There’s a reason it’s referred to as “the caviar of the South”! Pimento cheese isn’t actually a type of cheese, it’s a cheese spread made of a combination of pimento peppers, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and cream cheese.
4large boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 1 pound
For the pimento cheese:
¼cupcream cheese,at room temperature
¼cupmayonnaise
½teaspoonWorcestershire sauce
1cupshredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3tablespoonschopped jarred pimento peppers
1tablespoonthinly sliced green onion
For serving:
4brioche buns,split in half, toasted
1heirloom tomato,thinly sliced
4butter lettuce leaves
8strips cooked bacon,halved
Instructions
For the fried chicken:
Fill a large cast iron pan with vegetable oil so it reaches 2-inches up the pan. Heat the oil to 350°F.
In a medium shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, paprika, pepper and cayenne. Whisk the buttermilk, egg and hot sauce together in a medium bowl. One piece at a time, dip chicken in the buttermilk mixture then dredge in the flour.
Shake off any excess flour and fry in the oil, flipping once, until the chicken is golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
For the pimento cheese:
In a medium mixing bowl stir together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and Worcestershire until completely combined. Fold in the cheese, pimentos and green onion until evenly distributed.
For serving:
Spread 2 tablespoons of the pimento cheese mixture on the bottom half of each of the buns and top with a piece of the fried chicken, bacon, tomato and lettuce. Close the sandwich and repeat with the remaining ingredients.