Our Classic Fried Chicken Sandwich is crispy and crunchy on the outside and tender, moist, and juicy on the inside.
Simply served with pickle chips and shredded lettuce, this delicious sandwich is guaranteed to become a family favorite!
After one bite, I know you’ll agree that this is the best fried chicken sandwich you’ve ever made. Just make sure to make a few extras because everyone is going to want seconds!
Our recipe is pretty much foolproof and easy to make. I know everyone thinks frying chicken is messy and time-consuming. But our easy recipe will have you making perfectly delicious fried chicken sandwiches every time!
If you enjoy fried chicken, make sure to check out our Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich and Crispy Fried Chicken Tenders recipes.
Ingredients to make a Fried Chicken Sandwich
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make the best Fried Chicken Sandwich recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
How to make a Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Add the buttermilk, salt, sweet paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to a medium bowl.
- Whisk the buttermilk mixture until well blended.
- Use a meat mallet to lightly pound the boneless, skinless thighs, making them flatter. But don’t overdo it; you want them thinner, but you don’t want them to tear or be too thin.
- Add the pieces of chicken to the buttermilk mixture and toss to coat the thighs with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours. Overnight is best if you have the time.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, sweet paprika, table salt, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to a large bowl.
- Whisk the flour mixture to combine and set aside until needed.
*Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit in the marinade at room temperature for one hour before breading and frying.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade one at a time, shaking off any excess buttermilk. Then, place the piece of chicken in the seasoned flour mixture and coat the entire thigh with the seasoned flour.
*Make sure to get a good coating of the flour on the entire piece of chicken. - Add the cooking oil to a large, deep skillet (or Dutch oven) over high heat. Heat until the oil temperature reaches 350 degrees F.
*If the oil isn’t hot enough, the chicken will be greasy. - Add the breaded chicken thighs to the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.
*Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F. - Remove the cooked chicken from the oil and place it on a wire rack (or paper towels) to drain for one minute before serving.
- Brush each side of the brioche buns with melted butter and toast until golden brown.
- Place the fried chicken thighs on the bottom bun.
- Top the fried chicken sandwiches with dill pickles slices (or bread and butter pickles) and shredded iceberg lettuce.
This classic fried chicken sandwich is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. I like the crispy fried chicken sandwich as is, but you can add my copycat Chick-fil-A sauce recipe, your favorite barbecue sauce, hot sauce, or hot honey for added flavor.
Save any leftover fried chicken refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They can also be frozen for up to two months.
Recipe FAQ’s
Absolutely. I love using thighs, as they are more flavorful and moist, but you can easily use boneless skinless breasts to make the recipe,
Yes, you can. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can make your own by combining 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let it set for 10 minutes until it starts to curdle before using.
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Classic Fried Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken thighs boneless, skinless about 5 ounces each
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
Marinade
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Breading
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon sweet paprika or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Sandwich
- 4 brioche buns toasted
- 2 cups iceberg lettuce shredded
- ⅔ cup dill pickle chips
Instructions
Chicken
- Cover a cutting board with plastic wrap, then place the boneless, skinless chicken thighs on top of the plastic wrap and cover them with another sheet of plastic wrap.
- Use a meat hammer to pound the thighs, making them flatter. But don't overdo it, you want them thinner, but you don't want them to tear or be too thin.*If you don’t have a meat hammer, a regular hammer (wrapped in plastic) will do. Use the flat side of the hammer, not the part you drive nails in with. Be careful not to tear up the chicken breast.
Marinade
- Add the buttermilk, salt, sweet paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to a medium bowl and whisk until well blended.
- Add the chicken thighs to the buttermilk mixture and toss to coat the thighs with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours. Overnight is best if you have the time.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit in the marinade at room temperature for one hour before breading and frying.
Breading
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, sweet paprika, table salt, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade one at a time, shaking off any excess buttermilk. Then, place the chicken in the flour mixture and coat the entire thigh with the seasoned flour. *Make sure to get a good coating of the flour on the entire piece of chicken.
Cooking and Assembly
- Add the cooking oil to a large deep skillet (or Dutch oven) over high heat. Heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees F.*If the oil isn't hot enough, the chicken will be greasy.
- Add the breaded chicken thighs to the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the oil and place it on a wire rack to drain for one minute before serving.
- Brush each side of the brioche bun with melted butter and toast untl golden brown.
- Place the fried chicken thighs on the bottom of the buns, then top them with pickle chips and shredded lettuce.
Liz says
This was SO delicious, everyone in my family loved it! The seasoning makes the chicken so flavorful!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the chicken. It’s one of my favorite sandwiches!
Genevieve says
You can never go wrong with fried chicken, but in Sammy form is even better! I loved how crunchy this sandwich turned out and how easy it was to make.
Kim Beaulieu says
Nothing beats a fried chicken sandwich and this one is outstanding. Can’t wait to make it again.
Nora says
Yeah, you were right! It became the family favorite! So good! Thanks!
Krystle says
WOW the marinade made this so tender and juicy. I’d choose this over fast food any day
Ashley says
These turned out great! Loved using chicken thighs so the sandwiches stayed moist and the buttermilk flavor really came through!
Larry says
The marinade and breading sound awesome
Lisa says
I love it!