In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, pickle juice, optional hot sauce, salt, dry ranch mix, and taco seasoning.
Stir in chicken thighs, cover with saran wrap, and marinate in the fridge for up to 8 hours.
Breading & Wash*
Grab two rimmed baking sheets and place a wire cooling rack onto each of them. One will be used for the raw chicken and one will be used for the cooked chicken. Set aside.
On a large plate, mix together flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, salt, pepper, optional cayenne, dry ranch mix, and taco seasoning until well combined. Set aside.
Whisk together egg and 1/2 cup of the marinade in a deep bowl (deep enough to submerge chicken) until well combined.
Drain and discard the remaining marinade from the chicken.
Take one piece of chicken and fully coat it with breading mixture. Shake off any excess.
Place it into the egg wash bowl and fully coat, allowing excess to drip off.
Coat chicken in breading mixture, then egg wash, and then breading one more time.
Place the chicken onto one of the prepared racks. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Let chicken dry for about 15 minutes while you prepare your oil.
Frying
Heat oil to 355 degrees F - 380 degrees F in a large stockpot or deep-fryer.**
Working with one at a time, fry chicken thighs in the hot oil until golden, crispy, and no longer pink in the centers, about 4 to 5 minutes, flipping halfway through - use tongs for ease.***
Transfer to the clean wire rack.
Repeat with remaining chicken.
Assembly
Spread mayonnaise over hamburger bun halves, top with chicken and pickles!
Nutritional information does not include oil, buns, or toppings! Storing information also just applies to the fried chicken.*I highly recommend watching the video for visuals on how to bread and fry your chicken.**I shoot for 360/370, because as soon as the chicken hits the oil, the temperature will drop slightly, but you don’t want it too high or the outside will brown too much and the chicken won’t cook through.