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! �� Use a Brioche bun instead and you’ve got a Popeyes Chicken Sandwich!
Kentucky Fried Chicken Chicken Littles and Chick fil-A Chicken Sandwiches are the bomb, right!
I wanted to find a way to make a copycat recipe in my air fryer, as since everything that comes out of my machine is just so dang delicious, plus, you can have Chick-fil-A Sandwiches on Sundays and without ever having to step foot in that restaurant. �� I have tried so many different brands and love my GoWise 5.8 quart Air Fryer (<<< get this one!!!) as it cook more evenly and more reliably than all the other brands I have tried.
I have tried so many brands of air fryers and I get the best results and most consistent results with the model mentioned above.
Hilah from Hilah Cooking has a nice copycat recipe, where she pan fries the chicken. Her Chick-fil-A recipe has inspired me to prepare this Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich version using my Air Fryer.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches
- Chicken Breast – if you prefer thighs, use thighs.
- Eggs and Milk
- Flour and Potato Starch – when air frying, Potato Starch helps to make a nice crunchy crust.
- 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 your ingredients together, you might want to get some potatoes soaking, so that you can make my incredibly delicious Air Fryer French Fries or even some Onion Rings.
How To Tenderize and Pound Air Fryer Chick-fil-A-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!
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 check the size of the buns you bought and cut the chicken into pieces that are a bit smaller than the buns.
- Buns come in so many sizes and determining size of chicken pieces is totally dependent upon bun size. For slider sandwiches, you may need to cut the chicken into four pieces.
Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich recipe is perfect to use as slider sandwiches at Superbowl parties, New Year’s Eve, Fourth of July picnics, pot lucks and more. 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.
Why Use Pickle Juice for Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich?
- 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 a head 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.
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!
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.
Use a Fine Life Oil Spritzer (my favorite one) and spray the bottom of your air fryer well. The restaurant uses peanut oil for frying. I like to use coconut oil or olive oil, but feel free to use the Oil of your choice. For more information on seasoning air fryers, please see my How to Properly Season Air Fryer Basket to Prevent Sticking article.
You are ready to Air Fry. I find it is better to cook at a lower temperature and then at the end, increase the temp for a nice crisp finish.
Tips and Tricks for Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches
- 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.
- Make sure to shake off excess flour.
- Grease basket of air fryer well.
Popeyes Chicken Sandwich is basically the same thing! Well, kinda, sorta.
How to make Popeyes Chicken Sandwich
- Follow the same recipe as for the Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich and use a brioche bun instead of a white bun.
- Slather on Mayonnaise.
You will enjoy this just as much, if not more since you make it in your own home.
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.
Can I use Air Fryer Crisper Lid?
Of course, it’s 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
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 GoWise USA 3.7 Quart Air Fryer, so that I can do my fries at the same time. ��
Craving more?
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes to Make:
Let me know in the comments below, how long you have had your air fryer and what you have made!
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- GoWise 7 Quart Air Fryer or GoWise USA 3.7 Quart Air Fryer or
- 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
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk– a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
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