This EASY copycat Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich has tender breaded and fried chicken that's crispy, crunchy, and perfectly juicy! The chicken is sandwiched in between toasted buns with a spicy mayo sauce just like the restaurant's! This is the ULTIMATE finger-lickin' good comfort food fried chicken sandwich recipe!
1tablespoonhot sauceCholula, Sriracha, or your favorite
2large bonelessskinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise OR 4 average sized breasts, pounded to an even thickness
1cupall-purpose flour
¼cupcornstarch
1 ½teaspoonsgarlic salt
1teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonsmoked paprika
½teaspoononion powder
½teaspoonground pepper
Canola oilvegetable oil or peanut oil, for frying (Chick-Fil-A supposedly uses peanut oil)
Sauce
½cupmayonnaise
1tablespoonsriracha or hot sauceor to taste
1tablespoonpickle juice
1teaspoonDijon mustard
½teaspoongranulated sugar
Assembly
4hamburger or Brioche bunssliced in half
2tablespoonsunsalted or salted buttersoftened
Sliced tomatoesas desired
Chopped lettuceas desired
Sliced picklesas desired
Instructions
Chicken and Marinade - To a large ziplock bag, add the buttermilk, pickle juice, hot sauce, pound the chicken to an even thickness using a meat tenderizer, drop it in the bag, seal, squish around to coat, and marinate for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours. Tip - Do not skip the step of marinating nor try to substitute any of the ingredients called for in the marinade mixture.
Breading Mixture - Create it by adding all the dry ingredients to a large but shallow bowl, including the flour, corn starch, garlic salt, baking powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, ground pepper, and whisk to combine.
After chicken has marinated 2 to 8 hours, remove the bag from the fridge. Place the chicken in one bowl and pour the marinade mixture into another large but shallow bowl, similar to what you placed the breading mixture in.
Preheat oven to 200F; optional but recommended for keeping some of the fried chicken warm while the other batch is being fried.
Battering - Shake the excess buttermilk mixture off one piece of chicken, dredge it through the flour mixture, dip it quickly back into the buttermilk mixture in the bowl, and dredge it again through the flour mixture. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces until. Tip - You are "double battering" the chicken: buttermilk, flour, buttermlk, flour. This helps create the best and crispiest fried chicken. Discard the buttermilk mixture and flour mixture after all chicken has been battered and breaded.
Oil - To a large Dutch oven or deep and high sided pot intended for frying, add the oil so that it's at least 4 inches high. Tip - The amount needed will vary depending on the exact size of your pot.
Add 1 or 2 pieces of chicken at a time, and fry for about 4 minutes on each side, or until done; repeat the frying process with the remaining chicken. Tips - Do not crowd the pot and try to fry it all at once; none of it will actually turn out well. You need to fry it in batches. Chicken should read about 160-162F on a digital thermometer when you remove it. You can place it on paper towels while you fry the rest. Alternatively you can place the fried chicken on a baking sheet and place it in a 200F preheated oven to keep it warm, if desired.
Sauce - Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and combined; set aside while you toast the buns.
Buns - Butter the buns on the cut side and place them face up on a baking sheet in the 200F oven until lightly toasted. You can also accomplish this is a countertop toaster oven. If using a toaster oven, I suggest waiting until after they have been toasted to butter them, but use your judgment.
Assembly - Spread sauce on the buns, as desired, and then add a piece of fried chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, and pickles as desired before serving.
Storage - Fried chicken is best warm and fresh. Extra fried chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for 3 to 5 days, or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months, noting that is will not stay crispy. You can try to crisp it back up in an air fryer if you have one or in a low 200F oven, although neither are a perfect solution and you need to just accept fried chicken is best eaten hot, fresh, and day-of.
Notes
*Buttermilk - You cannot substitute regular milk or yogurt for the buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can make it. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar to a large measuring cup, fill it up with regular milk to the 1 1/2 cup mark, and let stand about 5 minutes, or until curdled. This is now the buttermilk you can use in the recipe.Nutritional Stats - While I would never call this an overly healthy recipe, I do think that the stats are skewing higher than they may actually be. This computer generated estimate is taking into account some of the fry oil which is actually not consumed, but is discarded after the frying process. It also takes into account the unused flour mixture and unused buttermilk mixture, neither of which are used down to the last drop, and some is discarded in actuality. However, for the stats, it's all being factored in. You need to hand calculate stats on your own if it's of importance for you. Looking for a healthier option? Make this Air Fryer Crispy Fried Chicken