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Popeyes chicken sandwiches are so incredible but homemade is even better! Instead of waiting in the drive-thru, make them in the comfort of your own home to share with friends.

Popeyes Chicken Sandwich

Even the most foodie of foodies love Popeyes chicken sandwiches and who could blame them? The crispy southern fried chicken is always perfectly cooked and sandwiched between two soft brioche buns. Oh, and don’t forget about the crunchy pickles and hefty slather of spicy mayo.

Fast food can be sooo bad for you that it’s good. Skip the guilt that comes along with a value menu and make this copycat recipe. With fresher ingredients and a home cooked touch, it blows the original out of the water.

Try your hand at whipping it up and let me know what you think in the comments!

Love a chicken sandwich? You’ve got to try this delicious Chicken Philly Cheesesteak!

Tips for The Best Popeyes Chicken Sandwich

  • Pound the chicken. Make each filet uniform by pouding the chicken to about ½-inch thick.
  • Allow the chicken to marinade. The acid in the buttermilk tenderizes the chicken and makes it super juicy and moist.
  • Toast the buns. Right before you’re ready to assemble your sandos, melt butter in a cast iron skillet over medium. Place your buns face down into the ban and toast them up.
  • Add a drizzle of buttermilk into the flour. Drizzle two to three tablespoons of buttermilk batter into the flour. This will create those signature crunchy bits on the chicken.
  • Make spicy sauce ahead of time. Combine 1/2 cup of mayo with a couple dashes of hot sauce, paprika, and garlic powder. Adjust according to how spicy you like it (add more or less hot sauce) and pop into the fridge while you fry the chicken. This will give the flavors time to meld together. The aioli will stay fresh for up to a week.
buns, chicken, sauce and pickles

How to Make Popeyes Chicken Sandwich

  • Chicken Marinade – After pounding your chicken cutlets, get to making the chicken marinade. In a large bowl, mix buttermilk, paprika, garlic powder, salt & black pepper. Dunk the cutlets in and place in the fridge to marinate for up to 24 hours.
  • Breaded Coating – In a shallow bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch and spices together until evenly combined. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade directly into the breading and roughly mix through with a fork.
  • Cooking Chicken – Fill a deep skillet halfway with oil. Preheat it to 350 ℉. Dredge one piece of chicken at a time in the flour mixture, making sure to press the flour on each side to create a thick coating. Transfer chicken to the hot oil and fry for around 3-5 minutes per side (check that the internal temperature has reached 165 ℉)
  • Spicy Mayo – Prepare your spicy mayo and set aside.
  • Pickles – Slice your pickles into medallions. Extra-crunchy sweet pickles are your best bet.
  • Buns – Brioche buns make all the difference.
chicken pieces with spice and buttermilk
seasoning for friend chicken
Dipped in coating chicken
deep fried chicken in a pot

Make-Ahead Popeyes Chicken Sandwich

Make it a party and invite your friends and family over for a fried chicken sandwich party. You can fry the chicken to order and let everyone assemble their own sando just the way they like. Order up!

Popeyes Chicken Sandwiches

Little Bonus

Some like to keep it classic, but you can spruce up your chicken sandwich anyway you like. Add shredded lettuce, coleslaw, cheese, tomatoes or red onion rings. The star of the show will always be the crispy chicken and the rest is truly up to you!

A Few More Sandwich Recipes

Recipe

Homemade Popeyes Chicken Sandwich

Popeyes Chicken Sandwich

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Servings
8 servings
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin
Popeyes chicken sandwiches are so incredible but homemade is even better! Instead of waiting in the drive-thru, make them in the comfort of your own home to share with friends.

Ingredients

Spicy Mayo

Chicken

Breading

Assembly

  • 3 cups oil for frying
  • 8 brioche buns
  • 1 cup sliced pickles
US Units – Metric

Instructions

Spicy Mayo

  • Make spicy mayo by combing mayonnaise with hot sauce and paprika.
    combined spicy sauce

Chicken

  • Cut each chicken breast into two equal-size pieces. Pound the chicken on each side.
    chicken pieces with spice and buttermilk
  • In a large bowl combine together buttermilk with paprika, garlic salt and black pepper. Whisk to combine together. Add chicken to the marinade and leave it in a fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
    chicken pieces with spice and buttermilk

Breading

  • In a separate bowl combine flour together with corn starch and spices. Once combined, drizzle a few spoonfuls of buttermilk to the mix.
    seasoning for friend chicken
  • Dredge each chicken piece into the flour.
    Dipped in coating chicken
  • Preheat a heavy bottom pan with oil to 350 °F. Fry the chicken until all sides are golden brown and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 °F.
    deep fried chicken in a pot

Assembly

  • To build the Popeyes sandwich, apply spicy mayo on both sides of the the bun. Top the bottom bun with pickle slices and crispy chicken and cover it with the top bun.
    chicken, sauce, pickles and buns
  • Serve right away, while the chicken is still hot and crispy.
    Popeyes Chicken Sandwich with a bite in
Nutrition Facts
Popeyes Chicken Sandwich
Amount Per Serving
Calories 994 Calories from Fat 567
% Daily Value*
Fat 63g97%
Saturated Fat 16g80%
Cholesterol 227mg76%
Sodium 1990mg83%
Potassium 545mg16%
Carbohydrates 70g23%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 38g76%
Vitamin A 1347IU27%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 121mg12%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Posted September 8, 2020

About Author

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Natalya Drozhzhin

Natalya founded Momsdish to demonstrate that placing a homemade meal on the table is not hard at all. Natalya makes cooking easier and approachable, by simplifying the ingredients, while still producing the same great taste.