A Crispy Chicken Sandwich with a juicy and tender center. Learn how to make fried chicken breast with a perfectly seasoned thick and shaggy crust.
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Watch Chicken Sandwich Video Tutorial:
A homemade chicken sandwich tastes fresher because you aren’t re-using the same oil all day long. They are more satisfying than Popeyes Chicken Sandwich or even the famous Chik fil A.
Just like homemade Burgers, these chicken sandwiches are a fun and inexpensive way to feed a crowd. This recipe makes 6 chicken sandwiches and the chicken patties reheat well so they are great for meal planning.
How to Make Fried Chicken Breast:
A great fried chicken starts with a well-seasoned marinade. The combination of buttermilk and hot sauce tenderizes the chicken and the generous amount of seasoning adds flavor.
1. Pound chicken cutlets between plastic wrap to an even 1/2” thickness for even frying.
2. Marinate chicken – In a large mixing bowl, combine marinade ingredients, add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2-4 hours or overnight.
3. Dredge Chicken – In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together: flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. Lift a piece of marinated chicken, letting excess marinade drip off, and dip chicken into the flour mixture, pressing it on with your hands to coat well. Transfer to a wire rack. Keep the flour mixture for step 5.
4. Heat 1-inch of oil in a soup pot or dutch oven to 350˚F. See our favorite oils for frying below.
5. Re-dip the chicken into the flour mixture just before frying. Add chicken 2 pieces at a time so you don’t crowd.
7. Fry the Chicken – Adjust the temperature of the oil to keep it at 300-325˚F while frying. Cook 3-4 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook 2-3 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160-165˚F. Transfer to a wire rack.
Pro Tips for Crisp and Juicy Fried Chicken:
- Give it time to marinate: buttermilk helps to tenderize the chicken so marinate at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Seasoning the flour well: Don’t skimp on the seasoning. Press the flour mixture onto the chicken to adhere well.
- Double dip – just before frying chicken, dip it into the seasoned flour again for a thick and shaggy exterior.
- The right oil temperature: heat to 350˚F before adding chicken then adjust the temperature to keep it at 300-325˚F while frying. Don’t overcrowd the pot or the oil temperature will drop quickly. A clip-on pot thermometer is really useful.
- When to remove the chicken: take the chicken out of the hot oil once it’s cooked through and browned. The internal temperature will continue to rise as the chicken rests and should reach 165˚F so take the chicken out just before that. Insert an instant-read thermometer in the side of your chicken to check.
- DO NOT drain on paper towels: drain or rest fried chicken on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to allow air to circulate. Draining on paper towels will trap steam and the crust will soften.
Classic Toppings for a Chicken Sandwich:
These are the classic toppings for a fried chicken sandwich. If you want to cut down on prep, you can also skip all of the toppings and use a crunchy Coleslaw which incorporates the sauce and veggies into one tasty sandwich topping.
- Buns – We love brioche buns because they are beautiful and add a hint of sweetness.
- Dill Pickles – slice into rings to put inside the sandwich or serve pickle spears on the side.
- Lettuce – green curly lettuce looks the best but any sandwich lettuce will work
- Tomatoes and onions – thickly slice juicy tomatoes and thinly slice onions into rings.
- Cheese – we don’t always use sliced cheese but when we do, we love a medium cheddar or Colby Jack Cheese.
- Sauce – we love a simple mayonnaise or fry sauce (the same one we used for our burger recipe).
Can I use Chicken Thighs?
Yes, but keep in mind dark meat will take longer to cook. Be sure chicken thighs are well trimmed of fat and cook to an internal temperature of 170˚-175˚F (6 to 8 minutes per side).
What is the Best Oil for Fried Chicken?
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point. The great news is that the best oils for frying are also the least expensive oils. You can always opt for an extra light olive oil or avocado oil but those are significantly more expensive. Our go-to oils for frying are:
- Vegetable Oil
- Canola Oil
- Peanut Oil
- Corn Oil
More Crowd-Pleasing Sandwich Recipes:
For me to love a sandwich, it has to be something special. These sandwich recipes will impress even the pickiest eaters.
- Cheeseburger Sliders – everyone loves these and they reheat well
- Reuben Sandwich – with homemade Russian dressing
- Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich – the authentic way to make it
- Chicken Bacon Avocado – a restaurant inspired club sandwich
- Juicy Burgers – our go-to method for grilling burgers
Crispy Chicken Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 3 medium chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, halved into 6 cutlets
- 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp hot sauce, (we use Frank’s Red Hot brand)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Classic Breading for Fried Chicken:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Oil for frying - vegetable oil, canola oil or peanut oil
Toppings for Chicken Sandwiches:
- 6 burger buns, buttered and toasted
- 6 green lettuce leaves
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 2 dill pickles, sliced into rings
- Mayonnaise, or your favorite sauce
Instructions
- Pound chicken cutlets between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even 1/2” thickness so they cook more evenly.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients. Add Chicken, turning to coat then cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight.
- In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together breading ingredients: flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Remove a piece of chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off and dip chicken into flour mixture, pressing it on with your hands to coat well. Transfer to a wire rack.
- Heat 1 ” oil in a soup pot or dutch oven to 350˚F. Just before frying chicken, dip it into the seasoned flour again for a thick and shaggy exterior.Add chicken, 2 pieces at a time for a smaller pot so you don’t crowd and reduce the temperature of the oil too quickly.
- Place chicken into the oil one by one. Adjust the flame to keep the oil temperature at 300-325˚F. Cook 3-4 minutes on the first side or until browned and crisp then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the second side or until cooked through and chicken is browned and crisp all over.
- Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. The internal temperature will continue to rise as it rests. The final resting temperature of the chicken should reach 165˚F.
- Lightly butter and toast the cut sides of your buns and build your crispy chicken sandwiches with desired toppings.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I made this recipe a few nights ago and I love it! I made it gluten-free using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free flour and used extra-light olive oil and it turned out amazing! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
So nice to hear that it also works great with gluten-free flour. Thanks for sharing!
Can this chicken be air fried in the air fryer instead of using oil?
Hi Ruby, I have not tried that yet to advise if it would give the same result but I imagine that should work too. Please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment.
Oh wait never mind I read the full recipe.
Would I double everything for 6 sandwiches?
Made this tonight for dinner and it absolutely fantastic. I’ve made quite a few of your recipes and they never disappoint. Thanks for everything you do to make us all better cooks.
I am so glad that you loved this recipe. Thank you for your excellent review!
Hi! I’m out of hot sauce. Any substitution suggestions?
Hi Ashley, you can use any type of hot sauce as it helps tenderize the chicken and add so much flavor. I have not tried any other substitute yet.
Saw the video and can’t wait to try this recipe. In the video you coated both top and bottom bun with what looked like mayonnaise. You mentioned you’d provide the recipe for that as well. Where can I find this? I love all your recipes!!!
Thanks for watching the video, Robin. I have it here in the Burger Recipe
Just made this for Father’s day and it was a real hit for all! Turned out just perfectly. Thanks for a great recipe and making deep frying less intimidating.
So wonderful to hear that, Linda. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Do you throw away your oil after each use? If you keep it, how do you store it?
Hi Kathi, here is a helpful article on storing oil after frying. I personally just get rid of the oil since it is an inexpensive oil. When I use my deep fryer, it filters the oil for me, but on the stovetop, it’s so much hassle to me that I just start fresh.
Does the Red Hot make it spicy?
Just a bit spicy yes as it’s a brand of hot sauce. It also helps tenderize the chicken but you can lessen it according to your preference.
Thank you! Trying it this weekend!
I made this without the hot sauce and it was delicious! I never made fried chicken before. Everyone loved it! Thank you! I love your recipes
You’re welcome Sue! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Hi Natashas I do not have a wire rack what can I use? I’m Making This Chicken recipe tonight.
You can use the traditional paper towels technique. Just drain it there for a minute or two.
This recipe looks so appetising. I will try for this weekend.
What substitute can we use for buttermilk? Quite hard to find in the stores. Thanks
Hi DS, you can also use kefir.
love your receipes and demonstrations thanks i look forward in seeing more!!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes, Kenneth!
This was probably the best fried chicken I’ve made and the sandwich was so tasty! Seriously, every single recipe I have tried from Natasha is amazing!
That is so wonderful! Thank you so much for your kind words and comments.
This tasted AMAZING! I’ll skip chick fil a from now on. lol
Isn’t it so good! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
I am seriously craving this right now! Looks absolutely delicious!
I hope you love this recipe!
I love this recipe. I’m considering a conversion to a keto-friendly version. Your thoughts?
Hi Rick, I bet that could work! If you experiment please let me know how you like this recipe.
This looks so delicious. thank you for sharing the recipe with all of us!!!!
You’re welcome! I hope you love this recipe!
These were incredible! I’m never going to buy the frozen patties again!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks Stephanie for the great review.
i wonder if sprinkling them with vinegar after they are cooked and hot would increase flavor although they look great and we are going to try them
Hi Kathleen, I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure. I would worry that it would soften the crust to add the liquid.
when very hot the vinegar evaporates and leaves only the flavor when cooler the vinegar doesn’t evaporate the crust should still be crispy if very hot and just a little vinegar
That’s great to know. Do you use a spray bottle? If you test it out with this recipe, let me know how it goes.
Could you make this in an air fryer?
Hi Victoria, this same batter would not work properly in an air fryer. A bread crumb type of batter would work better and you would want to spray it with cooking spray to get some color on it.
Instead of flour use a Panko or similar coating. I use a Infred Big Boss cooker and it comes out crispy. Times very, you have adjust to the size of the cutlets. I do 9 min. first, then turn over and do another 5 min. I check to make sure it’s not pink on the inside of the biggest piece. Turn over again for 3 min. and your done. Only my style as I don’t have an oven.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us Randy!
This looks so good! Excited to make it tonight! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
You’re welcome Anthony! I hope you love this recipe!
hi