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!
I removed 3/4 cup of the mixture into another pan, and then I put 3/4 cup of water into the mixture that I removed 3/4 cups of mixture from. Feel like I was supposed to add 3/4 cups of water into the 3/4 cups of the mixture that I put into the other pan.
It sounds to me like you did it correctly, I’m not sure why yours is like a dough as I haven’t heard others having the same problem. Hopefully you can add a bit more liquid to get the right consistency!
Why is my pancake-like batter more like a dough?
I can’t say for sure. Did you remove ¾ cup of the flour mixture in step 1? If the batter is too thick I would suggest adding more liquid.
Love love this chicken…. Finally a crispy fried chicken recipe that’s truly crispy The best I have found. Delicious
Can I get the brine recipe for the chicken please? I couldn’t find it
The brine is in the ingredients list, if you click jump to recipe at the top of the page, it should direct you to the recipe. I hope that helps!
1 quart water
¼ cup kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
I haev not tried this yet but sounds good. Are you sure 3 qts of oil is correct and needed for only 4 chicken breasts? That is nearly a gallon of oil. Just checking to make sure.
This recipe is fried in oil, you’ll need to ensure the oil is deep enough to submerge the chicken. It can vary slightly based on the size/shape of your pan.
The flavor was great and the meat wasn’t dry or greasy. I chose to shallow fry instead of deep fry so I didn’t need as much oil. I’d use 1 cup for the dredge and extra water for the batter. Will definitely make these again.
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Corey!
My husband loved this ! I added hot paprika to make them spicy.
This was one of the best, if not THE best chicken burger me and my partner have ever had! I followed the recipe to the teaspoon and it came out 100%… will definitely be making again !
This was perfect, delicious. Crispy, moist, used brioche buns and everybody loved them. This will be my go-to chicken sandwich recipe from now on!
We tried this tonight and it was most yummy. Added it to our list of ‘repeat’ recipes.
I made this recipe a few times for my three sons and they love it. Keeps asking when I’m going to cook it again. It is very easy to prep and cook it.
Hi, the recipe looks great. Can I use my air fryer for this one?
We haven’t tried these in the air fryer yet but it’s on our list! We’ll let you know how it goes when we try it.
The only way to cook battered recipes in the air fryer is to freeze after battering, I find that it ensures the batter to stay on the food as opposed to sticking to the air fryer basket… ❣️