Whip up these delicious Copycat Popeyes Chicken Sandwiches right at home and skip the drive thru! Featuring tender, perfectly breaded chicken on soft brioche buns and thick slices of pickles, you wind up with a sandwich that’s better than takeout!
Have you gotten involved in the Great Chicken Sandwich Wars?
You know where there’s tons of debate over which sandwich reigns supreme.
Is it KFC? Popeyes? Chick Fil A?
We love the Popeyes version of the chicken sandwich.
And this recipe gives you everything you love about the sandwich right at home.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Chicken breasts– Boneless, skinless, trimmed of extra fat.
- Buttermilk– Don’t have it? Mix a teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into a cup of milk.
- Seasoning– Cajun seasoning OR seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar
- Flour and cornstarch– To bread the chicken
- Vegetable oil– For frying, but you could also use canola or peanut oil for frying this chicken recipe.
- Brioche buns
- Mayo and pickles– For garnish
How to Make
These sandwiches are as easy to make as fried chicken.
To do it, pound out the chicken breasts lightly and trim any fat off them if needed.
Then, combine the cajun seasoning, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and sugar in a small bowl.
Whisk 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix with the cup of buttermilk in a separate bowl or measuring cup.
Put the chicken in a ziplocking bag or a sealable container and pour the buttermilk mix over the chicken.
Let the chicken marinate 2 hours up to overnight.
When you are ready to fry the chicken, whisk the remaining seasoning mix with the flour and cornstarch.
Then, take 3-4 tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade and stir it into the flour mix to make chunky pieces of flour to give the chicken some good crispy bits.
Dredge the chicken in the flour mix.
Then, dip the dredged chicken back into the buttermilk and dredge in the flour a second time.
Try to press any of the chunky flour pieces into the chicken.
Heat 4 cups of oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat until a little flour dropped in the pan sizzles immediately.
Add 2 pieces of chicken to your oil and fry 5-6 minutes, flip and repeat with the other side.
Once they are cooked through, remove the chicken breasts to a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Now put them them right on the brioche buns and serve or butter the buns and toast them in a pan first.
If you like spread the buns with mayo and add some thick pickle slices.
Serve and enjoy!
What is in Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Sauce?
It’s basically spicy mayo.
If you want to make a homemade version of it whisk together a half cup of mayo with a teaspoon or so of hot sauce and a pinch of paprika and garlic powder.
Storing Leftovers
Don’t store leftover assembled sandwiches.
They won’t hold up well in the fridge.
Instead store the chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheat in the oven until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure to really press the flour clumps onto the chicken. These clumps give you that delicious crunch.
- Thicker breasts might need more cook time and thinner might need less, use a meat thermometer to check and make sure your chicken is at 165 degrees.
- This needs to be marinaded AT LEAST 2 hours, but can be left to marinade up to overnight. The longer it marinates the more tender and juicy the fried chicken will be.
Other Copycat Chicken Recipes
Copycat Popeyes chicken sandwiches are a favorite that tastes just like the takeout version.
Make them and enjoy!
Looking for other copycat chicken recipes?
Try these:
If you’ve tried this COPYCAT POPEYES CHICKEN SANDWICHES, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Copycat Popeyes Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning or seasoned salt
- 2 tsp fresh black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- vegetable oil for frying
- 4 brioche buns
- Mayo and pickles for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Pound out your chicken breasts lightly and trim any fat off them if needed.
- In a small bowl combine the cajun seasoning, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and sugar.
- To your 1 cup of buttermilk add 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix.
- Pour the buttermilk mix over the chicken.
- Let the chicken marinate 1 hour up to overnight.
- When you are ready to fry combine the remaining seasoning mix with the flour and cornstarch and whisk to combine.
- Take 3-4 tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade and stir it into the flour mix, you want to make chunky pieces of flour to give the chicken some good crispy bits.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour mix and dip back into the buttermilk and dredge in the flour a second time. Really try to press any of the chunky flour pieces into the chicken.
- In a large heavy pot or deep frying pan add 4 cups of oil or enough to cover the chicken ¾ of the way.
- Heat the oil over medium high heat until a little flour dropped in the pan sizzles immediately.
- Add 2 pieces of chicken to your oil and fry 5-6 minutes, flip and repeat with the other side. Thicker breasts might need more time and thinner might need less, use a meat thermometer to check and make sure your chicken is at 165 degrees.
- Remove you chicken breasts to a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
- Time to assemble the sandwiches.
- You can put them right on the brioche buns and serve.
- You can take it a step further and butter the buns and toast them in a pan.
- If you like spread the buns with mayo and add some thick pickle slices.
- Serve!
Notes
- Make sure to really press the flour clumps onto the chicken. These clumps give you that delicious crunch.
- Thicker breasts might need more cook time and thinner might need less, use a meat thermometer to check and make sure your chicken is at 165 degrees.
- This needs to be marinaded AT LEAST 2 hours, but can be left to marinade up to overnight. The longer it marinates the more tender and juicy the fried chicken will be.
Nutrition
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