Don’t wait in the drive-thru for your favorite sandwich. Prepare a delicious homemade Chick-Fil-A sandwich that the whole family will love! It’s much easier than you think!
Do you love Chick-Fil-A? I love their juicy chicken and their delicious sauce, but I don’t like the prices that come with eating out. Because my family loves Chick-Fil-A, and it’s my favorite sandwich, I love making my own homemade Chick-Fil-A sandwich.
I have an easy recipe for copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Nuggets too!
Also try my delicious Nashville Chicken Sandwich and this Copycat Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich.
Growing up, we didn’t eat out much. It wasn’t necessarily that we couldn’t afford it, but there are other things we can do with our money than eating out. Instead, my mom used to whip up these delicious homemade restaurant-style meals. One of these was this Chick-Fil-A Deluxe Sandwich. And boy, does it really taste like Chick-Fil-A! Combine it with my homemade Chick-Fil-A sauce or spicy mayo and your family won’t even know the difference.
This recipe is great for whipping up for dinner, but it’s also a great dish to take with you to social gatherings including potlucks, family get-togethers, and cookouts!
Additionally, this Chick-Fil-A recipe can be served with a variety of sides. I tend to throw in some fries, but you can also serve your chicken sandwiches with mashed potatoes, salad, tater tots, pasta salad, or anything your heart desires.
Ya’ll have no idea how amazing this recipe turned out…My family went CRAZY for how accurate it was to the actual Chick Fil A’s sandwich, and because of how good it tasted! 10/10, would definitely recommend!
I will absolutely make this again when I get a chance. Thank you so, so much for sharing this recipe!!! 😀
Moonwatcher101
Looking for something slightly healthier? Try my copycat Chick Fil A Cool Wrap recipe!
Why You’ll Love this Crispy Chicken Sandwich
It’s a Chick-Fil-A copycat and that’s enough for me to love it, but here are a few more reasons why you will love this recipe too:
- Simple ingredients. Most of the ingredients you probably already have right in your kitchen. So, you won’t spend hours at the store trying to find anything.
- Can be modified. Depending on your tastes, you can modify this sandwich how you like. Make it spicier with more cayenne pepper, or add bacon for more flavor.
- It’s perfect for dinner. We all have those days where cooking seems like a chore, but this recipe is quick and easy.
Ingredients Used
This recipe uses some rather basic ingredients, but all of them are crucial in making your sandwich taste just like Chick-Fil-A. Make sure you have these things on hand:
- Chicken breasts: You want to use chicken breasts sliced into thin cutlets. If you have chicken thighs, you can use them as well but I personally prefer white meat for fried chicken sandwiches.
- Milk and Eggs: Milk and eggs moisten the chicken; helping the breading to stick while cooking.
- Flour: If you need gluten-free flour, I like This Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour because it doesn’t sacrifice quality or taste.
- Seasonings: If you want the flavor of Chick-Fil-A, you will need smoked paprika, cayenne powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt.
- Oil. I always use Crisco Frying Oil because it’s literally the best for fried foods. You can use vegetable oil, corn, sunflower, peanut, or canola. Basically any neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point.
- Hamburger Buns. You will need 4 hamburger buns (I used brioche buns) Chick-fil-a’s multigrain bun is also nice so you can use that. Make sure to toast the buns with some butter.
- Toppings. Make a deluxe chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, dill pickles American Cheese, and some Chick-Fil-A sauce.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Cutlets?
The hardest part about this recipe is cutting your chicken breasts into cutlets. You will need a sharp chef’s boning or fillet knife.
To make cutlets from your breasts, place the breasts on a cutting board and hold them flat with the palm of your hand. Then, using the other hand, slice the chicken breasts horizontally into two even pieces. This is easier if you cut close to the edge of the cutting board.
If needed pound the chicken cutlets with a meat mallet into ½ inch thickness.
How to Make Homemade Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches
It doesn’t take much to make these famous copycat Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. Follow these steps for Chick-Fil-A without leaving your house.
For the breading, I like to use this breading set that I love (It’s not a must-have, but nice to have). It comes in 3 compartments, so I use one for dry ingredients, one for wet ingredients, and put the breaded chicken in the last one!
- Make Your Spice Mix: In a small bowl, combine smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a different bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, and set aside.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate dish, combine the flour with milk powder, baking powder, and the spice mix.
- Make Crust/Crumbles: To create a shaggy crust/crumbles, add 2 tablespoons of the egg milk mixture to the dry flour mixture, and rub with your fingertips until the flour mixture is coarse.
- Preheat the Oil: In a dutch oven or a deep fryer, preheat about 2 inches (if using a dutch oven) of oil to 350°F (180°C) degrees. If you’re using a deep fryer, you need to fill enough oil to reach the “minimum” line.
- Coat the Chicken: To coat your chicken like Chick-Fil-A, dip each chicken cutlet in the egg/milk mixture allowing any excess to drip off. Then, dredge the cutlets in the flour mixture pressing down firmly for it to adhere to the chicken. Shake off excess.
- Fry the Chicken: Drop your chicken cutlets into the hot oil. Fry for 4 minutes if the oil covers the entire cutlet. If using shallow frying, fry for 3-4 minutes per side. The chicken is ready when the internal temperature registers at 165°F (74°C) degrees.
- Serve and Enjoy! Transfer to a wire rack or on paper towels then top with cheese (American, Colby Jack, or Pepper Jack). To assemble, toast the hamburger buns with some butter, spread the chick-fil-a sauce on both sides of the bun. Top with pickles, lettuce, 2 tomato slices, fried chicken, and cheese. Close the sandwich and there you have it, the best ever fried chicken sandwich that tastes even better than Chick-FilA!
Tips and Tricks
Obviously, Chick-Fil-A is my favorite crispy chicken sandwich, and with that being said, I wanted my copycat to be as close to Chick-Fil-A as possible. So, to get it just perfect, here are a few tips and tricks I have learned along the way:
- Brine the chicken. If time allows, I always recommend brining the chicken so it’s juicier and thicker. Let chicken cutlets sit in 1 quart of cold water, ¼ cup of kosher salt, and ¼ cup of sugar mixture for 30 minutes to an hour. Or use pickle juice for the brine if you have it.
- Add more or less spice. To make it a spicy deluxe, just add more cayenne or hot sauce. However, if you are making it for kiddos, you can just skip the cayenne.
- Fry right after breading. If you let the breaded chicken sit for long, the breading will become soggy and won’t crisp up very well.
- Always deep fry it. To make it as close as possible to Chick-Fil-A, you will want to deep fry the chicken. If you want to shallow fry the chicken, it will still work but won’t be super crispy. You can also Air Fry the chicken like I did in my Air Fryer nashville hot chicken recipe.
- Keep warm in the oven. While frying other cutlets, place done cutlets on a wire rack and place in the oven to keep warm. But make sure you’re using an ovenproof wire rack that does not melt in the oven.
- Add more deliciousness. To make this sandwich even tastier, add bacon, extra cheese, or even 2 cutlets of chicken per sandwich!
What Do I Put on my Sandwich?
Because I went with the deluxe version of a fried Chick-Fil-A sandwich, I used the following toppings:
- Dill pickle chips.
- Green leaf lettuce leaves.
- Large tomatoes – sliced into rings.
- American cheese, Colby Jack, or Pepper Jack.
Are there Unbreaded Versions?
I made the Chick-Fil-A deluxe sandwich. It’s a little different from the classic because it adds lettuce, tomato, and cheese. However, there is a grilled chicken version as well at Chick-Fil-A. Instead of breading your chicken, you can use the seasoning and grill it.
What Is the Best Oil for Fried Chicken
I always recommend using an oil with a high smoke-point for deep frying, it also must have a neutral taste for the best tasting fried chicken (avoid olive oil!). I like to use vegetable oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, or peanut oil.
Canola oil is also great, but sometimes the fishy scent that canola oil produces when frying puts me off. But keep in mind that it does not change the flavor of the chicken at all so you can totally canola oil if you like.
Storing Tips
If you have leftovers, store the fried chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or in the Air Fryer until warmed up and crispy.
Other Chicken Recipes I Love
Chicken is so versatile that you can literally use it to make a variety of different dishes! Here are a few of my favorite chicken recipes to check out:
- Air Fryer Nashville Style Hot Chicken
- Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Tenders
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Garlic Butter Chicken Tenders
- Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry
I don’t care what anyone says; there’s no better way to make a chicken sandwich than the Chick-Fil-A way! If you love Chick-Fil-A as much as I do, you are going to love making your own at home. Don’t forget to pin this recipe to Pinterest for others to enjoy!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Homemade Chick-Fil-A Sandwich Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts sliced into 4 thin cutlets
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons milk powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- oil for frying
To assemble:
- 4 hamburger buns toasted with butter
- 12 dill pickle chips
- 4 green leaf lettuce leaves
- 2 large tomatoes sliced into rings
- 4 slices American cheese
- Chick-Fil-A Sauce
Instructions
- In a shallow dish whisk the eggs with the milk, set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine smoked paprika, with cayenne, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt.
- In a different dish, combine the flour with milk powder, sugar, baking powder, and the spice mix (that you made in step #2).
- To create a shaggy crust/crumbles, add 2 tablespoons of the egg milk mixture to the dry flour mixture, and rub with your fingertips until the flour mixture is coarse.
- Preheat the oil in a Dutch oven or a deep fryer to 350°F (180°C) degrees.
- To coat the chicken, dip each chicken cutlet in the egg milk mixture, and allow any excess to drip off then dredge in the flour mixture and press down firmly for the flour mixture to adhere.
- Gently shake off any excess and slowly drop in hot oil. Repeat with the remaining chicken cutlets, and fry for 4 minutes. The chicken is ready when the internal temperature registers at 165°F (74°C) degrees. If shallow frying, fry for 3-4 minutes on each side and check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer.
- Transfer to a wire rack and top with cheese (American, Colby Jack, or Pepper Jack).
- To assemble, toast the hamburger buns, spread the chick-fil-a sauce on both sides of the bun. Top with pickles, lettuce, 2 tomato slices, fried chicken, and cheese. Close sandwich and serve with waffle potato fries.
Notes:
- Brine the chicken. If time allows, I always recommend brining the chicken so it’s juicier and thicker. Let chicken cutlets sit in 1 quart of cold water, ¼ cup of kosher salt, and ¼ cup of sugar mixture for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Add more or less spice. To make it a spicy deluxe, just add more cayenne. However, if you are making it for kiddos, you can just skip the Cayenne.
- Fry right after breading. If you let the breaded chicken sit for long, the breading will become soggy and won’t crisp up very well.
- Always deep fry it. To make it as close as possible to Chick-Fil-A, you will want to deep fry the chicken. If you want to shallow fry the chicken, it will still work but won’t be super crispy. You can also Air Fry the chicken like I did in my Air Fryer nashville hot chicken recipe.
- Keep warm in the oven. While frying other cutlets, place done cutlets on a wire rack and place them in the oven to keep warm. But make sure you’re using an ovenproof wire rack that does not melt in the oven.
- Add more deliciousness. To make this sandwich even tastier, add bacon, extra cheese, or even 2 cutlets of chicken per sandwich!
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Moonwatcher101 says
Ya’ll have no idea how amazing this recipe turned out…My family went CRAZY for how accurate it was to the actual Chick Fil A’s sandwich, and because of how good it tasted! 10/10, would definitely recommend!
I will absolutely make this again when I get a chance. Thank you so, so much for sharing this recipe!!! 😀
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you so much for the awesome review! I’m so happy to hear that it was perfect for your family.
Katrina says
Omg!! Seriously the BEST sandwich I’ve ever had. Delicious! Love the sauce!!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Katrina.
Anthony Gaskin says
very good
Diana says
Thank you!
Savannah says
I started cooking then realized I had no flour! So I used breadcrumbs instead and that worked well. Super yummy chicken! However, I did notice that in the ingredients there’s a teaspoon of sugar that is never included in the recipe notes. Looking back I’d assume it goes in with the spice mixture. You might want to make sure that sugar gets added somewhere in the steps otherwise it might get left out!
Lori says
My son who is a huge fan said it was good but not like the original