. For best results, let the chicken marinate overnight, before you dredge it in flour and fry it!
Chicken can safely marinate in buttermilk for up to 48 hours. I recommend a good 24 hours, but if you are short on time, 4 hours is the minimum amount of time you’ll need.
Yes, here’s a little hack you can use: for every one cup of buttermilk, substitute whole milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Let this mixture sit and curdle for a few minutes. It milk won’t be quite as thick as actual buttermilk but it will yield the same result for purposes of this recipe.
Ingredients
The key to this recipe is to use the best ingredients! Some ingredients are repeated in different steps of the recipe. Refer to the recipe card for exact measurements.
Crispy chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs OR 1-inch thick chicken breasts.
- Marinade: buttermilk, 1 large egg, Louisiana-style hot sauce plus all of the dry spices listed below.
- Spices: smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard, kosher salt, black pepper.
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch for dredging. The addition of cornstarch makes the chicken extra crispy!
- High heat frying oil – peanut is best for frying but canola and vegetable are great non-allergen oils.
Ranch sauce
- Base: buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, juice from half of a lemon
- Seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, dried mustard, salt, pepper
- Fresh herbs: dill, chives
You can use bottled ranch if you don’t want to make your own.
Other
- 4 brioche buns – toasted or grilled
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Kosher or dill pickle chips
Recommended Tools:
These tools are very helpful, but don’t worry if you don’t have them all.
- Digital meat thermometer is a MUST for frying chicken! You want to make sure you’re killing any bacteria in the chicken, and also not overcooking it!
- Deep-fry thermometer clips to the side of your pan and measures oil temperature. They’re also labeled as candy thermometers. If you don’t have one, just use the prong of your meat thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil.
- Dutch oven or deep skillet to reduce splatters.
- Silicon tongs: long ones are helpful for dredging the chicken in the seasoned flour and safely dropping it in the oil. Unlike metal tongs, silicon won’t scrape the wet batter off the chicken!
- Spider strainer or slotted metal spoon: makes it very easy (and safe) to scoop the fried chicken out of the hot oil. It’s also great for draining the oil off.
- Metal cooling rack or plate lined with paper bags to soak up the oil.
- Casserole dish with lid for marinating the chicken.

Recipe Directions
- Prepare the marinade by whisking together the hot sauce, buttermilk and ground mustard in a medium-sized bowl.
- Place the chicken thighs or breasts in a casserole dish, and pour the buttermilk mixture over them. Ideally, you should let the chicken marinate overnight. If you’re pressed on time, 4 hours is fine.
- Prepare the buttermilk-ranch by whisking together all of the base ingredients with the dry seasonings (listed in the recipe card). Mix in the fresh herbs and chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the sandwiches.
- Prepare the seasoned flour by whisking together the cornstarch, flour and dry seasonings in a large bowl.
- Pre-heat the oil to 350°F in a deep-sided dutch oven or large cast iron skillet.
- Remove the chicken from marinade, gently shake off any excess marinade and set the chicken aside. Whisk in 1 egg to the bowl of leftover marinade.
- Dredge each piece of chicken the flour mixture, dip once more in the marinade and let the excess marinade drip off, then dredge in flour one last time.
- Drop each breast/thigh in the hot oil and fry for 15-18 minutes. You can fry all 4 pieces of chicken in the same batch. Use a digital meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the chicken. The thermometer should register at 170°F for thighs and 165°F for breasts.
- Assemble the sandwiches in this order: Grilled bottom bun, thin layer of ranch, a few pickle chips, crispy chicken, another spoonful of ranch, shredded iceberg, a few more pickle chips, grilled top bun.

Substitutions and variations
- Refer to the FAQ section near the beginning of this post for substituting buttermilk
- Try adding a little bit of pickle juice to the buttermilk marinade for extra tang!
- Gluten free or low carb: eliminate the flour and cornstarch and use almond flour instead. Use gluten-free or low-carb buns.
- Mild/non-spicy – eliminate hot sauce and cayenne pepper and go easy on the chili powder!
- Honey chipotle and hot honey – check these other versions out here!
- Buffalo style – toss the fried chicken in buffalo sauce and substitute bleu cheese dressing for ranch.
Other cooking methods
Here are some healthier cooking methods.
- Use an air fryer – place the dredged chicken in the air fryer basket and spray with a little bit of cooking spray. Air fry at 370°F for about 20 full minutes, make sure to flip the chicken half way through.
- Bake in the oven at 425°F for 25 minutes. Spray the top of the chicken with cooking spray.
- Regardless of cooking method, chicken breast needs to register at 165°F and thighs should register at 170°F.
Make sure to use a thermometer to check the temperature before serving.
Serving suggestions
Here are some delicious sides that go well with this buttermilk chicken sandwich:
- Fries – homemade or frozen is fine! Steak fries or waffle fries are some favorites!
- Cole slaw – check out my sweet and creamy southern-style version here
- Corn on the cob or street corn
- Fried onion strings
Storing and re-heating leftovers
Store leftover fried chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Re-heat on a metal baking sheet in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.
Leftover ranch dressing can be stored in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Top Tips
I sprinkled some useful tips throughout this post, here’s a summary of the top ones:
- It’s always best to use a meat thermometer to take the guesswork out of frying chicken. Chicken breast should reach an internal temperature of 165°F and thigh meat should reach 170°F.
- Brush the cut sides of the buns with butter and grill/heat for just a few seconds before assembling the sandwiches.
- Store leftover chicken in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, the ranch dressing will keep for about a week.

Crispy Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
Crispy Spicy Buttermilk Chicken
- 4 chicken thighs or 1-inch thick chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 and ½ cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup hot sauce Louisiana style
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 3 tsp. smoked paprika
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. ground mustard
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 2 and ½ cups canola oil for frying
Buttermilk Ranch Sauce
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ⅛ tsp. dried mustard
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp. fresh dill chopped
- 1 tbsp. fresh chives chopped
- pinch salt and pepper
Additional Ingredients
- 4 brioche buns buttered and grilled on the flat side
- iceberg lettuce shredded
- dill pickle chips
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade by whisking together the hot sauce, buttermilk and ground mustard in a medium-sized bowl. Set the marinade aside.
- Place the chicken thighs or breasts in a casserole dish, and pour the buttermilk mixture over them. Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours, or overnight.
- Prepare the buttermilk-ranch sauce by whisking together all of the sauce's wet ingredients with the dry seasonings. Stir in the fresh chives and dill. Set aside, or chill in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the seasoned coating by whisking together the flour, cornstarch and dry seasonings in a large bowl.
- Pre-heat the oil to 350°F in a deep-sided dutch oven or large cast iron skillet.
- Remove the chicken from marinade, shake off any excess marinade and set the chicken aside. Add 1 egg to the bowl of leftover marinade and whisk until the egg is fully disbursed.
- Dredge each chicken breast/thigh in the seasoned flour, dip once more in the marinade and let the excess marinade drip off, then dredge in flour again.
- Drop each breast/thigh in the hot oil and fry for 15-18 minutes. You can fry all 4 pieces of chicken in the same batch. Use a digital meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the chicken. The temperature needs to register at 170°F for thighs and 165°F for breasts.
- Assemble the sandwiches in this order: Bottom bun, a thin layer of ranch, a few pickle chips, crispy chicken, another spoonful of ranch, shredded iceberg, a few more pickle chips, top bun.
Notes
- It's always best to use a meat thermometer to take the guesswork out of frying chicken. Chicken breast should reach an internal temperature of 165°F and thigh meat should reach 170°F.
- Grill the cut sides of the buns for just a few seconds before assembling the sandwiches.
- Store leftover chicken in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, the ranch dressing will keep for about a week.
- Air fryer - place the dredged chicken in the air fryer basket and spray with a little bit of cooking spray. Air fry at 370°F for about 20 full minutes, make sure to flip the chicken half way through.
- Bake in the oven on a greased metal baking sheet at 425°F for 25 minutes. Spray the tops with cooking spray.
Nutrition
FOOD SAFETY
Here are some basic food safety tips:
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Never leave the chicken unattended while it’s frying!
- Use oils with high smoking point (I recommend canola or vegetable oil) to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
- Make sure to store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Stephanie says
This my husband’s new fave! Thank you!
Jessica says
This might be the best fried chicken sandwich I’ve ever had. Like restaurant quality. So crispy and juicy and the ranch was AMAZING. Making it again this weekend!
Marta says
I consider myself a fried chicken sandwich connoisseur and this has to rank among the top 5 best chicken sandwiches I’ve eaten. It was juicy, full of flavor, and so easy to make. Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
Kate says
By far one of the best buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches I have ever had, thanks to your detailed step by step instructions! I can’t wait to make this again!
Robin says
I substituted arugula for the iceberg – this sandwich was heaven!
Katrina says
This chicken sandwich was so good and has been added to the family recipe rolodex.
Erique says
Love that this recipe is straightforward! This chicken sandwich is now a household favorite.
Lilly says
I subbed with gluten-free flour and almond buttermilk and it turned out perfect!! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Chenée says
These sandwiches were incredible! The chicken came out crispy and juicy, and the ranch sauce was the best I’ve ever had!
Jazz says
This was my first time making a crispy chicken sandwich at home so I followed your recipe to a tee and it came out perfectly! I used chicken thighs, btw.
Colton says
This recipe was delicious and my whole family enjoyed! Just make sure to start on it early because the marination part takes a little bit of time. Otherwise, in my opinion, this recipe was delicious!