Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and adjust your rack to the middle position. Set a baking rack over a large baking sheet.

Arrange three large bowls or deep plates on the countertop. Put the flour in one. Put the eggs, ½ cup buttermilk, and the ¼ cup pickle brine in one. Put the panko and canola oil in the third, giving the mix a good toss to fully coat the panko. If you think you need to add more oil to get it really wet and coated – go for it. Season each bowl with salt; toss to mix.

Begin coating the chicken by taking a piece and dredging it in the flour, then through the egg mixture, and then finally through the panko, ensuring that each piece of chicken is fully coated. Place them onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using a pastry brush (this works best for me) drip some of the hot honey sauce down onto each piece of chicken, just coating them as much as you can. Put the pan back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil just for one minute, or until they begin to look golden brown (the sauce helps with this).

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup buttermilk, ¼ cup mayo, the 2 tsp of vinegar, and lots of pepper. Season to taste with salt. 

To build your sandwiches, spread some of the black pepper buttermilk sauce onto the cut sides of each bun (tops and bottoms). Top the bottoms with some lettuce, a piece of crispy chicken, some pickles and the bun tops. 

TO MAKE THE HOT HONEY SAUCE

To make the hot honey sauce, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan set over medium heat, and simmer just until warmed through and bubbling gently. Remove from the heat and use as needed.