1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

2. Marinate your chicken before making the biscuits (you can also do this 1 day in advance): Place the chicken in a large, shallow dish, then pour over the buttermilk. Add the pickle juice, then the hot sauce and cayenne to taste. Using your hands, mix well to combine and coat the chicken, then cover the dish and transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

3. While the chicken marinates, make your biscuits: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and cold shortening. Using your fingers or two butter knives, break up the shortening into dime-sized pieces, working it into the flour. Place the bowl in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.

4. While the dough chills, lightly flour a clean work surface, rolling pin, and biscuit cutter.

5. Once the flour mixture is chilled, remove it from the freezer. Make a small well in the flour and pour in the cold buttermilk (be sure to shake it before pouring it!). Gently mix and turn to combine, about 15 turns.

6. Gently turn out the dough onto the floured work surface (it will be loose and sticky—that’s ok!). Using the rolling pin, roll out the dough into a thin layer, then fold it in half into a rectangle or square. Repeat the rolling and folding process 4–5 times to create layers. Roll the dough out one more time, then use your biscuit cutter to punch out the biscuits.

7. Arrange the biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the biscuits with the room temperature butter (you can also melt the butter, if you prefer). Bake until golden, 12–15 minutes depending on your oven. Top with more melted butter when they’re fresh out of the oven.

8. While the biscuits bake, in a large cast-iron skillet, heat a layer of oil to 350ºF. Remove the chicken from the marinade, then dredge it in the seasoned flour to coat.

9. Add the chicken to the hot oil and fry, gently turning once, until golden and cooked through, 4–6 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack and season immediately with salt. (You can store the chicken in the fridge once it’s cooled completely. If you’re making it ahead of time, you can reheat it in the oven on a wire rack until crispy.)

10. To assemble the sandwiches, split open the biscuits and fill with the fried chicken. Serve and enjoy!

Homemade Cheez-Its

Ingredients

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