Homemade Chick-fil-A sandwich copycat recipe, an easy fried chicken sandwich from the fast food chain.
Ever have a Chick-fil-A sandwich? If not, you’re in for a real treat! I LOVED them when I lived in Alabama, but unfortunately we didn’t have any Chick-fil-A locations near us in Connecticut until recently. Even now, the nearest Chick-fil-A is still a bit far so what’s a girl to do? I made my own homemade Chick-fil-A sandwich and I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did!
It’s probably a good thing I don’t have a Chick-fil-A near me, because if it was down the street I’d be there WAY too much. There’s lots of good stuff on the Chick-fil-A menu but one of the most popular menu items is the fried chicken sandwich served on a toasted buttered bun and slices of dill pickles (<—these pickles were delicious!!). Or check out this spicy dill pickle recipe if you want a little kick.
The waffle fries are also popular, yum! If you have one nearby, you know they’re all closed on Sundays, which would be the day the cravings are generally the worst. haha!
The Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich really isn’t THAT hard to make at home. There are some other copycat Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich recipes out there. A lot of the copycat recipes I have seen have you marinate the chicken in pickle juice. I tried that, I thought it was ok, but no one in my family liked it, not to mention you have to wait for the chicken to marinate.
The pickle juice is also acidic so if you marinate too long it can make your chicken chewy. Also, if you check the Chick-fil-A nutrition and ingredients page, there’s no mention of pickle juice although some people swear they do marinade the chicken in pickle juice so I don’t know.
I decided to try my own version and follow the ingredients from their website as much as I could but skipped some ingredients like MSG and other commercial type ingredients that I had no idea what they were.
For a Gluten-Free Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich you could try a gluten-free flour blend (for the flour) and gluten-free rolls (for the regular roll). For a dairy-free version use a milk substitute (like almond or soy milk) for the milk and just skip the butter on the bun or use olive oil instead. I have not fried with a gluten-free flour blend or tried all of these substitutes so I can’t comment how well the sandwiches will turn out.
For frying, the peanut oil makes a big difference and I strongly recommend it, but if you have a nut allergy in your house and there’s no way you can use it, you could substitute vegetable oil. You really need to deep fry the chicken to get the best flavor. I know, I know, it’s not healthy.
I’m not condoning having these sandwiches daily, but definitely give them a try at least once! Don’t bake the chicken then leave me nasty comments how it did NOT taste like Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches. hahaha!
The recipe is fairly straightforward and can be done in less than 30 minutes. Yep, a 30 minute dinner! Cut boneless skinless chicken breast in half and pound the chicken with a mallet until it’s thin and even.If you do want to marinate the chicken in pickle juice (definitely worth a try if you like pickles!) don’t let it sit for too long. Dip the chicken pieces in an egg wash, then the seasoned flour mixture. .
Let the chicken rest for a few minutes while the peanut oil heats up to about 350 degrees F in a large deep pan (or get a deep fryer from Amazon). While the chicken rests some of the flour may soak into the chicken. If that’s the case, just gently toss it in the flour mixture again and shake off the excess.
Deep fry the chicken for a few minutes on each side, then drain off the fat and let the chicken cool slightly. Place the chicken on the bottom part of a bun that has been buttered and toasted, top the chicken with a few slices of dill pickles, and top the sandwich with the top part of the bun.
You could add some sliced tomato, onion, and/or lettuce to bulk up the sandwich more. A spicy mayo or sauce (such as my Boom Sauce) would also be great but I tried to stick to plain and simple like Chick-fil-A. Next time though, I’ll be adding some veggies and a fun sauce!
Here are some items I picked out from Amazon that may help you with this recipe:
For a Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich copycat you could use some hot sauce to the egg wash and/or cayenne or other type of pepper to the seasoned flour. Hope you enjoy my version of the Chick-fil-A sandwich!
Check out my other fun sandwich recipes like my Italian Sloppy Joes!
The full recipe from beginning to end watch this quick video I made…
Hope you enjoy! Serve with some waffle fries or even these Homemade Potato Wedges or Truffle Fries.
Chick-fil-A Sandwich Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
Seasoned Flour:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Peanut oil for frying
- 4 rolls split, buttered, and toasted
- 8 (or more) dill pickle slices
Instructions
- Cut each chicken breast in half and pound with a meat mallet until thin and even.
- In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and water until well combined. In a separate large shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, paprika, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the egg wash then dredge in the flour mixture. Set aside.
- Heat peanut oil in a large deep pan so that oil is at least 2 inches deep until it reaches about 350 degrees F.
- Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour again, shake off excess. Deep fry chicken in batches in peanut oil about 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through.
- Drain chicken on paper towels or cooling rack. Place in split rolls along with some pickles.
Notes
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
Other copycat recipes you may enjoy:
- Garlic-Cheddar Drop Biscuits (from Red Lobster) – Snappy Gourmet
- Panda Express Chow Mein – Fox Valley Foodie
- Copycat Wendy’s Chili – Cookies for England
- Copycat Panera Bread Fuji Apple Chicken Salad – Kim’s Cravings
About Lisa Huff
Lisa Huff is a Cookbook Author, Freelance Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Blogger/Writer, and award-winning home chef. She loves creating unique recipes from healthy to decadent including cocktails, appetizers, main dishes, dessert recipes and more and has appeared on various shows, publications, and websites.
Thanks so much for sharing this! I had to make them and my Granddaughter helped! They are fabulous:)
****MOANING NOT MORNING****
OMG! This was the best recipe! My husband were morning through our meal! And I used GF flour and unsweetened coconut milk. Thanks for this!
Awww thank you so much! Happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed. And thanks for letting us know it worked well with gf flour and coconut milk!
Thanks so much for the wonderful recipes. I can’t wait to try them. My favorite Fast Food and really my only Fast Food is Chick-FilA.
I worked at Chick Fil A, and yes, they do marinade the chicken in pickle juice.
This is one of our family’s favorite restaurants, and my son’s favorite sandwich. I swear this sandwich is one of those foods that open the gates to kids trying different/new foods! Thank you so much for this recipe, and thank you for letting me feature it in this week’s brand new Weekly Meal Plan post!
Thanks for including it Rachel!