1⁄2 cup stone cut grits (alternatives: spelt or finely ground rice)
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3⁄4 cup whole milk ricotta
2 tablespoons tahini
4 eggs, sunny up
1 loaf brioche, sliced 1 inch thick and toasted
1 heirloom tomato, sliced into 1⁄2 inch rounds
1 ½ cups mesclun greens
Instructions
Method:
In a medium bowl add buttermilk, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, beer, salt, and black pepper.
Whisk until smooth adding in flour followed by grits.
Season chicken with salt and pepper on one side.
Preheat vegetable oil to 300 degrees in a shallow cast iron pan. Using tongs dredge chicken in batter and drop into hot oil. Cook until the chicken is golden brown on each side, flipping halfway through, about 10 minutes.
Mix together the ricotta and tahini and set aside until ready to use.
While chicken cooks, fry 2 eggs at a time in a large non-stick saute pan over medium high heat. Season the yolk with salt so that it firms up quickly. Cook the egg until the white is no longer runny.
Remove chicken from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool and sprinkle with salt to taste.
Start to assemble the sandwiches adding a smear of ricotta tahini spread on each slice of bread. Then on one slice of bread add mesclun greens, a slice of tomato, a fried piece of chicken thigh, and a sunny up egg. Top the sandwich with the other slice of bread and serve.
JJ’s Tip: Season chicken on one side to avoid oversalting since the batter contains salt as well.
