This Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich (Chick-fil-A Copycat) is incredible and is cooked in just 12 minutes! It is a brined chicken that is battered and air fried to crispy perfection. Place on a bun, add more pickles, and dive in! Don’t forget the waffle fries!
I love eating at Chick-fil-A, but sometimes it is nice to just stay in and enjoy our evening and not fight the mile-long drive thru line. This crispy chicken sandwich curbs our cravings!
This stands out because the chicken is brined in pickle juice. It locks in moisture and gives you an incredibly juicy sandwich.
🍴 Why You Will Love This
- Crispy battered chicken
- Juicy and moist
- Similar flavor to classic Chick-fil-A sandwich
- No deep frying required
- Easy steps
- Affordable
- Kid-friendly
This is so good, and rather easy to make at home. Give it a try!
🍔 Ingredients
Chicken Breast | I find the best results using a boneless, skinless breast. It works the best with the brine and is easy to flatten.
Brine | Chick-fil-A is known for brining their chicken in pickle juice, so we’ll do the same. It locks in the moisture and adds an amazing flavor
Breading | A combination of flour, cornstarch and seasonings make up the coating that turns the sandwich crispy and flavorful.
🐔 Instructions
Step One: Place chicken in a gallon bag and pound them out to make them about ½ inch thick. Cut the breasts into four pieces and add the pickle juice brine to the bag. Let them rest in the pickle juice for 30 minutes.
Step Two: As the chicken marinates, whisk the egg and milk together for an egg wash. Add in your flour, cornstarch and seasonings in another bowl for the dry batter.
Step Thee: Remove the chicken from the brine and dredge it in the egg wash, and then the flour mixture. Place it in your air fryer basket or tray.
Step Four: Spray a little oil so it crisps up the flour mixture when air fried. Make sure to get all sides of your chicken.
Step Five: Cook for six minutes at 340 degrees, turn it over and turn up the heat to 400 degrees for another six minutes. You will want to ensure the temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Step Six: Once chicken is fully cooked, remove and place on a bun with pickles.
I also share how to deep fry this and cook it in the Ninja Foodi and Instant Pot Duo Crisp in the printable recipe card below.
🐔 Storage
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Then reheat in the microwave, or even toss back in air fryer to crisp it up.
If you enjoy meal prepping, make extra chicken and then freeze it for up to three months. All you have to do is remove, reheat and you have a sandwich.
Bake them in the oven to reheat, microwave, or even toss in the air fryer to toast them back up.
📌 Expert Tips
- It is very important to flatten your chicken, or it will not cook properly.
- Use the oil to coat the outside of your chicken. If you skip the flour will look white and not turn golden brown as it air fries.
- Pair with some waffle fries, Chick-fil-A coleslaw, or any other of your favorites.
- Make sure to spray the chicken lightly with oil or the flour will turn white and not crisp up the way you want.
- Double the recipe if you want to freeze some for meal prepping later on.
Recipe FAQs
This is a battered chicken sandwich that is served with pickles on a toasted bun. It is brined in pickle juice and retains a slight tangy flavor.
They are known for their stand out flavor. They soak their chicken in pickle juice to help lock in flavor and moisture for a juicy sandwich, nuggets, etc.
Yes! Substitute the flour for a gluten free blend to use for dredging your chicken.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Air Fryer Copycat Chick-fil-A Sandwich
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- ¼ cup Pickle Juice
- ¼ cup Water
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 6 Pickle Slices
- 2 Hamburger Buns
Egg Wash
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Milk whole
Breading Mixture
- 1 cup Flour
- 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar
- 2 tbsp Corn Starch
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a gallon size Ziploc bags. Pound them until they are ½ inch thick.
- Cut the breast into four pieces.
- Place the chicken back in the bag. Add in your pickle juice and water. Allow them to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Whisk the egg and milk together for and egg wash.
- In a separate bowl, mix together your dry ingredients: flour, starch, and seasonings.
- Place your chicken in the air fryer basket. Spray the chicken lightly with cooking spray.
- Cook for six minutes at 340 degrees. Flip and cook for another six minutes at 400 degrees.
- Place your chicken on your hamburger bun with three slices of dill pickles.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
This really is a Chick-fil-a copycat sandwich! Couldn’t tell the difference at all