At $3.79 each, taking a family out for one of these sandwiches can wreck your weekly budget. Not wanting to give up enjoying these delicious sandwiches I set out to find out how to make them at home. Thanks to the Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich recipe below and stocking up on boneless chicken breasts when they are on sale for $1.99 per pound, we can make eight sandwiches for less than $10!
It feels great to feed the entire family without emptying our pockets of all their cash. And, this chicken sandwich gets its flavor from a yummy pickle brine just like the one at our favorite fast-food restaurant.
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast
- ½ cup dill pickle juice
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 hamburger buns, toasted
- 6 dill pickle slices
- 1 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce for a spicy sandwich
Directions
- Place a chicken breast on a cutting board. With your hand flat on top of it, carefully slice the chicken in half horizontally to make 4 thin cutlets. So that the breasts cook more evenly, pound them out so that the breasts are of equal thicknesses. I do this by placing the cutlets between 2 pieces of heavy-duty plastic wrap and pounding with a mallet (or heavy skillet) until they are ¼-inch thick.
- In a large resealable plastic bag, combine chicken, pickle juice, and ¼ cup milk (add a teaspoon of Tabasco sauce for a spicy sandwich). Chill for at least 30 minutes.
- In a large skillet preheat oil to 350° F.
- Meanwhile, in a shallow dish combine remaining ½ cup milk and egg. In another shallow dish combine flour, powdered sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Drain chicken. Dip chicken in egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Dip in flour mixture to coat. For extra thick crispy crust REPEAT this step with each piece.
- Add chicken to hot oil and fry 4 to 8 minutes or until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165° F, turning once. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Place chicken on a bun and top with pickles, and top bun. Serve with waffle fries, if desired.
You can even buy straight pickle juice by the gallon—absolutely no pesky pickles included.
For baked version: Substitute Panko bread crumbs for the flour and coat as directed. Bake at 375° F for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
For air fryer version: Add 2 Tablespoons Potato Starch to the flour mixture and coat as directed. Grease basket/pan of air fryer well. Place the chicken in air fryer and spray the chicken with oil. Cook at 340° F for 6 minutes. Flip the chicken and spray with oil. Cook for 6 more minutes. Increase the temperature to 400° F and cook for two minutes on each side.
Nuggets: Cut breast into ¾-inch pieces and coat as directed. Cook at 365° F for 4 – 6 minutes turning once.
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Dipping Sauce
Did you know that Chick-fil-A Sauce is a magical blend of Honey Mustard, Barbecue and Ranch Sauces? Mixing up some to add to your sandwiches is easy!
- 1/2 C Mayonnaise
- 1/4 C Honey
- 3 TBSP Yellow Mustard
- 1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
- 1 TBSP Lemon Juice
- 1/4 C Smokey BBQ Sauce
Whisk all ingredients together and ENJOY.
Tips:
If you find that your dipping sauce isn’t as smokey as the real sauce, add a drop or two of liquid smoke.
You can also make with just 2 ingredients, Ken’s Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce and any brand of honey barbecue sauce. Our favorite is Sweet Baby Ray’s honey bbq sauce.
Dalia says
Made these tonight in the air fryer and they were delicious! Thank you!
Bogi says
Mine ripped in the oil unfortunately so next time I make sure I’ll double the coat. It’s really yummy though. Just ugly haha
Mary Ann says
Almost overwhelming–in an overloaded sensory sort of way. I cannot wait to try a big bunch of these great ideas!
Tamra Phelps says
I’ve actually never been to Chick-Fil-A . But if their chicken sandwich has pickle juice, I’m in. I like pickle anything!
Lynn says
It really looks good. Can the breast be deep fried?
Paula says
Yes, I used to do them that way before my deep fryer went on the fritz.
Amy Drazen says
I had a feeling there was pickle juice in the batter to achieve that distinctive tangy flavor. I will be making this on Sundays, when Chick-Fil-A isn’t open. 😉
Karen Jaras says
These are perfect in the air fryer. I leave out the sugars and use almond flour instead. Incredible.
Paula and Marcus says
I’ve got some Almond flour in the cupboard and am always looking for new ways to use it. I’ll have a try it with this recipe.
Rena Walter says
This sure looks yummy!
Jodi Hunter says
This really looks like the real deal. I love their food so much.
ouachitadawn says
‘Where’s the beef?’?
These chicken sands are yummy for breakfast.
Paula and Marcus says
I love them on biscuits.
donna holder says
i love chicken. this looks awesome
Karen Jaras says
I tried the sauce and the grandchildren loved it! I might try the sauce with a fat/sugar free option.
Molli Taylor says
ive actually never had chick fil a and this sounds good
nurselinda101 says
This sounds so good. We love Chick-Fil-A. Great food and great company. Thank you so much for sharing. God Bless
Karen Jaras says
Wonderful to know how to make things on the cheap for my grandchildren. They love fast food with all the sauces.
ouachitadawn says
This looks so good. Dang it, now I’m hungry.?
larescoe says
Yum, this chicken sandwich looks just like the real thing! I didn’t realize that they had special sauces, thank you so much for sharing the recipes!
nurselinda101 says
My family really likes these sandwiches. I can’t wait to try these out. Thank you so much for sharing
Marcus says
My thoughts exactly! lol
Marcus says
The Bomb!