Slice the chicken breasts into 3 even 1/2 inch cutlets lengthwise.   If you are using smaller chicken breasts, you may only be able to get 2 cutlets from each breast.

Place the chicken in a food storage container and cover it with pickle juice.  Let the chicken sit in the pickle juice for one hour or up to 4 hours.

Prepare the buttermilk brine - in a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.

After the chicken has marinated for one hour in the pickle brine, pour out the pickle juice and add the buttermilk brine to the food storage container.  Let the chicken marinate in the buttermilk for one hour or up to 4 hours.

Prepare the breading.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  If you want to make the sandwich spicy, you can add cayenne pepper here as well (optional).

Prepare a dredging station by placing the breading mixture in a large flat container or bowl next to the marinated chicken and an empty plate for the breaded chicken.

Remove a piece of chicken from the buttermilk and dredge in the flour mixture, coating on both sides.  Place the breaded chicken on a plate.

Heat one inch of oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot to 350° F.

Just before frying the chicken, dredge it in the flour mixture again for a thick crispy coating.  Add the chicken to the hot oil 2 pieces at a time.  Cook the chicken for 3 minutes, then using tongs, flip the chicken and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side until crisp and browned all over.

Remove the fried chicken from the oil and immediately place it on a wire rack so that the breading stays crispy.

Repeat until all chicken pieces are cooked.  If the oil cools down, it may take a little longer for the last few pieces of chicken to be cooked, so check the oil temperature in between batches to be sure it is hot.

Serve the chicken on toasted buns with your choice of garnish.  We served it with mayo, sliced tomato, pickle slices, and a pickle slaw - which is chopped cabbage, mayo, pickle juice, chopped pickles, salt, and pepper.