I’m not sure if you guys are aware, but today is National Southern Food Day. (True story: My original sentence was going to include “y’all” instead of “you guys,” but even though that’s how I would have said it if I were saying it loud, it seemed a little too precious to use it announcing National Southern Food Day. But know that the y’all was in my heart.)
As you may or may not recall, I grew up in North Carolina and have only been here in California for 4 years. I’ll tell you…I would love to go back east. I don’t need to get into all of the reasons, but California just isn’t for me. They don’t know how to make coleslaw, the closest Bojangles is 2,085+ from here, and when people say “barbeque,” they’re generally referring to tri-tip, which I swear to you isn’t even a real cut of beef.
But I digress.
I was happy that NSF Day is on a Monday this year, because I’ve had this recipe in my files forever, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it out. You guys? This sandwich is amazing. I know I say that about a lot of things, but this is SO GOOD. Dennis fell absolutely in love with it, and I can’t wait to make it again.
The peaches I used here were canned because it’s January and despite it pretty much being summer year-round around here, it’s still not fresh peach season, but I imagine this would be even better with fresh peaches.
Happy National Southern Food Day, y’all!
Georgia Peach Chicken Sandwiches
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb. chicken breast cutlets (I used fillets instead of cutlets. Potato, potahto.)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. finely chopped pickled jalapenos (I removed the seeds because I didn’t want it to be TOO spicy.)
1/2 cup pecans, finely ground (see note on this below)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 rolls
1 peach, thinly sliced (Or use canned. I would slice these as well, as mine were a little unwieldy.)
Lettuce
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and the buttermilk.
In a small bowl, mix the mayo and the jalapenos. Make sure you do this so it can sit for a while. When the jalapeno flavor seeps into the mayo, it’s really, really tasty.
In another bowl, mix the pecans and the breadcrumbs. Dip the chicken pieces one at a time into the breadcrumb mixture until they are fully coated, and shake off any excess.
NOTE: Do not be lazy like I was in my first attempt at this. When Rachael Ray says “finely ground pecans”, she means FINELY GROUND PECANS. I thought I could get away with just giving them a good chop, and this is what happened:
The coating completely fell off the chicken, stuck to the pan, and burned, prompting Dennis to come out of the office and say something to the effect of, “That’s not dinner I smell, is it?” I would recommend a couple of quick seconds in a food processor for this coating.
In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, then add the chicken and cook, turning to make sure both sides are golden brown and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. Place chicken on paper towels for any necessary draining.
Spread the jalapeno mayo on the rolls (I recommend on the bottom half), then assemble your sandwiches with the chicken, lettuce, and peaches.
So. Good.
