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A close up image of a copy cat Chick-fil-A original sandwich with a homemade pickle on a Hawaiian dinner roll
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5 from 1 vote

Clean Eat Copycat Chick-fil-A Original Sandwich

A clean-eat copycat version of Chick-fil-A's Original chicken sandwich that is just as good if not better than the original!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Marinating time2 hours
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 116kcal
Author: Kitrusy

Ingredients

  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 cups homemade pickle juice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup Whole Milk
  • 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1/2 tbsp raw cane sugar
  • 1/2 tsp potato starch
  • extra light olive oil (for frying)

For serving: Buttered and toasted homemade Hawaiian buns and homemade pickle slices

Instructions

Marinate

  • Wash, clean, and slice your chicken into pieces that are just slightly larger than your bread/rolls.
  • In a large bowl or baking dish, pour the pickle juice brine (made from water, distilled white vinegar, fresh dill, raw organic sugar, salt, garlic, red pepper flakes and black peppercorns) over the chicken fillets and add just enough water to cover the chicken. Set the chicken into the refrigerator for at least two hours.

Prepare Breading

  • In a large bowl, add the baking powder to the flour.
  • Add the remaining spices (salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, raw organic brown sugar, garlic powder and potato starch) to a high-powdered blender or grinder and blend until combined into a fine powder. Add the spice powder to the flour/baking powder and mix well to evenly distribute.
  • Whisk together the eggs and milk until smooth and fully blended.

Frying

  • Add enough oil into a frying pan or skillet to cover at least one inch and heat the oil until hot (but not smoking).
  • Pat each fillet of chicken dry using paper towels and dredge them in the flour, shaking off any excess.
  • Dip both sides of the floured chicken fillets into the egg wash and then back into the flour, being sure to press down so that the flour adheres to the chicken. 
  • Gently shake off any excess flour and set onto a plate to allow the breaded fillet to rest for a few minutes. 
  • After the fillets have rested, carefully place them into the hot oil, working in small batches. Fry until both sides of the fillet are golden brown (and the internal temperature of the chicken is about 165°F)
  • Remove the chicken from the oil and place the fillets onto a wire rack to cool.

Assembly

  • Original: Slice a Hawaiian Roll in half and lightly toast and butter it. Place a homemade pickle onto the bottom bun and top with a crunchy fried chicken fillet and the top bun.
    Deluxe: Add fresh lettuce and a slice of tomato to the bottom bun, top with a fried chicken fillet and cheese slices of your choice before setting the top bun into place.

Notes

  • *Note that the nutrition information provided is an estimate per fried chicken fillet and not for the whole sandwich.