This Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich (Chick-fil-A Copycat) recipe is the best homemade meal the whole family will love! The chicken is brined in pickle juice and buttermilk, which produces tender and juicy chicken with a crispy breading. Add in cayenne pepper and fresh veggies for the spicy deluxe!
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Table of Contents
How to Brine and Marinate the Chicken
I love to use buttermilk to brine chicken, it also helps produce a nice, thick breading. The restaurant actually uses a combination of eggs and milk, which I have noted below in the substitutions if you prefer to use that.
The brine also includes pickle juice! I have found that most dill pickle juice will work well with this recipe.
There's always a hint of pickle taste in just the breast alone, if you want more pickle flavor, then allow the chicken to soak in the pickle juice for a couple of hours.
Why is Pickle Juice Used?
Pickle juice has a lot of salt. It has often been used to brine chicken because salt will help carry moisture throughout the chicken to produce juicy chicken breasts. Have you ever wondered how the breast gets so juicy?!
Coupled with an air fried breast, you truly can't go wrong.
What Type of Oil to Use
I like to use peanut oil because it's what Chick-fil-A uses and it has a high smoke point, which is essential for air frying. During recipe testing, I also noted that peanut oil does help these sandwiches taste more like Chick-fil-A!
You can also use avocado oil or olive oil.
Oil is essential if you want a crispy, breaded chicken breast. It will help crisp the chicken. You don't need much!
How to Make Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich
- Drizzle the chicken breasts in buttermilk and pickle juice. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Add paprika, Confectioner's sweetener, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a bowl large enough to dredge the chicken, along with all-purpose flour.
- Remove the chicken from the liquid and dredge it in the flour and place the chicken breast in the air fryer. (Optional to dredge the chicken in a beaten egg first).
- Air fry.
Air Fryer Temperature
I use 400 degrees.
How Long to Cook/Cook Time
Cook the chicken for 17-22 minutes total, until the chicken has reached your desired level of crisp.
How Many Calories Are in the Sandwich?
The standard chicken sandwich has 440 calories and 19 grams of fat. The deluxe has 500 calories and 23 grams of fat.
How to Substitute Buttermilk
You can use 1 beaten egg along with ½ cup of milk instead of buttermilk in this recipe. That's actually similar to what Chick-fil-A uses, but I find that buttermilk helps produce a thicker crust. Use what you prefer.
If you opt for this method, marinate and brine the chicken in pickle juice only. After 30 minutes, combine the beaten egg and milk. Dredge the chicken in the egg and milk mixture and then into the seasoned flour.
Homemade Chick-fil-A Sauce
To make your own sauce you will need Dijon mustard, yellow mustard, BBQ sauce, honey, and mayo. I often omit the mayo and still love the flavor.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Air Fryer Fried Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Air Fryer Chicken Breast
Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
Fried Chicken Salad
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
You may also enjoy my Chick-fil-A Copycat Frosted Lemonade, Crispy Fish Sandwich and
Smoked Fish Dip recipes.
Popular Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Cheeseburgers
Air Fryer French Fries
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Air Fryer Fried Pickles
Air Fryer Fish Sandwich
Keto Low Carb Chicken Wings (Maple BBQ)
Air Fryer Onion Rings
Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
Air Fryer Spatchcock Chicken
You will alsol love our French Dip Sandwich with Au Jus sandwich.
Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich (Chick-fil-A Copycat)
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Mine were 6-8oz each.
- 1 cup pickle juice
- ½ cup buttermilk See notes below for how to substitute buttermilk.
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt Adjust to taste.
- ¼ teaspoon pepper Adjust to taste.
- 1 tablespoon powdered sweetener
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper Optional for the spicy chicken sandwich
- 1 egg beaten
- cooking oil I used peanut oil
Sandwich Toppings
- 2 buns I use brioche.
- 4 slices dill pickle chips
- 2 slices leaf lettuce Optional for deluxe sandwich.
- 4 slices fresh tomatoes Optional for deluxe sandwich.
Chick-fil-A Sauce
- ¼ cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons BBQ Sauce hickory smoked
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum See substitution in the notes below.
Instructions
- You can use a sealable bag or a large bowl to brine the chicken. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl or sealable bag along with the pickle juice and buttermilk. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Add the flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and sweetener to a large bowl, large enough to dredge the chicken. Stir to combine.
- Add the egg to a bowl large enough to dredge the chicken.
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and dredge both breasts in the beaten egg and then the flour. Place the chicken in the air fryer basket. (The use of the egg is optional and will help keep the breading intact on your sandwich. I often make this without using the egg).
- Spritz the top of the chicken with peanut oil. Spray from a distance.
- Air fry on 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Open the air fryer and flip the chicken. Be careful with tongs. You don't want to lose any of the breading on the chicken. Your chicken may be fully cooked at this point and you may only need a couple of minutes to crisp this side of the chicken. Spritz this side of the chicken.
- Air fry for an additional 5-7 minutes until the chicken is crisp. You should also use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.
- Every air fryer model and brand will cook at varying speeds. Monitor your results carefully, and adjust as needed.
- For toasted buns, toast the buns for 3-4 minutes on 400 degrees.
- Remove the chicken from the air fryer and assemble the sandwich.
Chick-fil-A Sauce
- Combine the mayo, honey, BBQ sauce, and mustard in a bowl. (I often omit the mayo and still love the flavor. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to fit your taste).
- Add the xanthan gum to a separate bowl along with 2 teaspoons of the sauce. Stir to thicken and add it to the bowl with the sauce.
- Stir to thicken.
Video
Notes
- You can substitute buttermilk for ½ cup of milk instead of buttermilk in this recipe. If you use milk, you will need to use the beaten egg. That's actually similar to what Chick-fil-A uses, but I find that buttermilk helps produce a thicker crust. Use what you prefer. Marinate and brine the chicken in pickle juice only. After 30 minutes, combine the beaten egg and milk. Dredge the chicken in the egg and milk mixture and then into the seasoned flour.
- If you have issues with the breading staying intact, be sure to use a beaten egg. Dredge the chicken in the egg prior to the flour.
- Chick-fil-A serves their buns buttered. Feel free to butter that bun.
- You use powdered sweetener as opposed to granular for a softer texture in the breading. With granular, you will be able to taste the grains of the sweetener.
- You can add more sweetener if you wish.
- I use peanut oil because it's what Chick-fil-A uses. You can also use olive oil or avocado oil.
- I go light on the salt because the pickle juice is salty. Adjust to taste.
- You can easily make these nuggets, by chopping up the chicken breasts into 1-2 inch chunks.
- Instead of xanthan gum you can combine 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of water, stir and add it to the sauce.
Nutrition (displayed with net carbs)
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Mandy says
Hi! I didn’t read ALL the comments, so this may have been asked…will it affect the chicken negatively if I marinate longer (like while I’m at work)?
staysnatched says
You can. The pickle juice may change the color of your chicken. The longer you marinate, the more tender and slippery the chicken will be.
Elisa (hustleandglowgirl) says
Made this with boneless, skinless, chicken thighs. The recipe is perfect and the sandwich was delicious!
staysnatched says
Awesome! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it.
April says
I loved this. This sandwich tasted just like Chic Fil A if not better!!!This will definitely save me some money cause I can cook it at home.
staysnatched says
Yes! That's definitely the goal!
K. Sam says
If I could give 10 stars, I would. DA BOMB!!!!
staysnatched says
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
Sean says
Amazing marinade. So tasty! But I would say this recipe is probably best served pan fried or deep fried, which I plan to try shortly.
staysnatched says
Thanks for sharing!
Kim says
I liked the flavor a lot… but on every single one all the breading stuck to the fryer so there was only breading on top 🙁
I sprayed the basket of the air fryer.
staysnatched says
Interesting. Are you using the Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer? I don't have this problem.
Mike says
Although my chicken nuggets didn't taste anything like chick fil la nuggets, they still were good. It tasted like it was missing something more. Like maybe a little more sugar. I'll adjust the recipe next time and maybe cook them in the deep fryer. I like honey mustard with my nuggets so I used a mixture of 1 tbsp mustard 2 tbsp mayo and 1/2 tsp of sweetener. Also, I never use buttermilk except in some recipes. So I make my own by using 1 cup of milk and 1 tbsp of vinegar. Mix it lightly. Refrigerate for 5 minutes then you'll have buttermilk for your recipe.
staysnatched says
Thanks for sharing.
Lynn says
I made this recipe and it's very good. Thank you for this recipe.
staysnatched says
You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Diane says
how long to cook a 4 ounce piece of chicken. thank you
staysnatched says
You cook it for however long it takes to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer for safety and accuracy.
Jessica says
Decided to use your recipe as my first air fryer try. WOW. So freaking good. Can’t understate the advice to spray with cooking oil. The oil acts to natural mask the flour. Without it, you’ll have pieces that you can see the flour still. Followed directions exactly and it was cooked perfectly. Thanks so much for this recipe!!
staysnatched says
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Tyler says
Thank you so much for this great recipe. Comes out perfect every time!
staysnatched says
I'm glad you enjoy it!
Jill says
This meal is alway a winner. Today I tried baking them and they turned out great (just like the air fryer). Husband says “super good”.
staysnatched says
I'm glad he enjoyed it too!
Tricia says
This was delicious! I used milk instead of buttermilk. I also sifted the flour and spices together to ensure they were well mixed. My whole family enjoyed this, and I'd definitely make it again.
staysnatched says
I'm glad to hear you will make it again!
Brittany Kerns says
Really delicious!! However, I couldn’t get the breading to not stick to my air fryer. One was fine but the other fell completely off almost. What went wrong?!?! And any advice? I did use the egg and buttermilk as well
staysnatched says
Make sure the air fryer is oiled. You can also try it without egg. I never need the egg. If one was fine, maybe think back to what you did differently with the one that wasn't?
Mallory K says
This recipe is a staple in our house. Made it last night using tenders and then made wraps with the cooked chicken tenders. It was delicious! I followed Brandi’s instructions for brining without buttermilk as I had none. It worked wonderfully.
staysnatched says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
David says
Great recipe, was really craving a chicken sandwich and this fit the bill perfectly. Quick and easy,thank you Brandi.
staysnatched says
You're welcome!
Mary G says
Awesome! I could close my eyes and hear the bustle at the chicfila restaurant, lol!! I did add some paprika to the sauce bcz I see flecks of paprika in the sauce, but otherwise did right from recipe!! Winner, winner, chicken rotation dinner!!
staysnatched says
haha! Yay I love that.
Rayanne says
This was so good! We bought the chic-fil-a sauce from the store as well. It taste so good without the guilt of eating a fried sandwich. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
staysnatched says
You're welcome!
Laura says
We make this frequently and love it!
staysnatched says
So good to hear it!
Matthew says
Going to make this tonight, can I use powdered sugar/icing sugar instead of the sweetener ?
staysnatched says
I've never used icing sugar. You should consider the texture of it.
Isaac Fain says
Followed the recipe and chicken just turned out mushy and gross. Flavor wasn’t there at all and I’m overall very disappointed in the results after following the recipe.
staysnatched says
Interesting. We love it and so do the many others who have left great reviews.
Cat J says
have made this multiple times and the whole family LOVES it and prefers it over chick-fil-a (which is literally down the street) and these bastards are PICKY AF so def worth doing and def worth making a big batch of the flour mixture to have on hand easily to cut backon prep time.
staysnatched says
haha! I love to hear that.