✔ Published · new copycat recipe with royal-style sauce + air fryer option
This copycat Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich stacks a thick, craggy, shatteringly crunchy chicken fillet with creamy royal-style sauce on a soft potato bun. A quick buttermilk brine keeps it juicy, and yes, there's an air fryer option!
What Is the Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich? (Quick Answer)
The Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich is Burger King's crispy whole-breast chicken fillet sandwich with a creamy royal sauce, lettuce and tomato on a potato bun. To make a copycat, brine thin chicken breast cutlets in seasoned buttermilk, dredge them in seasoned flour and cornstarch, fry at 350°F (175°C) until 165°F (74°C) inside, and serve on toasted potato buns with a mayo-garlic sauce.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Rub a little buttermilk into the seasoned flour before dredging. Those shaggy little crumbles are pure magic: they turn into the craggy, extra-crunchy crust everyone fights over.
Why You'll Love This Royal Crispy Copycat
- Juicy inside, crunchy outside, thanks to a seasoned buttermilk brine and a cornstarch-boosted coating.
- A creamy royal-style sauce that takes 2 minutes to stir together.
- Easy to customize: go spicy, add bacon and Swiss, or air fry instead of deep-frying.
Ingredient Notes
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Chicken breasts: halved into cutlets for a big, flat fillet. Boneless thighs work too and stay extra juicy; they also need to reach 165°F.
- Buttermilk brine: salt and hot sauce season the meat, and the buttermilk helps the coating stick. No buttermilk? Stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk and wait 5 minutes.
- Flour and cornstarch: cornstarch and a little baking powder make the crust lighter and crunchier than flour alone.
- Potato buns: soft and slightly sweet, they hold up to the sauce. Brioche buns are a good swap.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Cut even cutlets. Halving the breasts horizontally gives fillets about 1/2 inch thick that cook through before the crust gets too dark. Even thickness, even crunch!
- Brine at least 30 minutes. Salted buttermilk seasons the meat all the way through and keeps it juicy. Just don't go past 8 hours or the texture turns soft.
- Hold the oil at 350°F. Use a thermometer and fry only 2 at a time. Too cool and the coating goes greasy; too hot and it burns before the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Rest on a rack, not paper. Paper towels steam the bottom soft. A wire rack keeps every bit of that crust crackly, and you'll hear it when you bite in.
- Check the temperature. An instant-read thermometer in the thickest part should read 165°F (74°C). It's the one step I never skip.
Copycat Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich
4
sandwiches20
minutes15
minutes720
kcal1
hour5
minutesA copycat-style Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich: thin chicken breast cutlets brined in seasoned buttermilk, dredged in a craggy seasoned flour and cornstarch coating, fried at 350°F until golden and 165°F inside, then stacked on toasted potato buns with a creamy, savory royal-style sauce, shredded lettuce and tomato.
Ingredients
- For the Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz each)
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 teaspoons fine salt, divided
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
6 cups neutral oil, for frying
- For the Royal-Style Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- To Serve
4 potato buns
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 1/2 cups shredded iceberg or green-leaf lettuce
1 ripe tomato, thinly sliced
Directions
- Brine the Chicken
- Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to make 4 even cutlets about 1/2 inch thick. Whisk the buttermilk, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the hot sauce in a bowl, add the chicken and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
- Stir together the royal-style sauce ingredients, cover and refrigerate until serving.
- Coat and Fry
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot or deep fryer to 350°F (175°C); keep it at least 3 inches deep. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and both peppers in a wide dish. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk brine into the flour and rub it in with your fingertips to make small crumbly bits.
- Lift each cutlet from the brine, let the excess drip off, then press it firmly into the seasoned flour on both sides so the crumbly bits stick. Rest the coated cutlets on a rack for 5 minutes.
- Fry 2 cutlets at a time for 5 to 7 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp and 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part. Drain on a rack set over a sheet pan and repeat with the rest, letting the oil come back to 350°F between batches.
- Build
- Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast them in a skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute, until golden.
- Spread the sauce on both halves of each bun. Layer the bottom with lettuce and tomato, add a crispy chicken fillet, close and serve right away.
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Spicy and Bacon and Swiss Versions
- Spicy royal-style: add 1 teaspoon cayenne to the flour and brush the hot fillets with a glaze of 2 tablespoons hot sauce, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon honey.
- Bacon and Swiss: lay a slice of Swiss cheese on each hot fillet so it melts, and add 2 strips of crisp bacon.
- Thigh version: use 4 boneless, skinless thighs; fry for 6 to 8 minutes, to 165°F.
Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating
- Brine ahead: brine the chicken up to 8 hours ahead, and make the sauce up to 5 days ahead.
- Leftover fillets: refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 3 days. Reheat at 375°F in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or the air fryer for 5 to 6 minutes, until 165°F inside and crisp.
- Freeze: freeze cooked fillets on a tray, then bag them for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 375°F for 15 to 18 minutes, to 165°F.
More Burger King Copycat Recipes
For the long sub-style sandwich, try our Burger King Original Chicken Sandwich. Serve this one with Burger King onion rings and zesty sauce, or make Burger King chicken nuggets for the kids. Browse all of our Burger King copycat recipes. Want extra sauce for dipping? Make a batch of our copycat Burger King Royal sauce. Like it hot? Try our copycat Burger King spicy crispy chicken sandwich.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is on a Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich?
The classic version is a crispy white-meat chicken fillet with a creamy, savory royal sauce, lettuce and tomato on a potato bun. Burger King has also offered spicy and bacon-and-Swiss versions. This copycat recreates the classic build at home.
What is in royal sauce?
Burger King doesn't publish its recipe. It tastes like a creamy, savory mayo-based sauce with garlic and onion. This copycat royal-style sauce uses mayonnaise, a little Dijon, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, a pinch of sugar and black pepper.
How is it different from the Original Chicken Sandwich?
The Original Chicken Sandwich uses a long, thin breaded patty on a sesame sub-style bun with lettuce and mayo. The Royal Crispy uses a thicker whole-breast fillet with a craggy crust on a round potato bun, with royal sauce and tomato.
Can I make it in the air fryer?
Absolutely! Coat the brined cutlets as usual, spray them generously with oil on both sides and air fry at 380°F for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and 165°F inside. The crust is a little lighter and less craggy than deep-fried.
How do I make a spicy version?
Add 1 teaspoon cayenne to the flour, and stir 1 to 2 teaspoons of hot sauce and a pinch of cayenne into the sauce. For a glazed version, brush the hot fillets with 2 tablespoons hot sauce warmed with 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon honey.
