Remember when spicy chicken sandwiches took over the nation? Like, people fighting over chicken sandwiches take over. What a time that was. That spicy chicken sandwich is so easy to recreate at home. Perfectly brined with pickle juice and hot sauce, breaded and air fried to crisp perfection, all on a soft butter brioche bun, this spicy chicken sandwich might just be better than the fast food counterpart.
These sandwiches go perfectly with air fryer potato wedges or garlic parmesan sweet potato wedges, Homemade Potato Chips, or even mustard potato salad - the options are endless!
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Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Whole milk
- Pickle juice
- Louisiana hot sauce
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Old bay
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Mayonnaise [not pictured]
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
Instructions
START WITH...
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Make the mayonnaise - Mix together the spicy mayonnaise spread, and set aside.
- Pound the chicken: Using either a meat mallet or any heavy objects in your kitchen, pound out the chicken breast until the chicken breast is big enough to fit your bun.
- Marinate the chicken: Add the chicken to a mixing bowl. Marinate in the hot sauce, pickle juice and milk. Let the chicken sit as long as you have time for - the longer the better! I recommend at the very least, 30 minutes.
- Dredge the chicken: To another mixing bowl, add the flour, spices and salt. Add in 2 tablespoons of the liquid marinade to the chicken and stir. Let most of the marinade drip off the chicken, and add to the seasoned flour. Dredge on both sides.
- Air fry: Spray the chicken on both sides with cooking spray - I used avocado oil spray. Put in the air fryer basket, and air fry for 10-15 minutes at 390°F. The timing will depend on your individual air fryer, so keep an eye out at the 10 minute mark!
- Assemble the sandwiches: Liberally spread the spicy mayonnaise on both sides of your brioche buns. Top with the chicken breast, bread and butter pickles, and finish with the top bun!
Expert Tip
Spray the chicken completely! Because we are air frying these chicken cutlets, be sure to coat the entire surface area of the chicken in oil or cooking spray. This will ensure there is no "raw" flour, and the entire surface is crispy.
Substitutions
- Chicken breast - If you prefer dark meat, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs as well.
- Milk - For extra tang, you can use buttermilk. You can also use cream that you have on hand, such as half and half or heavy cream.
Variations
- Non-spicy - omit the hot sauce and cayenne completely, and use regular mayonnaise on the bun.
- Deep fried - you can deep free these chicken breasts instead of air frying. I recommend using a neutral oil such as canola or peanut oil.
- Chick-fil-a style- top with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes for a "deluxe" chick-fil-a sandwich
- South American twist - Slather the bun with chimichurri aioli instead of spicy mayo for an herby twist!
Equipment
This is what I used to make this recipe - Please be mindful that different equipment and cooking utensils may yield varying results. Most of my favourite equipment can be found on my storefront.
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Air fryer
- Meat mallet
Storage
These chicken sandwiches are best made fresh. If you are looking to make the chicken ahead of time, you can marinate it up to 24 hours prior to cooking. The chicken will be extra moist and juicy! Dredge and air fry when you're ready to eat.
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Air Fried Spicy Chicken Sandwich {Popeyes Copycat}
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 2 Chicken breasts - boneless, skinless
- ½ cup Whole milk
- ¼ cup Pickle juice
- ¼ cup Louisiana hot sauce
Chicken Dredge
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon Old bay
- ½ cup All purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Spicy Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
To Assemble
- 2 Brioche hamburger buns
- Bread and butter pickles - to serve
Instructions
- Pound the chicken: Using either a meat mallet or any heavy object, pound out the chicken breast until the chicken breast is big enough to fit your bun.2 Chicken breasts
- Marinate the chicken: Add the chicken to a mixing bowl. Marinate in the hot sauce, pickle juice and milk. Let the chicken sit as long as you have time for at least 30 minutes.½ cup Whole milk, ¼ cup Pickle juice, ¼ cup Louisiana hot sauce, 2 Chicken breasts
- Dredge the chicken: To another mixing bowl, add the flour, spices and salt. Add in 2 tablespoons of the liquid marinade to the chicken and stir. Let most of the marinade drip off the chicken, and add to the seasoned flour. Dredge on both sides.1 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon Onion powder, ¼ teaspoon Old bay, ½ cup All purpose flour
- Air fry: Spray the chicken on both sides with cooking spray. Put in the air fryer basket, and air fry for 10-15 minutes at 390°F. The timing will depend on your individual air fryer, check at around 10 minutes.
- Assemble the sandwiches: Liberally spread the spicy mayonnaise on both sides of your brioche buns. Top with the chicken breast, bread and butter pickles, and finish with the top bun.¼ cup Mayonnaise, 2 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce, 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper, 2 Brioche hamburger buns, Bread and butter pickles
Kimberly says
I'm wondering why you dip the chicken in the marinade again? "Dredge the chicken: To another mixing bowl, add the flour, spices and salt. Add in 2 tablespoons of the liquid marinade to the chicken and stir. Let most of the marinade drip off the chicken, and add to the seasoned flour. Dredge on both sides. If the chicken is in the marinade why is this step necessary? Unless you dip it twice in the flour? Thank you for clarifying.
Sunena Anand says
Hi Kimberly! Great question - by adding a couple of spoons of the marinade to the flour, you will form some clumps in the dredge. This will add some extra crunch to the breading, almost the same effect as double dredging, without actually having to do it twice. You can definitely skip this step if you prefer. You will still end up with a good amount of crunch on the chicken 🙂
Equi says
Made this twice now. So rich. So easy. So good
Sunena Anand says
I am so happy to hear that, Equi! It is a a favorite around here, too! 🙂
Lois says
This was the best air fryer chicken that I've made since I got my af 2 years ago. I have been saving a jar of pickle juice just for this! I only had bone-in, skin on breasts, but wow. I cooked them for about 25 minutes at 190c, and checked the temp, it took a couple more minutes but shot up quickly. The coating and skin actually made crunchy sounds when I cut into it, even after it sat for a bit! Beautiful flavor, great with the spicy mayo (which I also used as a dipping sauce for my oven breaded veggies on the side). So simple and better than fast food.
Sunena Anand says
I am SO happy to hear that, Lois! I totally agree that it is a fantastic alternative to fast food 🙂
Lois Demers says
I've now made this with bone-in breasts, boneless whole breasts and today did the flattened sandwich... it is the best chicken that I've made!
Sunena Anand says
I am so happy to hear that, Lois! I love that you have tried different variations 🙂
Greg Wayne says
The spicy mayo is bad. Don’t waste your time. The chicken however is fantastic. The pickle and hot sauce marinade works incredibly well. I tried a 2-hour and 24-hour marinade and could not detect a difference in taste. It’s briny, spicy, and tangy. The breading is good as well. Don’t go too heavy on the seasonings in the flour if you’re sizing up the portions. Also, my breading kept getting stuck to the air fryer tray, don’t know why. And the instructions make a mistake when they say to “add 2 spoonfuls of the marinade to the chicken.” They actually mean to add it to the seasoned flour, which causes clumping in the breading.
Overall, this recipe is simple and easy, and very good. Just find a mayo recipe elsewhere.
Sunena Anand says
Thank you for taking the time to leave a detailed review, Greg! This recipe is on my list of recipes to revisit, so I will definitely be paying some *extra* attention to the mayo, to make all the elements just as good! 🙂