Baked Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

This isn't the best picture, but this is worthy of a blog post because it's a keeper!  The original recipe comes from the blog Budget Bytes and uses chicken breast but I used chicken thighs that I had on hand. It's a recipe for 2 servings but could easily be adapted to make as many as you need.  

I made the slaw with a fresh head of cabbage instead of the bagged cabbage I usually use.  It was creamy, crunchy, and so much better than the bagged slaw.  I don't think I'll ever go back to using the bagged slaw again!   

This was a picture before baking. You'll see the process below but to the crumb mixture you add a little avocado oil which makes the crumb mixture like sand.  Once the chicken is coated with a yogurt mixture the crumb mixture adheres to the chicken nicely and when baked it became a crispy and crunchy piece of chicken without being fried.

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs 
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder 
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (use 1/4 if you don't want it spicy)
• 1/8 tsp salt 
• freshly cracked pepper 
• 1 & 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/8 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp hot sauce 
• 2 boneless, skinless small chicken breast or thighs (if needed cut chicken pieces to fit your bun and freeze or use the trimming for another use) (I cooked up the trimmings the next day and added to our lunch salads)

Honey Yogurt Slaw (this will give you enough to top two sandwiches and two side servings)

• 3 cups shredded cabbage(or pre-bagged slaw mix) 
• 2 Tbsp mayonnaise 
• 1/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt 
• 1/2 Tbsp honey 
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard 
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• freshly cracked pepper 

For Serving

• 2 brioche buns (optional- toast)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Place a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet to hold the breaded chicken.  I also like to cover the baking sheet with foil for easy clean up.
• In a wide shallow bowl or container, combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper for the chicken's breading. Once combined, add the cooking oil and stir until the seasoned breadcrumbs resemble damp sand.
• In a separate wide shallow bowl or container, combine the yogurt, salt, and hot sauce.
• Place the chicken breast on a cutting board, cover with plastic, then use a mallet or rolling pin to gently pound the chicken breast to an even thickness, no more than 3/4-inch thick. Cut the chicken breast to fit the size of the bun, then season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of cayenne.
• At this point you can dip each piece of chicken into the yogurt and hot sauce mixture, making sure to fully coat the chicken, then into the seasoned bread crumbs, again coating both sides. Place the coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet with wire rack.  Or if you have time marinate the chicken in the yogurt mixture (up to 8 hours) before baking.  Especially with chicken breast as it tenderizes and will result in a juicer piece of chicken.
• Bake the chicken for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF, carefully flipping the chicken once half way through. 
• While the chicken is baking, prepare the honey yogurt slaw. In a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise, yogurt, honey, Dijon, vinegar, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. 
• Place the shredded cabbage slaw mix in a large bowl, pour the prepared dressing over top, and stir until the cabbage is coated in dressing.
• Once the chicken is finished baking, build the sandwiches. Place one piece of spicy chicken on each bun and top with a generous pile of the honey yogurt slaw. Enjoy!