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
Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
Brine
- 1 quart water
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- ¼ cup sugar
Sandwich
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 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 ground 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.
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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!
Made these about a year ago for friends and they are still raving about how good the chicken was.
Was looking for an actual “crispy” chicken sandwich recipe tonight. I skipped the brining due to lack of time, but I don’t think it mattered either way. These were absolutely delicious and crispy, and restaurant quality! Definitely will be using this recipe again for sandwiches and tenders.
So happy to hear that Angela! It’s good to know they are still just as delicious without brining.
i wasn’t sure what to make for dinner last night but i came across this recipe and i’m so glad i did. my husband absolutely LOVED it! he said it was 5 stars – restaurant quality. the outside was crispy and the inside was moist and tender. thank you so much for sharing this! have a wonderful day :)
Thank you for sharing that Lisa! That makes my day! You’re and your husband are very welcome.
This is a GREAT recipe. Chicken was juicy and flavorful and the batter was…. even second day in the air fryer it was still great
So glad you enjoyed it, Kelly!
This chicken recipe came out good. I will make it again. I made a mistake and didn’t cut the chicken pieces small enough, so it came out like fried chicken. The only thing that I would change is the amount of black pepper. It was a little more peppery than I like, but not horrible. Next time, I will also make the pieces smaller so I can put it in a sandwich. It tastes almost as good as the colonel’s. Thanks for posting.
Glad you love this recipe as much as we do!
Really delicious!! My husband and I both loved it. Took at least 15 mins to cook but our chicken breasts were huge.
If my chicken breasts are more like 1 and 1/4 inches thick, how would you adjust the temperature and cooking time?
I recommend that you pound them to 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick and cook per the recipe. Enjoy Suzanne, this is a definite favorite!
this looks great holly i love chiken
This is a good one for sure Jush!
I cant ever seem to pound breasts thin enough. They still always come out too thick no matter what.
I usually cover the breast with plastic wrap, and start with the thickest side. I have a meat mallet, or I use a rolling pin. I sometimes even use a ruler to see how thick (or thin!) they are, mostly so that they are fairly even. Hope that helps Scott!
I followed the recipe exactly and it was so yummy and tasty! Great recipe, thank you. This will definitely be in our rotation, my husband thought it was the best crispy chicken sandwich he’s ever had!
You’re welcome Donna! This one is definitely a favorite for us too!
These were INCREDIBLE. I made them four nights ago, and my wife is already begging me to make them again. I’m making them tonight!
They’re kind of amazing like that Paul!
Made these tonight. Delicious!! Couldn’t find a local place to get a good chicken sandwich. Came out crispy and had a nice seasoning mix. Next time I will make the batter a little thinner. We topped with bread and butter pickles and arugula.
Thanks for this, it makes amazingly good chicken sandwiches, first time I served it honestly, stunned silence as people experienced it!! Now we pair it with brioche buns and Korean chilli sauce. Nom Nom.
You’re welcome Joe!! Love the idea of the Korean chili sauce!!
Any chance that this will be just as good cooked in an air fryer vs deep fry method?
I haven’t tried these in the air fryer yet… but it’s on my list! I’ll let you know how it goes when I try it.
Thank you for this wonderful delicious recipe.
We all enjoyed it a lot.
It tastes better than any store bought sandwiches
This was delicious! My family eagerly ate, with nothing left over. I made three chicken sandwiches, and then with one chicken breast I made tenders. I hesitated to use 4 teaspoons of pepper, so cut that in half but otherwise followed the recipe. I agree with another commenter who said they would get the chicken thinner next time – thin is a must. The dry/wet/dry method was new for me, and I loved how the batter fried up. Will definitely become part of our recipe box.
DELISH made this and it was great .had to add a little more water to make the batter right but other than that perfect.
First time making this and it was a home run. My girlfriend told me it’s the best chicken sandwich she’s ever had. The brine gave it so much flavor and I actually waited for the oil to get to the right temp. The dry & wet batter worked perfectly, wet batter needed more water. Its the little details that really kick it up.
My whole family went crazy for these!!! It was easily modified to gluten free by using gf flour. I haven’t had a fried chicken sandwich in 6 years until this recipe! We will make them again and again! Thanks for a great recipe!
These came out unbelievably delicious! I followed the recipe exactly. The chicken was so moist thanks to the brine, my 3 teenage boys and husband all approved! Thank you!