There are a lot of copycat, Chick-fil-A recipes out there, but there’s none as good as this copycat Chick-fil-a Chicken Sandwich. You may not go to Chick-fil-A again after tasting this sandwich!
Chick-fil-a is definitely my favorite fast food restaurant out there. For one, it feels like it’s healthier than other places.
When I was in second grade, I remember writing down that I wanted to work at Chick-fil-a when I grew up.
I’m sure that was mainly because my oldest sister worked there, and it just seemed so cool.
Although I outgrew the desire to work there, I still love their food.
My kiddos love it too – whenever you ask my four-year-old what he wants to do, he’ll say, “Let’s go to Chicken-Filet!”
Can I really argue with that?!
Because it’s so delicious, it does cost more than just dropping by a McDonalds.
The other day, I was having a huge craving for it though!
So I searched and searched for recipes, and finally found this one. Along the way, however, I discovered a great debate: Does Chick-fil-a marinate their chicken in pickle juice?
Well, I had to find out for sure, so I went to the expert – my sister, Kristalyn. Here’s what she said (sorry the first bit is cut off, it’s the best I could do):
Does Chick-fil-A Soak Their Chicken in Pickle Juice?
So there you have it, the nuggets and original sandwich are NOT made with pickle juice, but the chargrilled and chicken strips are. However, I decided to switch things up a little bit and marinate the chicken breast in a mixture of pickle juice and a few other spices.
I added something extra to the batter as well. These sandwiches taste very similar to Chick-fil-a, just with a slightly new kick to them. Personally, I think they taste even better, but, of course, I’m biased!
Best Chick-fil-A Sandwich
INGREDIENTS:
For marinade:
- ½ cup pickle juice
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp sugar
For Sandwiches:
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 cup flour
- 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp. dry milk
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp. ground mustard
- 1 tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. Cajun seasoning
- Peanut oil
- 8 pickle slices
- 4 buns
- 3 Tbsp. Softened butter
INSTRUCTIONS:
Put thawed chicken breasts and all the marinade ingredients in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and shake.
Place in fridge for at least thirty minutes to let the chicken soak up the marinade.
After marinating the chicken, take it out of the fridge and cut each chicken breast in half so you have four thin slices.
Wrap in plastic wrap and pound until it is about ¼-inch thick.
Put enough peanut oil into a deep frying pan to cover the chicken (about 1 inch) and start to heat.
In a bowl, whisk milk, water, and egg. In another dish, combine the flour, powdered sugar, dry milk, baking soda, ground mustard, pepper, salt, and Cajun seasoning.
Dip chicken into milk mixture and cover.
Immediately place into the next dish and coat completely.
Shake off excess, and place in oil.
Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
Fry in peanut oil until chicken is cooked and the coating turns a nice, golden color, about four minutes on each side.
Heat a smaller frying pan. Butter each side of the bun, and place on the pan for a very short time.
Place chicken on buns, and top with two pickles.
Homemade Chick-fil-A Sandwich
Copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients
For marinade
- ½ cup pickle juice
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp sugar
For Sandwiches
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 cup flour
- 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp. dry milk
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp. ground mustard
- 1 tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. Cajun seasoning
- Peanut oil
- 8 pickle slices
- 4 buns
- 3 Tbsp. Softened butter
Instructions
- Put thawed chicken breasts and all the marinade ingredients in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and shake. Place in fridge for at least thirty minutes to let chicken soak up the marinade.
- After marinating chicken, take out of fridge and cut each chicken breast in half so you have four thin slices. Wrap in plastic wrap and pound until it is about ¼-inch thick.
- Put enough peanut oil into a deep frying pan to cover chicken (about 1-inch) and start to heat. In a bowl, whisk milk, water, and egg. In another dish, combine the flour, powdered sugar, dry milk, baking soda, ground mustard, pepper, salt, and Cajun seasoning.
- Dip chicken into milk mixture and cover. Immediately place into the next dish and coat completely. Shake off excess, and place in oil. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
- Fry in peanut oil until chicken is cooked and the coating turns a nice, golden color, about four minutes on each side.
- Heat a smaller frying pan. Butter each side of the bun, and place on the pan for a very short time. Place chicken on buns, and top with two pickles.
- Notes
Notes
Inspired by http://www.fromaway.com/cooking/chick-fil-a-copycat-chicken-sandwiches
carol says
do you use sweet pickle juice or dill pickle juice?
Katie says
Just dill pickle 🙂
Claudia Russell says
Does it make a huge difference if I use Vegetable oil rather than peanut?
Forrest Clark says
I have never tried! I would imagine it wouldn’t have the biggest difference – might just be a slight change in taste. Let me know if you try!
Andy says
This is one of the better recipes I’ve seen out there. A lot of other recipes are skipping the marinade part. The pickle juice is definitely key to achieving a chik-fil-a taste. You also understand your egg-to-milk ratio. Some are saying 2 cups of milk and one egg. That wasn’t working for me.
Katie says
Thank you! I’m glad that you feel this is a good recipe. I felt the same way about some of the recipes I found — they just didn’t quite get the ratios correct!
Rachel Willis says
Chick-Fil-A had the.best.sandwiches! These look awesome, thanks so much for sharing them at Wicked Good Wednesdays! {you’ve got a feature! Come check out the party tomorrow and get a featured button!}
Amber Brady says
I love Chick-Fil-A & the batter on the chicken looks fabulous! Thanks for linking up to Sweet & Savory Saturdays #6!
~Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later!
https://dessertnowdinnerlater.blogspot.com
Amber says
Hmmm… I am definitely going to have to try these. I LOVE Chick-fil-a. It’s probably for the best the closest one is at the mall. I have one 10 minutes away. Not so great for my wallet.
FrugalFoodieMama says
I love finding good copycat Chick Fil A recipes. I refuse to spend my money there anymore (not that we eat out that often anyways). 😉
Bekah @ re·solve says
Chick Fil A is the only thing I miss as a vegetarian….