Chick-fil-A is known for having delicious chicken products, from sandwiches and nuggets to wraps and other fast-food type fares. I myself am a huge fan of the chicken biscuit.
Overall, they have a very good reputation with customers, who recognize the chain as being high-quality and delicious – which, while true, comes with a hefty price tag; about $3.05 per sandwich in most states.
While some may think that’s a small price to pay for such a quality sandwich, here at NMI, we know that it’s possible to have the same quality, but for much less – if we just do it ourselves!
Marinated chicken gets coated with breading, then fried in corn oil.
People always seem to make a big stink about frying food, but it’s actually pretty simple. It doesn’t have to be messy, and the only extra kitchen items it requires is a candy thermometer and a cast iron skillet (though you can use a frying pan if necessary).
Don’t worry if you don’t have much experience pounding down a chicken, or frying it – now’s your chance to learn.
Not only may you gain some new cooking skills, making these ourselves saves a bunch of money too! Each sandwich only costs $1.89 and that’s with those fancy brioche buns. Knock those down to regular buns and you’ll save yourself fifty cents per sandwich, thereby reducing the cost to $1.39 each (I still think the brioche buns are worth it).
Here’s a couple photos of my version:
It’s so juicy and tender, with a nice little kick. Topped with crisp lettuce, firm tomatoes and a Stackers pickle, these sandwiches are seriously good.
CREATING OUR CHICK’N SANDWICH
Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
Oops. I forgot to gather and display the ingredients all cute-like before I started cooking, so I don’t have a photo of them to provide. Here’s a handy recipe list of what you’ll need though:
- 2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup Pickle juice/marinade of your choice (you can just take this from the pickle jar, so it’s free!)
- 2 Eggs
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1 cup Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Celery Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Basil
- 1 cup Peanut Oil for frying
- 4 Buns (we prefer brioche, though they are expensive)
Let’s get cooking!
PREPPING OUR INGREDIENTS
Because the chicken needs to marinate for at least 15 minutes (though it’s recommended it marinates for an hour) we should start with preparing the chicken.
All the other prep work can be done while it’s marinating.
1. POUND THE CHICK’N
In order for the chicken to cook correctly, its thickness needs to be uniform and shallow. Wrap, the chicken in plastic wrap, then pound gently with a mallet until it is about 1/2″ thick:
2. CUT THE CHICK’N
Cut off any fat or unattractive parts. Then, cut each breast into halves.
Yours may be as big as ours and contribute five pieces:
3. ADD TO MARINADE
Add the pieces of chicken to a bowl with the pickle juice/marinade in it and let soak for at least 15 minutes (preferably an hour):
4. Make THE BATTER
Mix the 2 eggs and 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl and set aside.
Mix the 1 cup of flour, the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, each teaspoon of salt and paprika, and 1/2 teaspoons of black pepper, garlic powder, celery salt, and basil in a large bowl and set aside.
5. DIP THE CHICK’N in EGG MIXTURE
Dip each piece of chicken, one at a time, into the egg and milk mixture:
6. DIP THE CHICK’N in FLOUR
Then, one at a time, dip the chicken into the flour mixture, making sure to coat both sides evenly:
Complete with the remaining pieces of chicken, one by one until finished:
7. Heat oil to 350˚F (180˚C)
We’ve done most of the work, so now we just need to heat the oil and prep the last remaining ingredients.
First, add the oil to the skillet and attach a candy thermometer to the side:
Heat the oil on medium until it reaches 350 degrees.
8. COOK CHICK’N
Add two pieces of chicken and cook for two minutes, making sure to use a top as the oil is going to go flying:
Flip and cook for an additional two minutes, until golden brown, and cooked all the way through. Remove from skillet.
9. PREP OTHER INGREDIENTS
While the oil is reheating back to 350, you can butter the bread and set two in the toaster, then shred some lettuce and slice tomatoes, width wise, from left to right, into slices. You can also get out the pickles and any condiments you may like.
10. COOK REMAINING CHICKEN
Cook the remaining pieces of chicken for two minutes on each side, until cooked through:
ASSEMBLE YOUR SANDWICH
Place the chicken on a toasted bun and add a piece of lettuce, a tomato and a pickle on top aaaaaand:
copycat chick-fil-a CHICK’N SANDWICH COMPLETE!
I say these give the original Chick-fil-A sandwiches a real run for their money!
And not only in taste, but in cost!
COST BREAKDOWN
This recipe makes 4 servings, though depending on the size of the chicken breasts, it may make 5.
Because we only use 1 of these items per sandwich, the overall cost for each item is the unit’s overall price divided by the number of items that come per package.
Numbers are rounded up to the nearest penny, since some of the amounts are so small, and others are so minuscule that the amount is negligible – we’re talking like two-tenths of one penny.
And it can be even cheaper if you go all cheapo on the buns and buy the chicken in bulk!
CONCLUSION
While I will always be down for getting a chicken biscuit, the original Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich doesn’t hold quite the allure as it once did.
Making this sandwich and being able to eat it fresh out of the fryer makes such a big difference, and this copycat tastes like the real thing.
Heck, I’m gonna go ahead and say that fresh out of the fryer, these are even better than Chick-fail-A. There. I said it.
These are a great deal too, at just $1.89 per sandwich.
If you love Chick-fil-A like I do, I recommend checking these out!
Let me know if you’ve tried the recipe , or if you have any questions!
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