A San Antonio restaurant is in the big leagues — that is, it's advanced to the final round in an eight-city matchup for the best chicken sandwich. Since this competition is fan-voted, San Antonians have a chance to sway the end result; if they think this sandwich by The Hayden is worth the prize, they can cast their vote for it. They might also win $10,000 for participating.
The Wild One is a new creation by The Hayden, and it's only on the menu for the duration of the competition: September 7-27. Pictures alone offer a strong enough argument to try it; hope you prepared your Guy Fieri hunch for the gooey cheese cascading down the sides.
A simplified pitch in a press release shares that this ensemble is made with an extra-crispy chicken tender and topped with a stuffed poblano pepper and tomatillo salsa. All that is on a bun from the grocery store brand Sara Lee's Artesano product line; that's who is running the competition. But a recipe on the Artesano’s Official Chicken Sandwich Challenge website gives a more in-depth look under the bun.
What is it about a messy sandwich that looks so delicious?The Hayden/Instagram
Most interesting for home chefs is likely the chicken marinade, which combines equal parts buttermilk and pickle juice — a simple cooking hack that opens up tons of other possibilities. (Pepperoncini brine? Pickled jalapeños? Escabeche?) The pièce de résistance, though, is the stuffed poblano pepper, which sounds like a great snack on its own. Just add pimento cheese and bacon bits, and roast it in the oven. Some versions posted by the restaurant on social media wrap the bacon around the pepper.
The Wild One is facing off against The G.O.A.T., a creation by Hen House Eatery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although the name calls to mind a different kind of meat, this sandwich featured grilled chicken with Cajun seasoning and barbecue sauce. The winner will be announced November 9 and will win $20,000.
A look at the competition.saraleebread.com
Each of the original eight restaurants selected "represent" their region within the United States. That means that San Antonio was repping Southwesterners, and it has bridged a cultural gap in showing off the South's fried chicken prowess along with Mexico's influential pepper prominence. Other cities in the competition include Los Angeles, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Bend, Oregon; Boulder, Colorado; Conshohocken, Pennsylvania; and Portland, Maine.
To keep the contest fair — and try the most chicken sandwiches possible — voters could always try their hand at the recipes provided.
Voting for the contest will close on Friday, September 27 at 11:59 pm Eastern. (That's 10:59 pm Central, so don't wait too long!) CultureMap will be back with an update if the Wild One wins the competition. The Hayden operates two diner-like locations: on Broadway (4025 Broadway) and at Alon Market (10003 NW Military Hwy, Suite #2115 ). Fans can vote online via woobox.com.
