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}!
OMG! This is so amazing! I’ve made this twice this week already – the whole family loves them and it truly tastes like Chik fil a! Just wanted to share- 2 of my kids are gluten free. I made this recipe using gluten free flour for them and it was equally the same. I don’t think you could even tell the difference from the ones I made with regular flour. . It was their first time ever having a breaded Chik fil a piece of chicken!! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Karen. I am thrilled you enjoy the recipe. 🙂 Jill
AMAZING!!! My peeps kept eating as soon as they came out of air fryer! Thanks!
Thank you, Anita. Enjoy. Jill
I was skeptical about this recipe after reading some negative comments, but I made this recipe last night for my fiancé and myself and we loved it! I used corn starch instead of potato starch per recommendations from other comments. The crust was crispy and stayed on just fine, the inside was juicy and flavorful. I used oil liberally as recommended and it turned our great. I will definitely be making this again!!
Made this today because we love Chick fl A. Followed instructions exactly and admit it was tasty. I took care to follow the recommendations to shake off excess flour. Cooked at 340 for the required time and 400 for 2 min each side. It just did not look anything like in the picture. Not sure what happened. Will try again later in the week.
Otherwise, very tasty.
Maybe it’s just me or the air fryer I have, but I cooked this longer than directed and the crust never got crispy. On top of that, a lot came off while I was flipping. I have one of those air fryers with multiple sheets/levels and not a bucket one, so could have been that. I’ll still to breaking in panko like usual.
This recipe was so good we had some leftovers and I tried making sandwiches for the next day ans heating it up but the chicken turned into jerky is there a reason why I got so hard?
Hi Destiny. I am glad you enjoyed the sandwiches. If your heat was too high on the reheat, that would dry it out. Jill
I cannot wait to try this recipe! I just got a Cuisinart Air Fryer/Toaster oven. I would like to make your fries to go with this, but I don’t see it being possible to make both at the same time. Which would you do first and howo do you keep one item hot and ready to eat while the other is frying?
Thanks! I am new to this air fryer cooking!
I’m making this Sunday is the bun included in the nutritional facts?
Thank you
This recipe is fantastic on flavor point! I would only add a tiny bit of more salt but other than that – this is super!
Thank you so much, Margie. Jill
These are amazing!! I have having trouble with the chicken sticking to the tray even when I spray with oil…any suggestions?
Thanks, Jenny. It is important to shake off the coating after each dipping. Jill
Hi Jenny! I just tried this recipe tonight and had the same issue. Coming for the comments to make sure I wasn’t the only one!!
I found that after noticing this, I used parchment paper and it works SO MUCH better!! Didn’t lose any breading. 🙌🏼
Refrigerating the coated chicken for an hour helps too. Jill
The taste was good. Most of the coating got crisp. I think 1/2 cup of flour is enough for two breasts adjusting the spices. I think that 5 and 5 minutes would be better. Came out a little dry which has never happened before with chicken. Loved that simple suggestion to make sure extra coating is always shaken off. Logically I now see why less is better. Thanks.
Thanks, Kathy. Did you soak the chicken in the pickle juice for a while, as that will keep the chicken nice and juicy. Jill
Does the nutritional facts include the bun?
Made this tonight and it was a HUGE hit with my family!! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect! My 10 year old, who is a very picky eater, ate 1 whole sandwich plus 1/4 of another! He also asked if this dinner could be put into “the regular rotation”. Thank you for sharing it!
Thanks, Colleen. Glad everyone liked it. Every person on earth is a picky eater, so don’t worry about your child. We all like what we like. Jill
Would love to try to make these and have all of the ingredients other than potato starch. Is there a substitute that can be used in lieu of the potato starch as we are in the middle of the COVID-19 Safer-At-Home state orders and do not want to venture out just to grab a non-essential item?
Hi Angela. Potato starch can be ordered on line, which I link to in the recipe, but you can try using cornstarch or tapioca starch. Jill
We’re on day #8 of the 15 day lock down.
I ventured out for the first time in 3 weeks to find boneless skinless chicken breasts at the supermarket. Normally, I’m a boneless skinless chicken thigh kinda guy but let’s do this thing; breasts it shall be.
I was surprised at the yield. $5.62 worth of chicken breasts is 5 chick-faux-let sandwiches (from 1 breast) and at least 2 chicken cordon bleu…. thingies (I have no idea how to do this, so far) for tomorrow night. For myself and my son, we’re talking 2-3 days worth of homemade food.
And I have chicken boob scraps for the dog. Who knew!??
It’s comfort food tonight, with a favorite tried and true recipe. Tomorrow, we’ll tackle something new and exciting (food wise) as we wait out these scary and difficult times.
Hi Tom. I am glad you are staying safe. We’ve been locked down here for a couple of weeks and will continue on the lock down. I am so glad you are enjoying this recipe and have enough to feed yourself and your son. Thank you for the lovely message. You got this! Jill
Well, basically, not exactly. 🙂 I hope you enjoy my recipe. Jill
I’ve been making these for a couple of years now in our old basket air fryer. I recently got one of the Emeril Air Fryer 360s (basically a convection oven) and am going to give it a whirl tonight. This is the first recipe I came across it’s the one I’ve continued to stick with. I often have a hard time not losing my breading when I flip them but no one seems to care. I’m going to make them tonight and I think I’m going to double coat them and let them sit for 10-15 minutes to let the breading set up and see if it holds better. Even if half the breading is gone, they still taste awesome. It’s all about the Izzy’s pickle juice. I like to finish these with Dirty Dick’s hot sauce. Sweet heat.
I have an Omni, will the cooking time and temperature be Thebes same?
I don’t know what that is, but any air fryer recipe works in any air fryer, just like any oven recipe works in any oven regardless of brand. Can you imagine if recipes were specific to every single brand of oven on the market? LG Chicken, Samsung Chicken, Frigedaire Chicken, White Westinghouse Chicken, GE Chicken….
Made this for my boyfriend and I for dinner tonight. I paired it with a spicy garlic mayo (one clove of garlic and however much hot sauce I felt like) and it was so good! I will definitely be making this again.
Thank you, Allie. Jill
That sounds great, Allie. So glad you enjoyed my recipe. Jill
Thank you for all the help.I am going to try the Chic-Fil-A sandwich this weekend. I just got my Ninja Foodi Air Crisper and love it. We love Chic Fil A but it is 20 miles from our home and always 2 lanes so busy.
Thanks, Lorraine. Enjoy and please let me know how you do. Jill
Hi! The flavor of this is amazing, but I’ve made this twice now and keep running into the same problems. For some reason the flour/wet mixture gets stuck to the basket and falls off the chicken (even after liberally spraying it). I’m new to the air fryer world and am confused. Any suggestions?
I’ve read that you should put anything with breading in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
What did I do wrong? None of the breading stayed on the chicken. When I flipped the chicken it came right off?
One part of my first meal using the crisplid. Everyone in the family loved it. Can’t wait to make again and try a spicy version. Never disappointed in any of your recipes I tried. Thank you for making supper a lot easier since I found you!
Hi Natasha. Thank you so much for the sweet and kind words. I am glad you are enjoying my recipes. Jill
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
If you want to make extras, and freeze, do you freeze the raw chicken in the pickle juice, or do you freeze the breaded cooked chicken?
Hi Karen. I added that information to the recipe post. I hope it answers your question. Jill
Great recipe. Follow the directions and you won’t be disappointed. So good! Thank you!
Would sauerkraut juice work in place of pickle juice.
I’ve never tried sauerkraut juice. Jill
I have tried this recipe, thank you it is delicious, but how did you get your chicken so golden brown? Mine came out pretty pale.
Just as good as the real thing!!
Hello! I want to make this but I wanted to know if you know approximately how big your chicken breasts are that you used for this. They can be so large now and I am not sure if I will need to double the recipes ingredients to match the size of my chicken breasts.
So I made this tonight. OMGeeee. I live in Japan and I miss Chick-fil-a. While I had high hopes, I really was not expecting much. The first bite was amazing. Followed by more amazing-ness. It is everything I can do to keep from eating a second sandwich. I’m considering having this every night for dinner this week. Thank you. You made this Navy wife a bit happier and a little less homesick.
Hi DeeDee. This makes me so happy! I am thrilled you enjoyed the chicken. Please thank your husband for his service. Mine also served in the Navy, many years ago. Jill
I made this last night. The breading did not stay on as I was air frying it, but it still was very good. I would make this again.
Making this tonight but need to understand about using powder sugar. Is this a misprint, or is that a correct ingredient ?
Others have asked but I did not see an answer.
Thanjs
First thing I made in my air fryer…DELISH! Ingredients list 1 tablespoon EVO + Mister but never saw in Instructions where to use the tablespoon EVO? THANKS
Glad you enjoyed. The oil is for spraying. Jill
I see above where it says use the brine from dill pickles, I guess I had it right. Will be back with how
it went. But powdered sugar???
I thought Pickle juice was the stuff pickles were in, will this work too? I guess I’ll find out, did some this way…. Going to try it soon.
I see above where it says use the brine from dill pickles, I guess I had it right. Will be back with how
it went.
Delicious!
Thank you for the great recipe! I made this tonight and it turned out “amazing” according to my husband. I took the advice in the comments and set the chicken in the fridge for 30 minutes after adding the flour mixture. It stayed on the chicken and crisped up nicely!!
I make every recipe the first time exactly then usually change a few things. I will be changing nothing! So good!
Thank you, Tina. So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Jill
This was a success. I made 2 batches and the 2nd one was best. I did a 2nd flour pass, used 350 instead of 340 degrees, and I suspect having air fryer preheated was also helpful. I used pepperoni juice as our brine.
I want to try this recipe but I prefer gluten-free. You say not to use potato starch. Any recommendations for other coatings?
Do you leave the chicken in the Air Fryer when you change the temperature and count the time for the higher temp as soon as you change the temp?
what gluten free flour works for all purpose flour? Excited about making these sandwiches?!
Hi! I’ve made this twice now and we love it. Thank you for posting it. I’m very new to the air fryer. I have a Phillips XL fryer and the coating sticks to the wire basket. The second time I used the mister recommended and still had an issue. It seems difficult to cost the wire basket with enough oil. Can you help me with what I’m doing wrong?
Maybe try using tin foil so that the oil spray is not lost through the wire basket and therefore works better. This also saves on cleanup! Tin foil is the best!
Any suggestions for a gluten free flower that will brown well?
Hi Jill,
I love this recipe! But my husband and I are trying to stay away from wheat flour. Will it work with almond or coconut flour?
Could you use almond flour? I’m a diabetic and can’t use flour.
Hi Dee. I have not tried the recipe with almond flour. Jill
I made it with both flour and almond flour. Had trouble with breading sticking on both. Tastes delicious but I gave up on the air fryer and put them in the oven.
Not going to give up though.
I made this and it was a hit, very delicious. I cooked 4 at a time and made a total of 11 i also had trouble with the breading not sticking and them not browning prooerly. I used different times on them, but it made no difference.
Me too ?
AH! What did I do wrong? Chicken stayed white and floury even with the sprayed oil….still tastes yummy though. 😉
Did you shake off the excess coating? Jill
The recipe calls for powdered sugar??
The above recipe calls for powdered sugar. Is that correct? Thank you!
Hey
Thank you for taking the time to produce this. I’m totally new to all things cooking but have started air frying so again, as I also love all things Chicken. I’m in the UK so what could I use instead of the Dill Juice?
You don’t have jars of dill pickles in the UK?
Just use the juice from pickles. Or whatever vinegar based juice you can find? ??♀️
I lived in the UK for nearly two years and was able to find dill pickles via Asda, Tesco and Waitrose…just search for pickled gherkins. You can also find them in the Polish food section of certain shops. 🙂
Need to really press the flour on i guess because all mine fell off.
Once you bread the chicken it needs to sit for about 20 minutes to allow the breading to adhere to the chicken. This is standard no matter what your breading.
Double drip your chicken and put in the fridge for 30 minutes I found it to be crispy
it was very good but the smell of pickle was very strong which turned my picky kids off! Did you rinse the chicken when you took it out of the pickle juice before you put it into the egg?
I followed your instructions to a tee. The chicken was tender, flavorful, and very much like the original. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Thanks, Clare. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe. Jill
I followed the exact recipe. DELICIOUS!!
This is going to become part of our weekly meal routine. Thank you so much for the detailed directions.
can u use gluten free flour
Can I use chicken thighs as well as chicken breasts at the same time. (My husband will only eat thighs and I will only eat breasts.) ???
Do you Air Fry the chicken before putting it into the freezer?
This was perfect!! I am a southern-born, chicken frying lady but will not be pan-frying these anymore! (I have madebthat version several times.) I used PAM bc my oil sprayer got gunky and clogged. That is the only change I made. This is definitely a winner!
I ya NO problems with the breading coming off. Wish I could post my pics!
Wonderful. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Jill
Absolutely amazing!!! I made nuggets as I had chicken tenders on hand but they are great. I just keep the already cooked ones warm in the oven till meal is ready.
I am very excited to try this! I just got a GoWise Air Fryer and have followed an Instant Pot recipe of yours. Thanks for sharing! My kids will be the ultimate critics. ?
Let me know, Katie. We love this recipe. Jill
Should the air fryer be pre heated?
I have made chicken tenders, chicken breast and they are great. I marinate chicken dip in flour , then egg wash and in ritz crackers crushed like bread crumbs. My family loves them.
Love this
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Nutritional information
Have made it twice in last two weeks. It’s so juicy! Didn’t make sandwiches but who needs the bread when the chicken is soo good! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi Cyndi. I am glad you enjoyed the chicken. Thank you for your comments. Jill
I love the idea of freezing extra meat in the pickle juice for later. Thanks.
Hi Jill. We tried this recipe last week and LOVED it! I had an idea regarding pickle juice and was wondering what your thoughts on it might be. I saw a pickle mix at Walmart – Mrs. Wages Dill Pickle Mix – it’s well rated by its users. How do you think that would work? I was thinking that maybe I could just mix up the mix (minus the cucumbers) and use that to marinate the breasts. It would be a heck of a lot cheaper than buying the pre-made pickle juice. Thoughts?
Very good.i did have to adjust the temperature up a few degrees to 360.
I just made this chicken and it was very good, but I had to make a couple of adjustments with the second batch. I raised the temperature to 360 for six minutes and the same when I flipped it over. I also spread olive oil in the fryer for the second batch. Spraying was not enough and the flour breading stuck. Once I spread a light coat of oil on the pan, there was no sticking. My husband thought it was great also.
Sandy, it is recommended to spray the basket too. Glad you liked the recipe. Jill
My first dish in our air fryer, and my family is in Love! The coating comes off a bit, but not enough to make a difference. I omitted the garlic and used celery salt and peanut oil. I’m officially a big fan of “This Old Gal” and my air fryer!!
The chicken had a great flavor but all the coating fell off. Would like to have the breeding stick to the chicken. Any suggestions?
I couldn’t get this recipe to work well. The coating falls off, even with letting it sit in the fridge which I tried on the second batch. It doesn’t brown well, even with a lot of spray oil. Flour coatings never work well for me. Bread crumbs would be fine.
I let the chicken sit in the brine for 4 hours. It was borderline pickly, but it was really good that way (and I’m not the biggest fan of pickles).
I would try this again but either with a crumb coating or regularly fried. Unless someone has a suggestion.
But I LOVE the brine and the seasonings.
Another thing that may help the coating not fall off is to make sure the chicken is DRY before dipping into the egg and flour. This, combined with letting the coated chicken “rest” before cooking (I don’t put mine in the fridge, I have it laid out on a cookie sheet for a bit, but I might try that too, (if I can find room in the fridge, that is!).
I have also struggles with flour coatings in the air fryer and have found bread crumbs or Panko to work better, but I use the same air fryer as in the picture and I’m so impressed with the pictures that I’m willing to try it again. I’ll definitely spray the basket as well as the chicken. My Mom mentioned that commercial sprays like Pam aren’t good for the basket…I had never heard that before, not sure if there is any merit to that claim, but I have lots of oil sprayer bottles that I could definitely just use pure oil from a bottle rather than all those nasty propellants that might be in the other cans of spray oil.
You need to double dredge.
I made this for my two teenage sons and it’s become an instant favorite (on par with tacos, their absolute favorite).
I’m wondering if you have a solution for easily storing and using powdered sugar (or flour). I keep mine in in their original bags, each stored within it’s own zip lock bag. I dread opening them since I know it’s going to turn into a big powdery mess… every… single… time, no matter how carefully I measure and deposit into my breading station. Inevitably some spills on the counter, ends up coating my hands or I end up with it embedded in my clothing. If you have any tips or tricks for avoiding powder anxiety, I would love to hear them.
Hi Tom~
I store powdered sugar, cornstarch, potato starch and other powdery stuff in these Lock and Lock containers. http://amzn.to/2n6kXKG or http://amzn.to/2n63HFv I store flour and granulated sugar in the larger containers. Jill
Thanks for the recommendation!
I got a little frustrated that I could only cook 4 or 5 chicken pieces at a time (we boys be hungry now!) so I bought a toast rack with the idea that it can hold 6 chicken pieces then I can get 4 more pieces around the sides.
I was hoping I’d be able to get 2 toast racks to fit inside my 5.8QT GoWise but I can only fit one so I guess my girlfriend will get the 2nd rack.
I use lock and lock as well, but I think my powdered sugar is in a rubbermaid canister still. I also have a little shaker that I keep a small amount in for sprinkling over crepes or waffles. I can’t deal with those bags either! I did make labels for my containers so I can tell the powdered sugar from the flour, powdered milk and buttermilk, Bisquick, etc.
I’m so excited to try this recipe!!!!!
Hey Tom, I recently found a great way to store my flour! Coffee (Maxwell House, Folgers) now come in nice sized plastic containers with a wide mouth and even a built-in handle! I just wash well and dry… let sit without the lid for a couple of days to make sure no coffee smell remains. You could store your powered sugar this way too. Much less mess, measuring cup fits in. Just be sure you label them!!!
FYI this recipe tastes wonderful without the breading. 380 degrees for 11 minutes turning halfway. Put the paprika, pepper and other spices on the outside and spray with olive oil.
How do you get the coating to stick when turning the chicken? It all fell off. ????
Try putting your coated chicken in the frig for 30 min before cooking. It helps the coating to stick. Hope that helps!
What temperature is the air fryer set to? And say marinate 30 min. What is max time you would leave in pickle juice.
Tried this recipe this evening and LOVED it! My recommendation is to brown each side for 1 1/2 minutes per side instead of 2 as the first chicken breast I made was too toasted per my opinion. I tried the second chicken breast at 1 1/2 minutes per side and it was much better. I will definitely make this again.
Hi Rosie~
All Air Fryers are different and you should always watch the food to make sure it doesn’t get over cooked, or undercooked. Also, depending on how thin someone pounds the chicken will make a difference. For thin chicken the cook time will be less.
Jill
Have you tried to use this method to make chicken strips or nuggets? My daughter would be excited if I could get close to making their nuggets at home 🙂
Tonya~
Yes. I will do a recipe post for nuggets!
Jill
Not the author, but my guess is that it adds a little sweetness to the meat and also serves to help it brown a little better/faster so that the texture is a little more like deep or pan fried chicken.
You can leave it out if you don’t want to use it, especially if you’re going to cook it on the stovetop.
HTH
Why powdered sugar
What’s with the powdered sugar? Do you actually use it? If so, when & why?
Thanks
Ditto on this question. I’m going to make tonight and leave it out.
Have you ever made the Chick-Fil-a nuggets? I am curious how that would turn out. Thanks!
Hi Heather~
The nuggets are nice. The method is the same, just reduce the cook time. Jill
Can you explain how to pound the chicken flat? What do you set the chicken on and what do you pound it with? I have quartz counter tops and don’t want to do something to damage them.
Hi Mark~
I linked to what I use, in the recipe. If you have a cutting board, place the chicken in the bag on the cutting board and use a meat tenderizer http://amzn.to/2iLkpYs or something similar, you might already have. It’s like a little hammer for your meat.
Jill
I put my chicken in zip lock bag & pound with rolling pin. Works great.