This Copycat Chick Fil A Sandwich is a quick and easy family favorite. This copycat recipe makes the chicken juicy and tastes exactly like a fried chick-fil-a sandwich!
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Why this Chicken Sandwich Recipe is a Keeper
I love this recipe for an air fryer chicken sandwich because it tastes like chick-fil-a, but making it at home is so much better than chick-fil-a!
- Under 1 Hour: You can make this bread coated chicken sandwich, and make the sauce, in under an hour.
- Easy Ingredients: You will need a handful of super easy ingredients to make a copycat chic fil a air fried chicken sandwiches.
- Family Friendly: Everyone is going to love this air fried chicken sandwich.
- Adaptable: Feel free to customize chick fil a recipes to make the best chicken sandwich.
- Makes Great Leftovers: Throw the leftovers in the fridge to enjoy later.
If you’re looking for more delicious chicken recipes, try these Baked Chicken Nuggets, Cornflake Chicken and Chicken Firecracker Meatballs.
What Makes the Chik Fil A Sandwich so Good?
Marinating chicken in pickle juice is what makes this sandwich taste just like Chick-Fil-A. Marinating chicken in the pickle juice is why those chicken sandwiches are so good! This is the perfect copycat recipe if you love chick-fil-a.
Ingredient Notes for Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwich
You will need just a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. They’re all easy to find at the grocery store, but you may even have some around your kitchen already.
- Chicken: We are using boneless skinless chicken breasts in this recipe but you could also use skinless chicken thighs for the marinated chicken cutlets.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Sandwich
There are so many ways to try this recipe. Try adding or substituting ingredients to make it your own.
- Add Bacon: To make this like a deluxe sandwich add some bacon, lettuce and tomato.
- Different Sauces: Instead of making a homemade chick-fil-a sauce, try using honey mustard or bbq sauce to dip the chicken in.
- Use a Gluten Free Bun: To ensure this recipe is gluten free, use a gluten free bun as well as grilled chicken.
Special Equipment Needed for the Copycat Recipe
- Air Fryer: An air fryer is going to give you crisp chicken you’re looking for without dealing with a deep fryer.
Pro Tip for Homemade Chick Fil A Sandwich
For an extra kick, consider adding a splash of hot sauce to the pickle juice marinade.
How to Make Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich
This recipe comes together in just 4 easy to follow steps. Once you make this chicken breast sandwich at home, you’ll never want to go through the drive thru for one again.
These are the basic steps for making Air Fryer Copycat Chick Fil A Sandwich. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Prep the Chicken
Place the chicken breasts in a gallon size ziploc bag. Pound them until they are about ½ inch thick. Take the chicken out of the bag and cut each chicken breast into 2 pieces.
Place chicken back in the bag. Add pickle juice and water and allow to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Make the Breading and Coat the Chicken
In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, corn starch, powdered sugar and spices. Coat the chicken in the egg mixture, then roll the chicken into the flour mixture, making sure the entire piece of chicken is fully coated.
3. Add Chicken to Air Fryer
Spray your air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray. Place your chicken in the air fryer basket. Arrange chicken so that it’s not touching. Spray the chicken with cooking spray.
4. Cook the Chicken and Assemble Sandwiches
Fry the chicken for 6 minutes at 340°F. Flip and cook for another 6 minutes at 400°F. The chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Place each chicken portion on a Brioche bun and top with 3 dill pickle slices. Serve with sauce like Chick-Fil-A Sauce if desired.
Chick Fil A Chicken Recipe FAQs
Put the chicken that’s leftover in an airtight container in the fridge to enjoy for lunch the next day.
The best way to reheat leftover chicken is either throw it back in the air fryer for a minute or two or bake it in the oven until it’s warm enough.
Yes! You can fry the chicken for about 4-5 minutes in a pan on the stove. You can also make a baked chick-fil-a sandwich by baking the chicken in the oven.
Absolutely! The 30 minutes is the minimum to get the flavor and tenderness.
Serve the sandwiches with a copycat chick fil a lemonade and waffle fries on the side of the chicken!
Expert Tips for Making This Fried Chicken Recipe
- This Recipe Can be Doubled: A great recipe for a crowd. Simply increase the ingredients proportionately and air fry in small batches.
- Spicy Chicken: If you love spicy chicken and want to add a little heat to your chicken sandwich, add a dash of hot sauce with some chili powder to the marinade to make a spicy chicken sandwich.
- Toast: Butter and toast the rolls for an even better sandwich with the chick fil a sauce.
- Buttermilk: Use buttermilk instead of regular milk for a super sandwich.
What to Serve with Amazing Chick-fil-a Sandwich
Air Fryer Copycat Chick Fil A Sandwich
Video
Equipment
- Non-stick cooking spray
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Ingredients
- 2 Chicken breasts
- ¼ cup Dill pickle juice
- ¼ cup Water
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Whole milk
- 1 cup Flour
- 2 tablespoons Powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons Corn starch
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- 4 Brioche buns
- 12 Dill pickle slices
- Chick Fil A Sauce, optional
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a gallon size ziptop bags. Pound them until they are 1/2 inch thick.
- Cut each chicken breast into 2 pieces.
- Place the chicken back in the bag. Add pickle juice and water and allow to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Whisk the egg and milk together.
- In a separate bowl, mix together your dry ingredients: flour, corn starch, powdered sugar and spices.
- Coat the chicken in the egg mixture, then the flour mixture, making sure the entire piece of chicken is fully coated.
- Spray your air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place your chicken in the air fryer basket. Arrange chicken so that it's not touching. You might have to work in batches depending on the size of your Air Fryer. Spray the chicken with cooking spray.
- Cook for 6 minutes at 340 degrees. Flip and cook for another 6 minutes at 400 degrees. The chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Place each chicken portion on a Brioche bun and top with 3 dill pickle slice.
- Serve with Chick Fil A sauce if desired.
Christina’s Notes
- This Recipe Can be Doubled: A great recipe for a crowd. Simply increase the ingredients proportionately and air fry in small batches.
- Spicy Chicken: If you love spicy chicken and want to add a little heat to your chicken sandwich, add a dash of hot sauce with some chili powder to the marinade to make a spicy chicken sandwich.
- Toast: Butter and toast the rolls for an even better sandwich with the chick fil a sauce.
- Buttermilk: Use buttermilk instead of regular milk for a super sandwich.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!