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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This is what dreams are made of…OMG. BEST sandwich ever!!
Excellent! Thank you for sharing. I was able to brine for 1.5 hours and it was the perfect amount of saltiness/flavor.
Excellent recipe! Thank you so much. It was my first time making fried chicken sandwiches. I brined for about 2 hours, and the chicken was so tasty.
Delicious! We loved the sandwiches we made from your recipe. Thanks so much for sharing — it’s a keeper!
This is a great recipe! My youngest son said it was the best chicken sandwich he ever had. I followed the recipe exactly except that I added in some cayenne pepper to the flour mixture. Next time, I think I will dip first in the flour, then the egg, then the flour again for better crust adhesion.
OMG -Amazing! My boys are on a chicken sandwich kick so I wanted to try this and it tasted like restaurant quality.I only had 1 hour to brine and it came out very tasty regardless with a nice hint of salt. I have used thighs before but I loved the thin breasts much better. This would be an impressive sandwich to make for friends/entertaining. Will definitely make again.
The sauce is not it 🤢🤢
This is a 5-star recipe that I frequently make. However, in the past, I experimented with the dipping of the chicken. Sometimes I just dip it in the egg mixture, then into the flour. Other times, I simply eyeballed the amount of egg mixture I poured into the flour. No matter what I did, the chicken turned out wonderful. Tonight, I followed the recipe exactly, pouring 4 tablespoons of the egg mixture into the flour. The flour was clumpy and pressed into the breasts. The chicken did not turn out. Every breast lost 99 percent of its flour. It did not even get brown and slide off. It was almost as if the flour was absorbed into the chicken. The chicken was still tasty, but not with the crispy batter I am used to. I’m not sure what I did wrong.
Hi Jane, so sorry you had a problem with the breading this time around! I feel pretty confident that the problem you experienced was a result of the oil not being hot enough.
This recipe was amazing! I never leave reviews! My husband and I have been searching for the perfect friend chicken for sandwiches for years. It always ends up being disappointing. NOT this recipe! You seriously couldn’t tell that it wasn’t take out! Brined for 2 1/2 hours after reading reviews. These were flavorful, juicy, and crispy! Will never use another recipe but this one. Thank you!
So good! Better than any fast food chicken sandwich. My family loved it.
These were amazing! I found them just the right amount of crunch. They didn’t seem greasy and the sauce was perfect! Thank you for the recipe that is now added to my favs.