Our crispy chicken sandwich is so good and juicy, you’ll never be tempted by fast food again! We double-dredge our chicken, creating a flavorful, crunchy crust that keeps the chicken super tender and juicy. Add a toasty bun, spicy sauce, and your favorite toppings to complete this epic fried chicken sandwich recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Fried Chicken Sandwich Recipe
Looking for a the perfect buttermilk crispy chicken sandwich that’s so much better than fast food? Once you try this sandwich, you’ll never want to order one from anywhere else. Here’s why:
- Buttermilk Marinade: This is the secret ingredient that makes the chicken so tender and juicy. You’ll marinate the chicken in a mixture of buttermilk, pickle juice, and hot sauce, which adds a ton of flavor and keeps the chicken moist while frying. It’s a game-changer, we promise!
- Crispy Coating: The chicken is double-dipped in a seasoned flour mixture, which creates a light and airy crust that’s super crunchy. You’ll love the contrast between the crispy exterior and the juicy, tender chicken.
- That Sauce: This sauce is so good, you’ll want to put it on everything – seriously! It’s creamy, spicy, and tangy – exactly what you want on a fried chicken sandwich!
If you love this juicy fried chicken, you may also enjoy or southern fried pork chops, juicy fried shrimp or classic chicken fried steak with white gravy!
What You’ll Need
We love simple recipes that use ingredients found mostly in our fridge and pantries. This one embraces that philosophy! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
Fried Chicken:
- Chicken: Grab some boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Buttermilk: Make your own buttermilk by whisking in 4 teaspoons of vinegar to the 1 ½ cups of milk. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes before using.
- Pickle Juice: We use dill pickle juice, but you can also use a spicy pickle juice.
- Hot Sauce: You can use any brand you’d like, but we love cholula or sriracha.
- Flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking Powder
- Seasoning: We’ll be seasoning the chicken with garlic salt, onion powder, smoked paprika and ground black pepper.
- Canola Oil: We’ll be using this for frying, vegetable oil also works. Use an oil with a high smoke point.
Sauce
- Mayonnaise
- Hot Sauce: Use whatever hot sauce you used in the chicken!
- Pickle Juice
- Dijon Mustard
- Sugar: You can substitute this for honey if you prefer.
For Serving
- Hamburger Buns
- Butter
- Veggies: We love sliced tomatoes, chopped lettuce, and sliced pickles!
How to Make a Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Take the time to prep well and set up that dredging station. It’ll make all the difference in how smoothly this recipe comes together. Scroll to the recipe card at bottom of the post for full detailed instructions.
- Marinate: Slice the chicken breasts in half (lengthwise) to create 4 thin chicken breasts. Pound them evenly with a meat tenderizer. Add chicken to a bag with the buttermilk, pickle juice, and hot sauce. Give the bag a good shake and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Prep: Heat 4 inches of oil in a large dutch oven to 350°F. While the oil heats up, combine the sauce ingredients together and set aside. Next, butter the buns and set them to the side too. Then, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and seasonings in a shallow dish.
- Dredge: Take a piece of chicken out of the buttermilk marinade and dredge it in the flour. Dip it back in the marinade and then dredge it a second time. Repeat this step for each piece of chicken.
- Fry: Time to fry! Add the chicken to the hot oil and cook on each side for about 4 minutes. Your chicken is done when it’s perfectly golden brown and has an internal temp of 165°F. Set chicken on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Finish: Toast the buns, assemble the sandwiches and ENJOY!
Cook’s Tips
A few tips to make sure this fried chicken sandwich recipe turns out perfectly!
- Don’t Skip the Marinade: Let the chicken marinate in the buttermilk mixture for at least a few hours, or up to overnight, before frying. It makes such a difference to the final flavor and juiciness!
- Chicken: Pound your chicken out to the same thickness so they cook evenly. You can also cut your chicken breast into smaller pieces so they fit on the buns easier.
- Oil Temp: If the oil gets too hot, it’ll cook the outside too quickly, leaving a raw inside. If it’s too cold, it’ll take too long to cook, making the chicken soggy and greasy. We use a clip-on pot thermometer to make sure the oil hits and maintains a consistent temp of 350°F. We also recommend using an oil splash guard to protect your arms.
- Don’t Overcrowd: We usually do 2 breasts at a time, but it’ll depend on how large your dutch oven is. Be sure to not overcrowd the pan or you’ll wind up with soggy fried chicken.
- Crispy Chicken: The secret to this extra crispy fried chicken sandwich is the addition of the baking powder and cornstarch. No lie! So, don’t skip those ingredients!
- Spicy Chicken: If you want your chicken to be extra spicy, add cayenne pepper to the flour mixture.
What to Serve with this Fried Chicken Sandwich
When we are craving this spicy crispy chicken sandwich recipe, we are also craving french fries! Regular, sweet potato, or our air fryer zucchini fries, we like them all.
A nice side salad, like our strawberry spinach salad or refreshing cucumber salad would balance out this meal well. A side of crockpot baked beans or air fryer fried pickles are also tasty ideas!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
These sandwiches are best served fresh! But if you do wind up with leftovers, here’s how to store and reheat them.
- Fridge: Store the chicken, sauce, buns and toppings all separately so nothing gets soggy. The chicken will keep in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: We highly recommend reheating the chicken in an air fryer at 375°F for about 3 minutes, until crispy and warmed through.
- Freeze: We don’t recommend freezing leftover chicken since the crust won’t ever crisp back up.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
Yield: 4 servings
Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Our crispy chicken sandwich is so good, you'll never be tempted by fast food again! We double-dredge our chicken, creating an incredibly flavorful, crunchy crust that keeps the chicken super tender and juicy. Add a toasty bun, spicy sauce, and all the toppings, and you have a winner!
Ingredients
Fried Chicken:
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- ½ cup pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce, like cholula or Sriracha
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- canola oil, or vegetable oil, for frying
Sauce:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha, or hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, or honey
For Serving:
- 4 hamburger buns
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- sliced tomatoes
- lettuce, chopped
- sliced pickles
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create 4 thin chicken breasts. Use a meat tenderizer to pound the breast until they are even in size. Add the chicken breasts to a large ziplock bag or bowl.
- Add the buttermilk, pickle juice and hot sauce to the bag and give everything a good shake to combine. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to marinate, or up to overnight.
- Pour 4 inches of oil in a large dutch oven and heat to 350°F. (Use a clip on pot thermometer to ensure your oil is at the correct temperature!)
- While the oil is heating up, combine all the ingredients for the sauce, stirring well. Set aside. Butter the buns on the insides and set aside as well.
- Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, garlic salt, onion powder, paprika, and pepper together in a shallow dish.
- Remove one piece of chicken from the buttermilk mixture, shake off any excess, then dredge in the flour. Place chicken back into the buttermilk mixture again, then dredge once more in the flour. Repeat until all chicken is coated.
- Add the chicken to the hot oil and cook on each side for about 4 minutes. Do not crowd the pan, we recommend cooking 2 pieces at a time. Chicken is done when it’s golden brown on the outside and a meat thermometer reaches 165°F. Remove chicken to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Toast the buns under the broiler or in a toaster oven for about one minute, just until warmed and slightly toasted.
- Spread sauce over the buns, add chicken, lettuce, tomato and pickles. Serve immediately!
Notes
Storage: These sandwiches are best served fresh. But if you do wind up with leftovers, store the chicken, sauce, buns and toppings all separately so nothing gets soggy. The chicken will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat: We highly recommend reheating the chicken in an air fryer at 375°F for about 3 minutes, until crispy and warmed through.
Don’t Skip the Marinade: Let the chicken marinate in the buttermilk mixture for at least a few hours, or up to overnight, before frying. It makes such a difference to the final flavor and juiciness of the chicken.
Chicken: Make sure and pound your chicken out to the same thickness so they cook evenly. You can also cut your chicken breast into smaller pieces so they fit on the buns easier.
Oil Temp: It’s really important to keep a consistent temp of 350°F. If the oil gets too hot, it’ll smoke and cook the outside of the chicken too quickly, leaving a raw inside. If it’s too cold, it’ll take too long to cook, making the chicken soggy and greasy. We like using a clip-on pot thermometer to make sure the oil hits and maintains the right temp. We also recommend using an oil splash guard to protect your arms.
Spicy Chicken: If you want your chicken to be extra spicy, add cayenne pepper to the flour mixture.
Nutrition
Calories: 706kcal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 2325mg, Potassium: 662mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 636IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 244mg, Iron: 4mg
