Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich Recipe Copycat

The new Popeyes chicken sandwich is amazing, if you even got to try it, you know. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one when a coworker of mine waited an hour in line for a bag of them and then included me in the tasting party. Wow, I see why the Internet has gone nuts over this chicken war thing. The Chick-Fil chicken sandwich is oh, so good, but this new Popeye’s chicken sandwich is from another world, I tell you. Pretty sure it has to do with the buttermilk soak and seasoning. Actually, let be honest, I had no idea what made the darn thing so good until after dreaming about getting my hands on another Popeye’s sandwich, only to learn that they were sold out for a long time, I sought help in the name of Youtube. Turns out, you can make a copycat version of the fan(atical) favorite chicken sandwich from Popeye’s restaurants. I learned then that the secret is in an overnight buttermilk soak, a drying process in the fridge which adds extra crispiness, and gotta give some credit here to these Youtube food Vloggers, just genius. Of course, it makes sense that the Popeye’s version would be sitting to dry out, too, Right? Fast food prep tip straight to your kitchen. Let it sit awhile, then let it sit again.

You can make the regular version or mix up some spicy mayo to create your own Spicy Popeye’s chicken sandwich recipe. Yum. I made my first batch last weekend, and it was a total hit with the fam. Planning to cook up a batch for my next bonfire party in the yard. Want my address? Try this copycat Popeyes sandwich at home.

Image and recipe video from Healthy Junk Food’s Youtube channel, which has some super cool things to check out here:
Healthy Junk Food on Youtube

Love restaurant copycat recipes? So do we, and we have lots of other copycat restaurant dupes if you want to try your hand at them: here.

Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich Recipe Copycat

The Chicken Marinade

• 4 Cups buttermilk
• 1 Cup Louisiana style hot sauce

Dry Batter Mix

• 2 Cups Flour
• 1/2 Cup Cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda

Wet Batter Mix

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 cup Lousiana style hot sauce

Spice Seasoning Mix

• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp MSG
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric

Spicy Mayonnaise Recipe

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 Tbsp Tabasco or Louisiana Style Hot Sauce
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt

Add these to your shopping list for ingredients:

Sandwich Rolls
Dill Pickle Slices
Instructions:

Step One

Rinse chicken and use a meat mallet to flatten the breasts.  You can also use another heavy utensil for this if you put the meat in a ziploc bag for flattening.

Step Two

Add the hot sauce and buttermilk to a large bowl. Add chicken and cover, then place in the fridge overnight.

Step Three

Prior to cooking, get your fryer or oil preheated. Heat it to 365°F or medium-high heat on cooktop. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step Four

Combine spice mixture, cut in half, and season the chicken breasts with 1/2 of the spice mix (reserve the other 1/2 for breading).

Step Five

Whisk the eggs, water, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper together in a mixing bowl.

Step Six

Add flour, corn starch, baking soda, and the other 1/2 of spice mixture. Place this mix in a Ziploc bag, large paper bag or mixing bowl. Add the chicken. Shake.

Step Seven

Dip into the egg mixture and then place back in the bag to double coat. Repeat this step again to triple coat your chicken.

Step Eight

Place your chicken on a flat nonstick surface and put it back in the refrigerator for an hour. (This step dries the batter to make it extra crispy.)

Step Nine

One chicken, carefully add them one at a time into the frying oil.  Do not overcrowd them or you risk removing the batter. Cook until golden, flipping them occasionally so both sides are brown. This should take about 2 minutes.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the internal temp of the chicken is 165°F.

Step Ten

Now it is time to make your sandwiches! Start with the bottom bun, then layer your bun with spicy mayo, pickles,  fried chicken breast, then some more mayo.
If you prefer the less spicy version,  use regular mayo. Make your sandwich the same way, just sub the spicy mayo for regular.

Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size: 1 Calories: 540 Fat: 50 Saturated Fat: 5 Unsaturated Fat: 0 Trans Fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 55 Sugar: 6 Sodium: 1,020 Fiber: 0 Protein: 28 Cholesterol: 75