✔ Updated · new copycat recipe with step photos
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This copycat Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich gets its famous flavor from a pickle juice brine and a lightly sweet seasoned coating, fried golden in peanut oil. Two pickles and a buttered bun are all it needs.
How Do You Make a Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich? (Quick Answer)
Brine pounded chicken breast fillets in pickle juice for 1 hour. Dip in egg and milk, dredge in flour mixed with powdered sugar, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder, and fry in 350°F peanut oil for 4 to 5 minutes until 165°F inside. Serve on a buttered toasted bun with two pickle chips.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Powdered sugar in the flour is the trick. It gives the faint sweetness and helps the crust brown.
Why You'll Love This Chicken Sandwich
- Juicy chicken the pickle brine keeps it tender.
- Crisp crust golden and lightly sweet.
- Simple build bun, pickles and chicken.
- Sunday ready make it any day of the week.
- Family favorite easy to scale up for a crowd.
What Is the Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich?
It's the original sandwich on the Chick-fil-A menu: a seasoned, breaded chicken breast fried in peanut oil on a toasted buttered bun with dill pickle chips.
This homemade version keeps the same simple build, with a pickle brine and a lightly sweet flour coating for that familiar taste.
Ingredient Notes
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Pickle juice: straight from a jar of dill pickles.
- Powdered sugar: a small amount in the flour for the faint sweetness.
- Peanut oil: for frying, just like the restaurant.
- Buttered bun: toasted in a skillet so it stays soft inside.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Pound evenly. An even fillet fries through before the crust gets too dark. A clip-on deep fry thermometer like this Taylor one makes it easy to hold the oil at 350°F, so everything fries up crisp instead of greasy.
- Don't over brine. More than 4 hours in pickle juice makes the chicken salty and soft.
- Use a thermometer. Keep the oil at 350°F and check the chicken hits 165°F.
- Peanut oil matters. It's what the restaurant fries in. Canola works if you need it to.
- Rest on a rack. Paper towels steam the bottom crust.
- At our table. Max asks for his with extra pickles, so I keep the jar on the table.
Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich
4
sandwiches20
minutes15
minutes520
kcal1
minuteA copycat Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich: chicken breast fillets brined in pickle juice, dipped in egg and milk, dredged in a lightly sweet seasoned flour with powdered sugar and paprika, fried in peanut oil and served on a buttered toasted bun with two dill pickle chips. Makes 4 sandwiches.
Ingredients
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each)
1 cup dill pickle juice
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 cups peanut oil, for frying
4 buns hamburger buns
2 tablespoons butter, melted
8 chips dill pickle chips
Directions
- Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise and pound to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Cover with the pickle juice and chill for 1 hour, no more than 4.
- Whisk the egg and milk in one bowl. In another, whisk the flour, powdered sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder and baking powder. Lift each fillet from the brine, dip it in the egg wash, then press it firmly into the flour on both sides.
- Heat the peanut oil in a heavy pot to 350°F. Fry 2 fillets at a time for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and 165°F inside. Drain on a rack.
- Brush the cut sides of the buns with melted butter and toast in a skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Lay 2 pickle chips on each bottom bun, add a hot fillet and close the sandwich.
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Storage
Keep cooked fillets in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on a rack at 375°F for 10 minutes, then build the sandwich on a fresh toasted bun.
More Chick-fil-A Copycats
Round out the meal with my Chick-fil-A mac and cheese, coleslaw and nuggets, or see all my Chick-fil-A recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Chick-fil-A chicken brined in pickle juice?
The salty, tangy brine seasons the chicken all the way through and keeps it juicy. It is the flavor most people notice first.
What oil does Chick-fil-A use?
Chick-fil-A fries in peanut oil. It gives a clean, slightly nutty flavor, so this copycat uses it too.
Can I make it in an air fryer?
Yes. Spray the coated fillets well with oil and air fry at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway, until 165°F inside. The crust will be lighter.
What sauce goes on it?
The sandwich comes plain, but most people add <a href="https://recipefairy.com/chick-fil-a-sauce/">Chick-fil-A sauce</a> on the side.
Can I make it spicy?
Add 1 teaspoon cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder to the flour mix for a spicy version.
