Just when we thought summer would end without new a food trend, the great Chicken Sandwich craze happened – skip the lines with our at home version! Tender juicy brined chicken with a deliciously crispy coating served on a lightly toasted bun.
Enjoy this tasty chicken sandwich anytime you want – and serve with your favorite signature sides, like coleslaw, onion rings, and a homemade biscuit for the full take-out experience!
The Chicken Sandwich Craze
If you’ve been following the news, you’ve probably heard all about it, but the popular fried chicken chain that hails from the south, Popeye’s, debuted its new fried chicken sandwich. With some clever tweets, in no time at all, curious eaters were lining up to get a taste of this extra crunchy delight!
The craze got so big that one customer posted his for sale on eBay for a whopper (pun intended!) of a price at $350.00! This chicken sandwich sold out in record time.
I’ve partnered with Argo Cornstarch to bring you the best crispy chicken sandwich! Instead of waiting for the highly anticipated return of the Popeye’s, skip the lines and make it at home!
How to Make a Crispy Chicken Sandwich
The best recipes are made right at home including our version of a crispy chicken sandwich! With a simple brine, and the triple dipped coating featuring Argo cornstarch, achieving the crispiest chicken is so simple to do!
1. Brine chicken breasts (per recipe below) and set aside.
2. Mix Argo Cornstarch with flour and seasonings. This mixture will create both a dredge and a wet batter.
3. Remove chicken from the brine, dip in the dry dredge, dip in the wet batter and then back into the dry mixture. (TLDR: Dry, wet, dry, fry).
4. Fry until crispy, 3-4 minutes per side.
How to Make Fried Chicken Crispy
The dredge and batter for this chicken sandwich is made with cornstarch which expands when it is added to a liquid and to create the perfect crispy, crunchy coating for this sandwich.
CHICKEN BREASTS
- If your chicken breasts are large, cut them in half.
- Pound the thicker end to 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick so they cook evenly.
BATTER
- Dredge the chicken breasts into the dry mixture first; this helps the wet batter adhere.
- The wet batter should be about the consistency of pancake batter.
- A second dip into the dry mixture before frying adds great flavor and crunch to the sandwich.
FRYING CHICKEN
- Ensure oil is hot (350°F) using a deep fry thermometer.
- When adding the chicken, the temperature can drop so increase the temperature if needed to keep the oil at 350°F.
- Drain on paper towels, keep warm in a 250°F oven if you need to make several batches.
How Long to Fry Chicken
Fry each chicken breast until golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Make sure the internal temperature is 165°F. Remove cooked pieces and drain on paper towels.
To assemble crispy chicken sandwiches, toast the sesame seed buns in the broiler after brushing them with butter. Spread some mayonnaise on each half, add lettuce, pickles, and of course the chicken.
Voila! A tasty crispy chicken sandwich and you didn’t have to leave the house or wait in any lines for!
Chicken Sandwich Toppings
There are all kinds of great toppings for chicken sandwiches! Why not try some thinly sliced, sautéed yellow onions or a spoonful of coleslaw? Of course, a thick slice of Provolone or Swiss cheese will add a creamy element to the flavor. Even a few sliced jalapeños kick it up a bit! Ripe tomatoes, honey mustard sauce… anything goes!
More Breaded Chicken Goodness
- Easy Chicken Parmesan – classic Italian flavors
- Fried Chicken and Waffles – crunchy satisfying breakfast or supper!
- Oven Fried Chicken – crispy, juicy flavor without frying!
- Dorito Chicken Tenders – only 4 ingredients
- Crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken – crispy, crunchy coating
Ingredients
Brine
- 1 quart water
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Sandwich
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 sesame seed buns
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- dill pickle slices
- 3 quarts vegetable oil for frying
Batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup Argo® Corn Starch
- 1 teaspoon Argo® Baking Powder
- 4 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup cold water
Instructions
Brine
- Pound chicken to ½" - ¾" thick (just to make sure it's even). Combine all brine ingredients in a large bowl until sugar/salt are dissolved. Add chicken, cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Chicken
- Combine flour, corn starch, baking powder and seasonings in a bowl. Remove ¾ cup of this flour mixture and place in a shallow pan (this is the dry dredge).
- Add ¾ cup cold water to the remaining flour mixture and whisk until smooth. *see note
- Heat oil over medium heat to 350°F in a Dutch oven or deep pan.
- Remove chicken breasts from the brine; pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brine.
- Dip the chicken breasts into dry mixture, shaking off any excess and then into the batter ensuring it's coated on both sides. Allow excess batter to drip off. Dip back into the dry mixture to gently coat.
- Carefully place chicken in the hot oil (ensuring it stays at 350°F). Cook until the chicken coating is a deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 3-4 minutes per side (depending on thickness).
- Remove from oil and place chicken on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
To Assemble
- Butter each sesame seed bun and toast under the broiler just until golden.
- Spread 2 tablespoons mayonnaise over the bottom of each roll. Top with lettuce, pickles, and crispy chicken.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I am excited to have partnered with Argo Cornstarch to bring you this belly warming recipe. While I was compensated for this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Working with great brands I love allows me to keep bringing you the great recipes you love!
Great recipe but where’s ingredients for brine!??? You have dry ingredients and wet batter ingredients but nothing about the brine just that you need to brine chicken first!!
Otherwise recipe sounds yummy!!!
The ingredients for the brine are right above the other ingredients (right below the print button).
Looks good
Awesome crispy coating and tender chicken! All guests raved about it.
Can these be made in an air fryer?
I haven’t tried this recipe in the air fryer so I can’t say for sure. This is a wet batter so I don’t think it will work well. I would suggest a breaded batter similar to that on my oven fried chicken
Hi Holly, can these be made in a deep fryer?
They sure can! Enjoy!
It’s good but the proportions are way off. You need way less brine: wanting to make half the recipe I used a quarter of the brine and that was still enough for 3 sandwich-size pieces. I halved the batter and despite the wet being way thicker (my mistake), there was still some left over after those 3 pieces. Eating the sandwich too, it was clear my chicken pieces were way too big, maybe 1/3 pound each.
My recommendation would be, if you’re making 4 sandwiches,
1) make 1/4 the brine, only make half the batter,
2) definitely thin it out,
3) and don’t cut your pieces of chicken to be the really beautiful large ones in the picture; it’s just too much. I don’t want to be near fried chicken anymore.
Also, swapping out chicken breast for boneless skinless chicken leg makes a really juicy and succulent sandwich. Highly recommend, you just need to cook it for another couple minutes.
Hi there, I just have a quick question about the nutrition facts. My husband is a diabetic so we have to carb count everything. Have you listed the information for the entire recipe as a whole, or for 1 patty/1 serving?
Hi Faith, the nutritional values listed in this recipe are per sandwich, however these are estimates. :)
Beware of the pepper!!!!
Made this two times. The first tine we had to throw away the entire batch of chicken because the pepper amount was way too high for our tastes…4 tsps is A LOT! The second time, I reduced the pepper to 1 tsp and the sandwiches were much better!
BEST AND CRISPIEST AND JUICIEST AND MOST FLAVORFUL CHICKEN IVE EVER TASTED!!! EXCELLENT RECIPE! A KEEPER FOR REAL!!! ..fried in evoo and made my own honey mustard and topped it with swiss and on a brioche bun, but all.else as was stated exactly! Thank you so much! Just LOVE a crispy chicken sandwich and LOVE even more not having to go out for it! YAY!
Yum, that sounds like the perfect way to serve it Patty! Thanks for sharing.
OHHH YUMMMM, HONEY MUSTARD. EXCELLENT IDEA!!!
I love this recipe! It’s super easy and delicious. I actually made chicken tenders instead, since I didn’t have any toppings for a sandwich. They turned out perfectly crispy. Thanks for the recipe, definitely a keeper!
These were REALLY great! The chicken pieces after cooking are actually pretty big (amazing how much batter sticks to the chicken and expands) so to make bun-size pieces i’ll cut the chicken pieces a bit smaller and pound a bit thinner next time. i cut back a little bit on the black pepper but otherwise made per the recipe. I think will be easier and quicker next time but overall was pretty straightforward and were a big hit with the family!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Jeff! Glad your family enjoyed them! :)
We made this and loved it! I did have to make a couple small adjustments due to the picky eaters in our house. I cut the pepper amount in half and added 2 tablespoons honey to the wet batter mix, the result was delicious!!!
This crispy chicken sandwich recipe is really great. I love this recipe.
I never review recipes, but I had to comment on this. Actually, I have made other recipes from this site, and all have been great, but this was over the top good! It had loads of flavor and amazing crunch. My husband and kids all said it tasted like it was from a restaurant. My daughter asked if I could make this the next time her friends are over. For us, it is way too thick to leave the breast whole, so I cut it in half. This makes it super budget friendly too.
That is so awesome Heidi! I am so happy you guys enjoyed it :)
I usually don’t comment on things, but wow this recipe deserves it. Made it exactly. My family loved it. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Thank you for your comment Sue! So glad your family loved this.
DELICIOUS!!! My family LOVED this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
This is awesome! One of favorite recipes. Fresh buns, lettuce and tomatoes from the farm. Crispy chicken better than Popeye’s! It’s a keeper! Thank you Holly.
Haven’t made this yet, but looks amazing! Can you bake these? Maybe on a wire rack? Thank you!
I wouldn’t suggest baking this due to the wet batter, I don’t think it would cook properly. I use this recipe for crispy oven chicken.
Can the chicken be made up ahead and kept in a warm over for period of time?
Hi Janell, when making multiple batches we recommend keeping warm in a 250°F oven.
This is awesome. Working our way thru whatever food we have in the freezer and fortunately we had thin chicken cutlets. Followed the recipe. Made due with the long rolls we had in the freezer. It was moist and delicious. Definitely a keeper :)
Thank you!