Cooking With A Buz: Infused Hot-Honey Chicken Sliders

August cookouts have a way of lasting all day. Somebody fires up the grill around noon, someone else brings enough potato salad for a family reunion, and everyone is still gathered around the cooler after sunset.

These sliders are perfect for that kind of afternoon. The chicken is crispy, the slaw adds a cool crunch, and the hot honey brings just enough sweet heat to make you reach for another.

The cannabis goes into the finishing sauce instead of the chicken, making it easier to control the dose and prepare a separate uninfused batch for other guests. They are sticky, spicy and a little messy, so grab a bag of your favorite herb, twist one up, and let's get Cooking with a Buz.

Yield: 12 sliders

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Suggested Dose

Approximately 5 milligrams of THC per slider when the sauce contains 60 milligrams total THC and is divided evenly among 12 sliders.

Always calculate the dose using the labeled or tested potency of your infusion.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 tablespoon hot sauce

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup cornstarch

• Vegetable or canola oil for frying

  
  

Infused Hot-Honey Sauce

• ½ cup honey

• 3 tablespoons hot sauce

• 2 tablespoons melted butter

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• Cannabis-infused honey or oil containing 60 milligrams total THC

• Pinch of salt

  
  

Slaw

• 3 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix

• ¼ cup mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon honey

• ½ teaspoon celery seed

• Salt and pepper to taste

  
  

Assembly

• 12 slider buns

• Dill pickle slices

• Softened butter

  
  

Instructions

Cut the chicken thighs into pieces that will fit comfortably on the slider buns.

Place the chicken in a bowl with the buttermilk, hot sauce, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Stir until coated, then refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

While the chicken marinates, make the slaw. Add the cabbage to a bowl. Mix the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey and celery seed in a separate bowl, then pour it over the cabbage. Toss everything together, season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until needed.

To make the hot honey, combine the regular honey, hot sauce, melted butter, vinegar, red pepper flakes and salt in a small saucepan.

Warm it gently over low heat until smooth. Do not let it boil.

Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool slightly. Stir in your measured cannabis-infused honey or oil, mixing thoroughly so the dose is evenly distributed.

Combine the flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish. Season it lightly with salt, pepper and smoked paprika.

Pour about two inches of oil into a heavy skillet or Dutch oven and heat it to 350°F.

Remove one piece of chicken from the buttermilk, let the excess drip off and press it into the flour mixture. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Fry a few pieces at a time for five to seven minutes, turning as needed. Do not overcrowd the pan.

The chicken is ready when it is golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer it to a wire rack or paper-towel-lined tray while you finish the remaining batches.

Lightly butter the slider buns and toast them in a skillet, on the grill or under the broiler until golden.

Place one piece of chicken on each bottom bun. Divide the infused hot-honey sauce evenly among all 12 sliders.

Top each one with slaw, pickle slices and the other half of the bun.

Serve immediately while the chicken is crispy and the sauce is warm.

Dose Responsibly

Clearly label the infused sliders and keep them separate from the uninfused food.

Eat one serving and allow plenty of time for the effects to develop before considering another. The heat from the sauce arrives quickly. The cannabis does not.