Fried Chicken Sandwiches
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Crispy and juicy beyond compare, these fried chicken sandwiches are a mash-up of your favorite fast food versions.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
While I was writing my second cookbook, my daughter, who occasionally grows weary of being my guinea pig taste tester, challenged me to come up with a mash-up version of her favorite fast-food crispy chicken sandwiches (yes, I’m talking about Chick-fil-A and Popeyes). This mission involved several trips to the drive-through, four quarts of oil, a mountain of fried chicken sandwiches, and exhaustive critiques from my kids and their friends (aka the experts). It took me a while, but I finally cracked the code. All I can say is, get ready to be showered with praise — your family will be talking about these for days.
Table of Contents
“This recipe is ahhhhhhmaaaaazing!! I can’t believe how it literally tastes exactly like a Chic-Fil-A sandwich…My kids were blown away!”
What You’ll Need To Make Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep and Brine the Chicken
One at a time, place the chicken breasts in a resealable freezer bag. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound them to an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Cut each pounded breast in half. (If the pieces seem too large to fit in a bun, trim off the pointy ends; you can cook those as chicken nuggets at the same time you’re cooking the breasts.)
Pour the water into a medium bowl; add the 2 tablespoons of the salt and the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Place the chicken breasts in the brine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight (the longer you brine, the saltier the chicken will be).
Step 2: Bread and Fry the Chicken
Line a plate with a few layers of paper towels and set it next to the stove. Pour the oil into a large, high-sided pot or Dutch oven until it reaches a depth of about 1 inch. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering (about 350°F or 175°C).
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk until evenly combined.
In another medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, garlic powder, pepper, Accent, paprika, and the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt.
Drizzle 4 tablespoons of the egg mixture into the flour mixture.
Mix with a fork until the flour mixture is evenly clumpy.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. One at a time, dip each breast into the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off, and then into the flour mixture, turning a few times and pressing firmly so that the clumps adhere.
Set the breaded chicken on the lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining breasts.
Carefully place a few pieces of breaded chicken into the hot oil without crowding the pot. Cook, turning a few times, until golden brown and crispy on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total.
Place the cooked chicken on the paper towel-lined plate to drain. Fry the remaining breasts in the same manner, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature of the oil.
Step 3: Make the Sauce
In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, and mustard.
Step 4: Assemble the Sandwiches
Spread some of the sauce on the top and bottom of each bun.
Top each bottom bun with a piece of crispy chicken and a few pickles.
Close the sandwiches and serve immediately.
Video Tutorial
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Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Crispy and juicy beyond compare, these fried chicken sandwiches are a mash-up of your favorite fast food versions.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1⅓ pounds)
- 2 cups cold water
- 2 tablespoons plus ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 to 6 cups vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Accent flavor enhancer (see note)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
For the Sauce
- ½ cup best-quality mayonnaise, such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- 3 tablespoons store-bought barbecue sauce
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
For the Sandwiches
- 6 hamburger buns
- Bread-and-butter pickles
Instructions
- Make the chicken: One at a time, place the chicken breasts in a resealable freezer bag; using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound them to an even ¼-inch thickness. Cut each pounded breast in half. (If the pieces seem too large to fit in a bun, trim off the pointy ends; you can cook those as chicken nuggets at the same time you're cooking the breasts.)
- Pour the cold water into a medium bowl; add the 2 tablespoons of the salt and the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Place the chicken breasts in the brine, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight (the longer you brine, the saltier the chicken will be).
- Line a plate with a few layers of paper towels and set it next to the stove. Pour the oil into a large, high-sided pot or Dutch oven until it reaches a depth of about 1 inch. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering (about 350°F). (If the end of a wooden spoon or cube of bread sizzles vigorously when you dip it in, the oil is hot enough.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk until evenly combined.
- In another medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, garlic powder, pepper, Accent, paprika, and the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt. Drizzle 4 tablespoons of the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix with a fork until the flour mixture is evenly clumpy.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. One at a time, dip each breast into the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off, and then into the flour mixture, turning a few times and pressing firmly so that the clumps adhere. Set the breaded chicken on the lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining breasts.
- Carefully place a few pieces of breaded chicken into the hot oil without crowding the pot. Cook, turning a few times, until golden brown and crispy on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total. Place the cooked chicken on the paper towel-lined plate to drain. Fry the remaining breasts in the same manner, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature of the oil.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayoanniase, barbecue sauce, and mustard.
- Assemble the sandwiches: Spread some of the sauce on each top and bottom bun. Top each bottom bun with a piece of crispy chicken and a few pickles. Close the sandwiches and serve immediately.
- Note: Accent is an MSG flavor enhancer that enhances the savory, umami flavors of foods. You can find it in the spice section of the supermarket. I love the flavor it adds, but if you would prefer, you can omit it and increase the salt in the breading to one heaping teaspoon.
- Note: A deep-frying thermometer isn’t a must, but it really does help maintain the proper temperature for frying, which ensures that the breading is crispy and sticks to the chicken.
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately ¼ cup of the oil is absorbed into the chicken tenders when frying.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The sauce can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 628
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Sodium: 742 mg
- Cholesterol: 114 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hello! I love your recipes and would love to try this one. It seems like some of the best recipes call for milk or buttermilk when making fried chicken. We keep kosher, therefore we cannot mix meat and dairy. Is there a non-dairy substitute that will work instead of milk or buttermilk for fried chicken?
Hi Cherie, so glad you liked the recipes! You could try substituting beer or water for the buttermilk. Please LMK how the chicken turns out if you try it!
Jen, is there a substitute for the Accent/MSG or can it be omitted? I don’t think that is available where I live (Portugal).
Hi Diane, You can omit it and increase the salt in the breading to one heaping teaspoon. Hope you enjoy!
Excited to try this; what pickle should I buy that is closest to Chik Fil A
Honestly, I’m not sure which brand is closest, but I think if you buy any quality brand, you’ll enjoy.
This recipe is excellent! The coating turns out very crispy and light. Best fried chicken recipe I have found, and I have been trying for a few years now. The only negative is the lack of seasoning. KFC uses 11 herbs and spices for a reason! I added 1/2 t oregano, thyme, ginger, garlic, mustard powder , paprika and MSG.
I’m hoping just cutting the breast’s in half length wise instead of the pounding flat and cutting would be equal. I know the pounding flat may tenderize but it’s a step I prefer to avoid. Can’t wait to try this out. I have yrs of professional cooking experience and years of home cooking experience and I just never go wrong choosing your recipes to try. Thanks for being a solid cook.
We made this chicken today (without brining) and ate it with a traditional german potato salad. Delicious! The seasoning was just perfect and despite shallow-frying the breading held up really well. Husband said it’s one of the best fried chicken he’s had (and he’s had a LOT of fried food in his life :D)
Hello I’m in the process of making this recipe.
Can I freeze the chicken pieces once I coated them with the flour mixture?
Hi Adeela, I’ve never done it but I think you could.
I would recommend heating your oil last. Letting it sit heating for so long is a fire hazard. Not sure why it’s step 3.
Jenn,
I use a lot of your recipes and they are all great, but I had to take the time to tell you that you absolutely outdid yourself with this one! Deeply flavorful and perfectly crispy-crunchy… my chef husband was wowed, and trust me when I say it is not easy to wow him! I am already looking forward to trying this recipe for chicken tenders.
After searching so many different recipe’s looking for the best one we’ve found it. Right here. This is so good! I raise my own chicken so my healthy happy chicken combined with this recipe is so good! We now even make our wings with that breading & seasoning as well. Amazing! I only change the amount of pepper and garlic powder. I go a little heavier than called for but that’s everyone’s personal preference.
Awesome!
Wow, this was so yummy! I was nervous about making it because it was my first time frying chicken, thank you for the easy to follow instructions. I only used one chicken breast because it was huge and made enough for four sandwiches. It had the perfect crunch and the chicken was juicy, this will be my go to recipe. 🫶🏽🫶🏽