Page 128 - Food Network Magazine ( PDFDrive )_Neat

YOUchicken?
ARE
chicken?

America has become obsessed with the chicken sandwich.
Here are three great ones to try at home.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CON POULOS

W hen Federal Donuts in
Philadelphia started serving
fried chicken sandwiches two
years ago, co-owner Tom Henneman was
shocked to find they were flying out of the
kitchen—up to a thousand a day. “People
would tweet us that they were traveling to
Philly for our sandwich, and I would pray
we wouldn’t sell out before they arrived!”
he says. Mark Rosati, culinary director of
Shake Shack, knows how Henneman feels:
After more than a decade in business,
the national chain introduced its first
chicken sandwich last year and ran out of a
month’s worth of ingredients in just three
days. “The level of excitement has been
surreal,” he says. And no one, not even the
people making these things, knows why.
Maybe Americans just love sandwiches
(we eat about 300 million a day), or
maybe, as Christine Cikowski, co-owner
of Chicago’s Honey Butter Fried Chicken,
says, “Fried chicken is a comfort food, FOOD STYLING: CHRISTINE ALBANO; PROP STYLING: PAIGE HICKS.
and people want more and more of
that.” Our test kitchen came up with the
ultimate crispy chicken sandwich, plus
two other versions, so you can bring the
trend to your own table.

128 FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE ● SEPTEMBER 2016