Hot Chicken Sandwiches with Blue Cheese & Apple Slaw

1.5-2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs

6 potato buns

1 cup buffalo sauce

2 tbsp pickle juice

1 tbsp dijion mustard

1/2 tsp horseradish

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

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2 cups green cabbage, sliced

2 cups red apple, cut matchstick shape (~1 medium red apple)

1 cup red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup blue cheese or gorgonzola crumbles

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

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1 cup Panko breadcrumbs + extra as needed

3 tbsp tapico flour

4 tbsp butter or olive oil + extra as needed

1 tbsp butter

In a large bowl combine the buffalo sauce, pickle juice, dijon mustard, horseradish, salt, and pepper. Trim excess fat from chicken thighs and add to marinade, toss to throughly coat. Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

While the chicken marinates, make the slaw. In a large bowl add the cabbage, apple, and red onion. In a medium bowl combine the mayonnaise, blue cheese crumbles, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the slaw mixture and toss to coat. Let sit for 30 mins to 1 hour.

In a medium bowl combine the Panko and tapioca flour. Melt 2 tbsp of butter or heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in your skillet. Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off excess liquid, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. You may need to add more Panko to the bowl once half of the chicken is breaded. Place chicken into hot butter and cook 5 minutes per side. Try not to flip too early, you will lose breading if it has not browned and crisped. Rest on on cooling rack. If the pan starts to look dry during cooking, add more oil or butter to the center of the pan. Don’t over crowd the pan! This will prevent the good crispy layer from forming.

While you are cooking the chicken, pour the leftover marinade into a saucepan with 1 tbsp butter. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

To serve, place the chicken on a toasted bun, drizzle with warm sauce, and top with slaw.