The Double Down, KFC’s definition of gluttony in a sandwich, is coming back for a limited time. I remember when the first time I heard about the Double Down, I was somewhat disgusted, but at the same time I was dying to get my hands on it and see what all the hype was about. But sadly it was not meant to be. Before I had the chance to try this heart attack on a plate it was pulled from its menu. No one knew whether or not it would ever make a return to KFC’s across the nation, but a date has been set, and this time I plan on getting one before they get a chance to remove it again.
So to commemorate the return of the KFC Double Down, I wanted to do my own rendition of the sandwich. If you really think about it, it’s just a couple of slices of bacon and cheese sandwiched between two fried chicken breasts and of course, who could forget about the “Colonel’s Secret Sauce” that was on it?
Obviously this is great news for all of us who still crave this fabled sandwich, but for all of you health nuts and vegetarians out there I heed you to look away because this recipe is not going to please you one bit. There will be no signs of anything healthy involved in this recipe, and I promise you there will be no signs of leafy greens or anything that resembles a vegetable at all.
Prep Time: 1.5 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 1 serving
Ingredients:
2 Chicken breasts
2 cups of buttermilk
1 ½ cup of all-purpose flour
2 ounces of cheddar cheese (Tip: Use your favorite melting cheese-I just prefer cheddar)
4 slices of thick-cut bacon
1 tablespoon of ketchup
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
Hot sauce (Tip: Use something vinegar-based like Texas Pete Hot Sauce)
2 tablespoons of onion powder
2 tablespoons of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning
Canola or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
Photo by Alex Vu
Directions:
1. Using a meat tenderizer or basically any heavy metal pot, flatten your chicken breasts so that they are about half as thick. Also make sure to preheat the oven to 375° F, you’ll need it later.
2. In a bowl, add the buttermilk, a couple squirts of hot sauce (or more if you’re into the spicy stuff) and a couple cracks of black pepper.
3. To the marinade, add the chicken breast and allow it to sit in the fridge for 1 ½ hours. (Tip: The marinade not only adds flavor to the chicken breast, but also allows for the chicken to be tenderized in the buttermilk).
Photo by Alex Vu
4. During the wait time, prepare the flour mixture. Combine the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, Old Bay Seasoning and a pinch of salt and pepper.
5. For the special sauce, simply combine the ketchup, mayonnaise and a couple squirts of hot sauce.
6. During this time, you can also prepare the frying oil. First crisp up the slices of bacon and keep the leftover fat in the pan. Set the bacon aside to be added later.
7. Add about half an inch of oil to the pan and let it heat to about 350° F – for safety reasons use a big pan to prevent any oil from spilling over when you fry the chicken. (Tip: Bacon fat will only flavor your chicken, making it that much better).
Photo by Alex Vu
8. Once the chicken has finished marinating in the buttermilk, remove it from the bowl and add it to the flour mixture. Dredge it liberally through the flour, coating the chicken completely– this will help the chicken get that super crispy exterior that fried chicken is supposed to have.
Photo by Alex Vu
9. Fry the chicken for about 3-5 minutes on each side. Finish cooking the chicken in a 375° F oven.
Photo by Alex Vu
10. Top each piece of fried chicken with some of the cheese and the slices of bacon. Melt the cheese in a 350° F oven.
Photo by Alex Vu
11. Final step, my mouth is drooling just thinking about it. Add some of that “special sauce” to the chicken breasts and stack the two chicken breasts together to form your Double Down. If you’re feeling really healthy, you can definitely add some pickles.
Photo by Alex Vu