Popeyes Copycat Chicken Sandwich

A closeup of a chicken sandwich that is fried with the seasonings of a popeyes sandwich on a brioche bun with a pickle.

Popeyes Copycat Chicken Sandwich

Save your money and whip up delicious Copycat Popeyes Chicken Sandwiches at home. The chicken marinates in seasoned buttermilk, breaded in perfectly seasoned flour and cornstarch mix to make super crispy and tender chicken sandwiches. Serve on soft brioche buns with pickles. You'll never want to go through a drive-thru again.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword copycat popeyes chicken sandwich, popeyes chicken sandwich recipe, popeyes fried chicken sandwich

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 12

marinate the chicken 1

Total Time 28

Servings sandwiches

Calories 898kcal

Author Eileen Murphy Kelly

Equipment

Ingredients

Seasoning Mix

1 Tablespoon homemade Cajun seasoning or store-bought seasoned salt
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Marinating the chicken

1 cup buttermilk
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Frying the chicken

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
4 cups vegetable oil enough for frying
4 brioche buns
mayonnaise optional topping
pickles optional topping

Instructions

How to make the Seasoning Mix

Make the seasoning mix; in a small mixing bowl, mix 1 Tablespoon homemade Cajun seasoning2 teaspoons cracked black pepper, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, and 2 teaspoons granulated sugar. Set aside.

Marinating the chicken

Whisk 1 Tablespoon of the prepared seasoning mix into 1 cup buttermilk. (The remaining seasoning will go in the flour mixture for frying the chicken)
Pour the buttermilk mixture over 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts . Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Marinate the chicken for at least one hour up to overnight. Do not discard the marinade.

How to fry the chicken

To fry the chicken, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the remaining seasoning mix with 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour and ½ cup cornstarch. Stir 3-4 Tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade into the flour mix. see Note 2
Dredge the chicken in the flour mix and dip back into the buttermilk and dredge in the flour a second time. Press any of the chunky flour pieces into the chicken.
In a large heavy pot or deep frying pan add 4 cups vegetable 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 the hot oil and fry 5-6 minutes, flip and repeat with the other side.
Once cooked through, Remove the cooked chicken to a cooling rack and repeat with frying process with the remaining chicken.
To assemble the sandwich, spread mayonnaise on the 4 brioche buns , add the chicken breasts, top with pickles, and the top bun.

Notes

Be sure to check Expert Tips and FAQs above with important tips and questions that can help make a delicious recipe.

Note 1: Thicker breasts might need more time and thinner might need less time. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken is at 165°F/174°C.

Note 2: 2: You'll want to make chunky pieces of flour to give the chicken some good crispy bits.

Note 3: The brioche buns can be toasted.

Recipes written for Everyday Eileen are for information purposes. Eileen Kelly is not a registered dietician or nutritionist. Any nutritional data we provide is an approximation. Actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.

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Nutrition