Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches can be made at home on Sundays or any day of the week, without ever having to visit the restaurant! 😉
Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich
KFC Chicken Littles and Chick fil-A Chicken Sandwiches are the bomb, right!
Uou can have Chick-fil-A Sandwiches on Sundays and any day of the year, without ever having to step foot in that restaurant. 😉
After trying many different brands of air fryers, this Ultrean 8.5 Quart Air Fryer (<<< get this one!!!) is my favorite. It cooks very evenly and it is more reliable than most of the other brands.
Cast of Ingredients for Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich
Don’t let the list of ingredients scare you away. They are just normal pantry items.
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Ingredients for Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches
- Chicken Breast – if you prefer thighs, use thighs.
- Eggs and Milk
- Flour and Potato Starch
- Celery Seed – CFA uses celery salt, but I think it tastes better using celery seed
- Pickles, Salt and Pepper and Paprika
- Secret Ingredient – this is CFA’s secret ingredient
Before you gather ingredients, think about soaking potatoes and make my delicious Air Fryer French Fries or even some Air Fryer Onion Rings as a side.
Place Chicken Breasts in Baggie
How To Pound Chicken
- Place the chicken breast in a large Ziploc Baggie and zip it locked.
- Place the bag of chicken on a wooden cutting board.
- Use a Meat Tenderizer and pound the chicken until it is about 1/2 inch thick and/or pretty even from end to end.
Don’t throw out this bag after pounding as it will be used again for the marinade!
Pounded Chicken Breast
What Size to Cut Chicken Breasts
- Depending on the size of your buns and chicken breasts, cut the breasts into two or three pieces.
- The chicken will bulk up after breading, so cut the chicken into pieces that are a bit smaller than the buns.
Pro Tip: Buns come in so many sizes and size of chicken pieces is dependent upon bun size. For sliders, you may need to cut the chicken into four pieces.
Another delicious recipe to use for parties and events is my Air Fryer Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken Wings. OMG, the goodness in these is incredible.
Place Chicken Breasts into Baggie with Pickle Juice
Why Use Pickle Juice for Chick-fil-A Chicken?
- Dill pickle juice and peperoncini juice both work well to brine and tenderize the chicken. Dill pickle juice however, will give you the exact taste of the famous chain restaurant.
- The chicken will plump up and keep from drying out.
- Pickle juice also makes the chicken very juicy while cooking. You can even brine chicken parts and pieces in pickle juice for cooking with other methods.
Fear not, the chicken is not going to taste like one big ole pickle! My Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Sandwich recipe is great for making ahead and storing in the freezer, for when the mood strikes. Another recipe which uses pickle juice as a brine is my Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Sandwich.
Dunk Chicken in Egg Mixture
In one Mixing Bowl, prepare the flour and seasonings mixture. In another Mixing Bowl, crack open the eggs and Whisk together well.
Can the Chicken Be Frozen in Advance?
- Yes, there are two ways to make freezer meals.
- Prepare several packages of pounded chicken breast with dill pickle juice and use your FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System and place into freezer for when a sudden Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich craving hits.
- The chicken can also be frozen after the breading has been added. The chicken can be cooked frozen. You will just need to add a few more minutes.
For a low carb version, try my Low Carb Chicken Schnitzel recipe!
Shake off Excess Flour Coating
How to Bread Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich
- Drop one piece of chicken at a time into the Egg/Milk Mixture.
- Use Silicone Coated Tongs (you don’t want to scratch your Air Fryer) and pick up the chicken and place in Flour Mixture Bowl.
- Use the Tongs to toss flour over the chicken and flip to make sure the chicken is completely coated.
- The pick up the chicken with the Tongs and shake off any excess flour.
The reason I like to use Tongs, rather than fingers, is that the wet with the flour will gunk up on your fingers and make it difficult for the flour to stick properly.
Prepare Air Fryer Basket for Chicken
For more information on seasoning air fryers, please see my How to Properly Season Air Fryer Basket to Prevent Sticking article.
Tips and Tricks for Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches
- Cut chicken into slightly smaller pieces than the bun.
- Pound the chicken evenly so that it is the same thickness all around.
- When dredging the chicken more is not better. A light layer will do. Shake off excess coating!!!!! This is key. If you do not shake off excess coating, the coating WILL fall off the chicken when you flip the pieces.
- Grease basket of air fryer well.
-
Generously Spray Chicken Breasts with Oil
Can I use Air Fryer Crisper Lid?
Of course, it is meant to be used as an air fryer.
- Mealthy CrispLid (buy from Mealthy) / Mealthy CrispLid (buy from Amazon)
- Instant Pot Crisping Lid (buy from Instant Pot) / Instant Pot Crisping Lid (buy from Amazon)
Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich
Zaxby’s Chicken Dipping Sauce is really good on this sandwich too, in lieu of mayonnaise! Serve along with my Delicious Air Fryer French Fries. Truth be told, I also have a Ultrean 8.5 Quart Air Fryer, so that I can do my fries at the same time. 🙂
You can use your Air Fryer to butter and toast the very soft buns you bought, or, if you love to bake, like I do, use your own homemade Bread Buns. I like to put my Dill Pickle Chips right up on top of the Air Fried Chicken, because they belong on top and not hidden away. Be proud of those Pickles! I also like to add a dollop of mayonnaise to my Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich. Enjoy.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes to Make:
- Air Fryer Persian Kabab Koobideh {Chicken Kabob}
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Chicken Jalapeño Poppers – makes a nice appetizer or dinner.
- Lemony Middle Eastern Air Fryer Crispy Sumac Chicken
- Air Fryer Japanese Blistered Shishito Peppers
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Ultrean 8.5 Quart Air Fryer
- J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk– a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- Cilio Olivewood Spatula
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
- Meat Tenderizer – Breading Station – Silicone Coated Tongs
- Olive Oil Sprayer / Mister for Cooking
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Here is your handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts Boneless/Skinless pounded
- 1/2 cup Dill Pickle Juice
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Potato Starch
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Celery Seed ground
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil extra virgin
For Assembling
- 4 Hamburger Buns toasted/buttered
- 8 Dill Pickle Chips or more
Spicy Option
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper for spicy sandwiches
Recommended Products
Instructions
- Place chicken into a Ziploc Baggie and pound, so that the whole piece is the same thickness, about 1/2 inch thick.
- Cut chicken into two or three pieces (depending on size). Each piece should be a bit bigger than your buns.
- Place pieces of chicken back into Ziploc baggie and pour in pickle juice. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, beat egg with the milk. In another bowl, combine flour, potato starch, baking powder and all spices.
- Using tongs, coat chicken with egg mixture and then into flour mixture, making sure pieces are completely coated. Shake off excess flour (this is important).
- Spray the basket of your air fryer with Oil and place chicken into air fryer and spray the chicken with oil.
- Cook at 340 degrees for 6 minutes. Using silicone tongs, carefully flip the chicken and spray with oil. Cook for 6 more minutes.
- Raise the temperature to 400 degrees and cook for two minutes on each side.
- Serve on buttered and toasted buns, with 2 pickle chips and a small dollop of mayonnaise, if desired.
Notes
Can an Air Fryer Lid Be Used?
Yes, any crisping lid can be used to make Chic Fil-a Chicken Sandwiches.- Mealthy CrispLid (buy from Mealthy) / Mealthy CrispLid (buy from Amazon)
- Instant Pot Crisping Lid (buy from Instant Pot) / Instant Pot Crisping Lid (buy from Amazon)
What to Serve with Air Fryer Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich.
- Creamy & Crispy Air Fryer Avocado Fries - perfect side dish for Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich!
- Air Fryer Greasy Spoon Home Fried Potatoes - you will think you are in a New York diner!
- Quick Air Fryer Doughnuts {Cinnamon & Sugar Donuts} - don't forget dessert.
More Air Fryer Recipes to Make:
- Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak with Blue Cheese Butter Keto - this will be the best thing you ever ate!
- Air Fryer Carne Asada Recipe {Grilled Meat Tacos} - totally incredibly delicious!
- Air Fryer Simple Grilled American Cheese Sandwich - you won't believe the ease of this recipe.
- Air Fryer Southern Fried Catfish {Louisiana Cajun Style}
Nutrition
PIN this Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich {Copycat Recipe}!
How do you set the crisp lid to 340? Mine seems to have preset increments.
Hi Pam, please just use the temp closest to the recipe. Small adjustments when air frying really will not make a difference. Keep your eye on the food to see if you need more or less cook time. Jill
I did use the closest temp. I was just curious about finding out if there is a method for increasing or decreasing the temps a degree at a time on the crisplid. Thanks for the reply.
Been using this recipe for some time now. Very good. Sometimes there are still spots of “raw” flour on the chicken after cooking through on both sides…what can I do to cook those parts?
Hello. The answer is simple. Shake off the excess and/or spray the pieces with more oil. 🙂 I am so glad you enjoy my recipe. Jill
Oh man. This was dangerously good!! I used thighs instead of breasts because that’s what I had on hand, and it came out wonderfully.
Thank you. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂 Jill
I made this with a few minor adjustments, corn starch instead of potato and Apriva instead of powdered sugar and it was great. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes!
Gina
I can’t wait to try this but I am a little confused.
Where do you put the powered sugar? Thanks!
Hubby and I just made these for lunch. Outstanding! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much. Happy you enjoyed my recipe. Jill
I am making these tonight for the 3rd time. They are a big hit at our house. I don’t have potato starch, so I use corn starch. It seems to work fine. I also make my own sauce with a little sriracha and miracle whip. Thanks for a great recipe!
Glad you like my recipe. Thank you. Jill
The air fryer did a decent job on these, but these were no chick-fil-A. I did enjoy the pickle juice marinade. That was a good idea. They only plumped slightly and took quite a bit longer than 12 mins. At 12 mins in, the flour mix was still a little soggy. I ended up spraying them lightly with some olive oil spritz and that gave them a little crust. We also made your fries. They were yummy.
I am glad you enjoyed this recipe. Try shaking off the flour a bit prior to cooking, that should help. Jill
At what point in the steps do you freeze if using in the near future (1-2 wks). Prepping and freezing for my hubby while I’m out of town. THANKS!!!!
Just wanted to add that Walmart sells their version of chick-fil-a sauce now too! its called chicken dipping sauce. yum! thanks for this awesome recipe!!
Interesting, Jenn. Thank you. Jill
I’ve been using this recipe for a couple of years now (everyone here loves it) but I don’t remember potato starch, di you recently add that? Does it make a huge difference?
Try it and let me know if you think it is better. Jill
Amazing! We don’t have a Chick-fil-A in Alaska and this definitely fills the void of not having one. Also made a copy cat recipe of the Polynesian sauce! I highly recommend trying this out!
Thank you, Lisa. Jill
I made this, and we loved it. We boycott Chick-Fil-A, because restaurateurs should be free of politics, and this goofy MF isn’t. That makes it even more delicious to steal his recipe. I’ve never seen potato starch in a store, but I sub’d about a teaspoon of corn starch for it, and it was great. It really tastes like what I remember the sandwich tasting like.
Hi Sting~ I am glad you enjoy the recipe. Plus, you can have it on Sunday. 😉 Jill
So I guess you never go to Starbucks?????
Why do you have to be snarky at someone who just made a choice for themselves? It’s unnecessary. Please try and be more considerate in the future.
I tried this recipe because my family loves loves love Chick Fil A . We thought it was good, but did not taste like Chick fil A. I did not have potato starch so maybe that would have made a difference.
Thanks for the recipe.
I would imagine that leaving out an ingredient will change the overall recipe. Jill
Kim asked you on Jan 17 if you can just use the pickle juice that comes with pickles. I haven’t seen a response to the question yet. I’m curious about this myself and would really appreciate it if you could let us know.
Yes, you can. I did.
Of course you can! That’s what I use.
1) Can I just use the juice that comes in my pickle jar?
2) I’m having a hard time finding potato starch! Where do you buy yours?
Hi I also would like to know if you can just use the pickle juice out of a jar of dill pickles. Also I do know you can order potato starch from Walmart.com
Ours turned out great! We defrosted the chicken in the pickle juice. We use chicken tenderloins, because it’s what we had on hand. I let the chicken rest out of the juice for about 10 minutes before double coating each piece. Made sure to spray the pan and chicken ( including after turning the first time). Did 5m at 340 instead of six because of the size, but did 2m at 400 to let them brown up.
Sounds perfect. Glad you enjoyed. Jill
Ours didn’t look as good as your picture, but IT WAS AMAZING!! We had some leftover chick-Fil-A sauce that we spread on them too. My husband said they may even be better than the restaurant. We were IMPRESSED!
Wonderful, Karen. Just what I like to hear. Jill
Hi, I did this but left out garlic and celery seasoning…my bad….BUT, my sandwich was soooo good because I used a seasoned mayo. It wasn’t crispy but looked like it. I think I put toooo much oil. It needed a spritz only and not sprayed to cover all floured areas. Trial and error is how I view it. I took pictures as I went and family and friends were impressed. Made one for husband on his way home now. Can’t wait for him to try it….I’ll ply him with seasoned mayo. Thank you for your recipe it is really good and turned out like the picture.
Thank you, Olivia. I appreciate you taking the time to leave this review. I am glad you enjoyed my recipe. Jill
This looks delicious! Quick question about the nutritional information, does it include the buns or just the chicken and breading?
It includes the bun, but only a guideline as calories for different buns are different. Jill
Is it potato starch or powdered sugar???at the beginning of this post it lists all of the ingredients and it calls for potato starch but not powdered sugar. At the bottom of the post with the printable version it calls for powdered sugar but not potato starch???
Both, Laura. Jill