Move over, Popeye’s! There’s a new “Fried” Chicken Sandwich in town, and this one is much healthier than the fast food version!
I’m not sure that there is a more beautiful food combination than crispy chicken, soft bread, creamy mayo, and tangy pickles. This hits all of the flavor and texture notes out there. So simple yet so delicious!
I tried to maintain all of the best parts of that traditional fried chicken sandwich, while cutting back on the fat and oil. Just small changes like turns something like this from an occasional treat into a weekly staple. We’ve already made these 5 times in the two weeks I’ve tested the recipe out!
The star, of course, is the chicken. My goal was to get as close to the coated texture of a deep fried version. I mean, it looks pretty close to me!
I’ve found that the key to getting that chunky kind of breaded coating is to add a bit of milk to your flour mixture. That creates clumps that mimic the thicker batter and fried quality.
I also opted for a thickened egg wash instead of a traditional buttermilk marinade. This makes for a thicker coating, as the buttermilk and flour combo tends to slide off if you’re not deep frying.
This is what my version looks like before it’s cooked.
The breading looks just like real fried chicken, thanks to those small hacks! Just coat with cooking spray, and then you’re ready to cook it up.
What is the best way to cook the chicken?
If you have an air fryer, that is definitely the best way to cook these up. Don’t worry if you don’t, though. I’ve tried making it in the oven and skillet. Both are doable!
The air fryer is the quickest, easiest, and most consistent method. The oven also works, though it takes longer and requires that you flip halfway through.
The skillet is my least favorite way to make these. It requires more oil and the breading can tend to cook unevenly. But you can definitely make it work!
Assembling the sandwiches
You have a lot of different options for making the sandwiches to your taste. We prefer spicy sandwiches in this house, so I add cayenne to the breading and hot sauce to the mayo. The pickles cut through the richness of the chicken, making for the perfect combo!
These are also great served burger-style, with regular mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onion. The points won’t change, and the macros will basically remain the same if you eat them this way.
The buns depend on what you like. Brioche buns are great here, but regular hamburger buns will obviously work, too. Sesame buns could add a little extra flavor and crunch.
We’re going to get creative with these in the future, too. We’ve talked about chicken parmesan sandwiches, Korean fried chicken sandwiches, Nashville hot chicken sandwiches. I mean, the list goes on! I’ll definitely share our (successful) experiments with you. For now, enjoy the classic!
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there.
If you like fast food copycat recipes, you have to try out my Fast Food-Style Chicken Nuggets!
“Fried” Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 2 large ones, cut in half)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne (optional for a spicy chicken sandwich)
- 3 1/2 tbsp almond milk, divided (or skim milk)
- 1 large egg
- oil cooking spray
- 4 tbsp light mayo
- 1-2 tbsp hot sauce
- 4 hamburger buns
- dill pickle slices
Instructions
- Pound the chicken breasts out to even thickness. Pat chicken very dry with paper towels. Set aside on a cutting board.
- Create your breading station. In one bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, and seasonings. In another bowl, whisk together egg and 2 tbsp almond milk. Whisk 1 tbsp of the seasoned flour into the egg/almond milk mixture.
- Coat chicken in seasoned flour mixture. Set chicken aside.
- Add remaining 1 1/2 tbsp of milk to the seasoned flour blend. Mix the milk through the flour with a fork or your fingers until you see some small clumps of flour in the mixture.
- Dip flour-coated chicken into egg mixture and let excess drain off. Place chicken into seasoned flour mixture and press the flour into chicken. Gently shake off excess and set on cutting board. Let set for about 5 minutes. Then spray both sides of the chicken with cooking spray–enough to lightly coat the breading.
- FOR ALL METHODS, make sure you let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before eating. This will set the juices of the chicken and the breading.
FOR THE AIR FRYER (recommended method)
- Cook at 400F for 18-24 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken.
FOR THE OVEN
- Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 400F for 20 minutes. Gently flip chicken, then bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
FOR THE SKILLET
- Add 2 tsp oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Swirl to coat the pan with the oil, then add chicken. Cook for 7-10 minutes, flip and cook for a remaining 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Check the crust often to make sure it doesn't burn.
ASSEMBLE THE SANDWICHES
- Mix together mayo and hot sauce.
- Lightly toast hamburger buns. Spread mayo mixture evenly across all 4 bottom buns. Lay pickle slices on top of mayo.
- Place chicken on pickles. Top with more hot sauce, if desired. Place bun on top and enjoy!
How many points were the buns you used?
The recipe is calculated for regular hamburger buns, which are 4 SP. For the pic, I used brioche bunds from Aldi that are 5 SP each. SO I just added a point for those.
4 points for regular hamburger buns (as stated in the recipe). In the pics, I used brioche buns that are 5 points, so I added an extra point in my tracker.
I’m going to try it with fish
I bet it would be fantastic!
Wow! This was AMAZING! The chicken was so tender and juicy. My entire family loved it. I used the Breville Smart Oven Air with the air fryer setting for 23 minutes. I put parchment paper down to avoid it dripping. I used larger chicken breasts so the last one had slightly less breading but it was still good. Next time I will double the coating and keep making them until I run out.
This makes me so happy! You definitely can’t go wrong with more breading. 🙂
These were great! I did have to make 1.5 times the amount of breading, but our chicken breasts were large (even after cutting them in half). Is there extra almond milk listed in the ingredients? I never saw where to use the 2 Tbsp after using the divided 3.5 Tbsp.
So glad you liked it, Michelle! It’s difficult to get breading measurements right for everyone. I always end up with extra breading when I make this, while some people need more. I think it’s more about the technique, anyway. Great that you were able to make it work! The extra 2 tbsp of almond milk was a typo–thanks for catching that! I’ve updated it. 🙂
Hi Geri! Weird but I don’t usually keep hot sauce in the house, did you use like a Sirracha with the Mayo? Thank you!!
Hi, Christina! I just a vinegar-based hot sauce, like Tabasco or Louisiana style. But Sriracha could work! You’re just looking for a little bit of heat. You could even omit it, if you want.
OOOOOMMMMMGGGGGGG!!! I will NEVER eat a fast food fried chicken sandwich, EVER! Amazing job on this one! I may even go eat another one right now….I have the points LOL
Hahaha! Wow, thank you so much for this review! I completely agree but always get a little nervous that others won’t have the same experience as me. Love hearing that we’re on the same page!
OMG who needs fast food???? These are amazing!! I served them with french fries and felt like I was eating take out!! My husband couldn’t believe they were air fried!!
Yesssss! Comments like this are why I do this! Makes me so happy. 🙂
What would you recommend for a substitute for the cornstarch? Would arrowroot or cassava flour work?
Absolutely! Arrowroot would work best, I think.
Is the points for this including the bun?
Yep, if you use a regular hamburger bun. The chicken alone is 2 SP.
Ok to use potato starch instead of corn starch?
Sure!
Made this last weekend and already making it again. Thanks for helping me resist takeout!
Awesome! Glad to help. 🙂
I made this tonight and it was great. I do need to work on the pam spray as some of the chicken was not golden brown color, still white from the flour. Any suggestions?
I just make sure to rub the spray in on the areas that are still white, then do a quick spritz in there are still white parts and lightly rub again. Hope that makes sense!
So good 😋 Highly recommend it!
Omg! Made this today! Absolutely delicious! This recipe will be on a regular rotation in our house!
Yay!! We make is almost every week now.
Geri.
Oh my god.
My BFF and I are sitting here, perfectly satisfied, and speechless. These were INCREDIBLE. I can’t wait to make crispy chicken everything with this recipe!
THANK YOU.
Woooow this comment totally made my night, Liz. Thank you!!
My husband and I loved this recipe. I cooked the chicken in an air fryer and it turned out perfectly. I’m making it a second time tomorrow!
Wow – this was amazing!! I was definitely skeptical, but this came out JUST like fried chicken- can’t believe it was so low in point!
Thank you!! Makes me happy that you loved it so much!
I know these would be so good if I could do it. I’ve made them twice trying to get it right but I’m doing something wrong. I can’t get them to even remotely look like yours. I know it’s the last dipping part. Would you consider doing a video or even more pics of the process? Thank you!
Absolutely! I’ve been meaning to add videos anyway. Not sure if you’re on IG, but I plan on making this on one of my Sunday live streams soon, too.
Any recommendations for a gluten free flour?
I like Bob’s Red Mill AP Gluten Free.
These were great!