The way I cook is built on a handful of ingredients I reach for instinctively: onion, garlic, oregano, spice. They form the base of most dishes I make, whether I’m cooking at home or in a kitchen. I learnt to cook from my Italian mother, who never followed recipes – she cooked by instinct and repetition, tasting as she went and adjusting without hesitation.
That approach still shapes how I cook today. At home, it’s less precise than in a professional kitchen. You rely on memory and instinct, and an understanding of how flavours behave together: fat, heat, and something fresh to cut through. The same elements appear again and again, just applied in different ways.
Fried chicken is something I come back to often. It’s bold and unapologetic – deeply tied to my Black identity – but also incredibly versatile, taking on whatever flavours you build into it. Here, the seasoning sits within that same framework I always use: oregano, garlic, warmth, and a touch of spice.
This is the kind of dish I lean towards on slower mornings – something more considered, but not complicated. The chicken is crisp, the egg soft, the hot honey adds sweetness and heat, and the cucumber pickles cut through the richness.
Everything has a role. Once you understand that balance, it comes together quickly, but it still feels deliberate.
A good base matters. You want a loaf with enough structure to hold everything together, while still soaking up the egg yolk and carrying the richness – something like Abbott’s Bakery Sourdough White works well here.
Sebastian Pasinetti’s Mediterranean fried chicken sourdough sandwich
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 2 hours marinating
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
250ml buttermilk
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 boneless chicken thighs
150g plain flour
Black pepper, to season
Vegetable oil, for frying
4 slices Abbott’s Bakery Sourdough White
2 eggs
Butter, for toasting bread
Cucumber pickles
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Pinch salt
Hot honey
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp chilli flakes
To serve
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Lemon, to taste (optional; see note)
Method
Combine buttermilk, oregano, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and chilli flakes in a bowl. Season with pepper. Add chicken and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
For the pickles, combine cucumber, vinegar, sugar and salt in a bowl. Toss to coat and set aside.
Combine flour with a pinch of pepper and a little extra of the spice mix.
Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Coat in flour mixture, pressing firmly so it adheres well.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry chicken for 5–6 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towel.
Meanwhile, for the hot honey, combine honey and chilli flakes in a small bowl and set aside. Toast sourdough slices in butter until golden. In a separate pan, fry eggs to your preference.
To assemble, spread mayonnaise over the face of each sourdough slice. Top with fried chicken, drizzle with hot honey, then add fried egg. Finish with cucumber pickles, parsley, then close with a second sourdough slice.
Notes
1: You can marinate the chicken overnight for deeper flavour.
2: For extra brightness, add a squeeze of lemon juice over the chicken before assembling the sandwich.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Abbott’s Bakery.
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Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Abbott’s Bakery.
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Dining and Cooking