For the best chicken sandwich, you don’t have to sprint to a fast food restaurant or splurge on street food. My fried chicken sandwich recipe is delicious, juicy, and packed with flavor – all made in the comfort of your kitchen!

For my homemade chicken sandwich, I’ve stuck to a pretty traditional method of marinating and frying. I’ve also opted to use chicken breast over other boneless cuts of meat. Chicken breast sandwich recipes often overcook the meat so it’s dry, but my method ensures a crispy bite outside and juicy tenderness inside. It’s simple and oh-so delicious!

How to make a fried chicken sandwich

Prepare and marinate chicken: To make the crispy chicken, first, slice the breasts in half lengthwise for thinner pieces. Then, in a small bowl, mix all the spices. In a larger bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, and half of the mixed spices. Whisk well, add chicken, and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to boost flavor, or up to 6 hours for the best taste.

Coat the chicken: For the coating, combine baking powder, cornstarch, flour, and the remaining mixed spices. After marinating, bring the chicken to room temperature. Then dip each piece into the flour mix, pressing onto the seasoned flour for a thorough coating. Don’t discard the marinade – pour it over the chicken before applying the coating. The excess marinade will create small crumbs in the flour, resulting in extra crunchy parts on the chicken.

Fry the chicken: Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan until it reaches 350ºF/176ºC. It’s best to maintain this temperature to ensure the chicken cooks inside without burning and to prevent excess oil absorption or sogginess.

Next, carefully place the prepared chicken inside the pan and fry until the outside is golden brown and crispy – it only takes around 4-5 minutes. Only fry a few pieces of chicken at a time as too many will lower the temperature of the hot oil and give you soggy chicken. Finally, place the fried chicken on a wire rack.

A more detailed recipe for frying the perfect chicken for a breaded chicken sandwich can be found here. Also, if you already have fried chicken and want to reheat it, check my top tips here.

Assemble the Sandwiches: I like to toast the buns. Spread butter generously over each bun, then place butter side down on a dry pan. Then, allow to toast for a few minutes and you can flip them over if you want. You can skip this step if you prefer soft buns.

Spread mayo on each bun, then to the bottom bun add your lettuce leaves, a couple of slices of dill pickle, and then the fried chicken. You can add any other toppings you prefer, like tomato, hot sauce, red onions, coleslaw, mustard, or cheese – or even double it down with some more chicken. The possibilities are endless.

Finally, once you’ve loaded up your sandwich, add the top bun and enjoy your fried chicken sandwich alone or with a side of a green salad, and fries for a satisfying meal.

If you try this recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!