Copycat Popeyes Chicken Sandwich

Recreating a Popeyes chicken sandwich means mimicking a few key elements in their spicy, juicy, crispy (not to mention) top-secret classic. The chicken sandwich is a seemingly simple Southern fried chicken breast on a warm brioche bun, with spicy mayo and pickles. But even the most tried-and-true Southern methods for frying chicken can’t produce a crust that snaps and shatters the same way as the cult favorite. Despite all intuition and thousands of cooks who would say otherwise, here are a few non-traditional tricks that made our version of Popeye’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich edge out above the rest.

Pat dry and batter fry. 

While buttermilk-brined chicken usually goes straight into a flour dredge, this one gets patted completely dry to help the batter adhere to the chicken. Dipping in a thin batter will help the flour dredge cling to the chicken when frying.

Go for egg whites.

Some recipes omit eggs all together, but they help create structure for the breading and achieve the crust's deeply golden brown color. Too much yolk, however, can make the bread too rich and less crispy. Leaning heavier on egg whites will help maintain a crispier crust.

Be mindful of too much batter. 

Resist the urge to pack on multiple layers of batter and dredge in hopes of achieving the crispiest crust. Since we won’t be resting the chicken, the weight of the breading will cause the crust to fall off the chicken while you eat it (major bummer). Drizzling some of the batter into the flour mixture will create a similar effect.

Don’t let it rest. 

Resting the chicken after you bread it will give the gluten ample time to form—and crush any chance for a crispy crust.