This Oven Fried Chicken Sandwich takes your favorite fast food or restaurant chicken sandwich to your own kitchen in an easy-to-make, healthy, and delicious version!
Jump to RecipeGet ready to create the nostalgia of crispy chicken and greasy fries at home, but with a whole lot more nutrition with this healthy fried chicken sandwich recipe.
This fried chicken sandwich gets made either in an air fryer or in your oven. Then topped just like your favorite fast-food fried chicken sandwich: potato bun, smeared with creamy mayo, shredded lettuce, and tangy dill pickles.
Even though it’s made in the oven or in the air fryer, it’s still so juicy and super crunchy. My favorite part is that it has that salty and tangy combo, plus the crunchy and soft contrast. I just can’t get enough of it!
OVEN-FRIED VS FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH
You know I’m all about reimagining foods you love so you don’t have to go without them. There is truly no need to eliminate foods that you may have labeled as “bad” when you can either switch them up for a homemade alternative or just make room in your meal planning for the real thing!
In that case, this Oven Fried Chicken Sandwich is a necessity because it is the ultimate comfort food. While fitting in real versions of things whenever possible is wonderful, this recipe shows how on the flip side, you can also give heavy fried foods a healthy makeover, without sacrificing flavor. This is a really valuable lesson too because if something is bland, even if it’s healthy, where’s the point in that?
So, the benefits of this healthier chicken sandwich come from the obvious – it’s not fried. This not only saves you excess calories, but excess fat from the oil.
In addition, since it’s made at home and not from a fast-food chain, you can be sure that you’re using real fresh chicken breast. There are no additives and sodium injected into it for flavor and preservation.
I know homemade fried chicken will never be the same as a Chick-Fil-a or McDonald’s fried chicken sandwich, BUT all these aspects make this sandwich something you can actually enjoy every day if you chose to. Have your fast-food cravings right at home without going anywhere, or paying anyone!
I would even argue that this recipe is juicier and more flavorful than a fast-food chain chicken sandwich while being just as crispy. Win-win!
Making the Best Oven Fried Chicken Sandwich
Making these sandwiches at home is so much simpler than you think.
- Prep your chicken breasts – cut large chicken breasts in half to get them a bit thinner. Season them with salt and pepper.
- Prep your dredging station – you’ll need a dry bowl and a wet bowl (see the ingredients below). My favorite dishes to use for this are shallow bowls or deep plates.
- Dredge your chicken into the dry mix, then the wet batter, then back into the dry mix.
- Set the chicken on a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes to let any excess batter drip off
- Cook in either the air fryer, the oven, or on the stove! See methods below.
- While your chicken is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients
- Brush the buns with melted butter and toast under a broiler
- Shred lettuce
- Assemble your sandwiches: spread mayo (or whatever sauce you’d like) on either sides of the bun, add your chicken, and your toppings!
Cooking Variations
Air Fryer
One of the best ways to make these fried chicken sandwiches is in an air fryer for that ultra-crispy chicken breading on the outside. This eliminates the need for so much oil. See the full instructions below for how to use an air fryer for this recipe.
Oven-Baked
Alternatively, if you don’t have an air-fryer at home or are batch cooking more portions than the air fryer can hold, you can use a conventional oven. If you have a convect setting, that’s even better. All you need is a wire rack and a baking sheet - see the full instructions for cooking fried chicken in the recipe oven below.
Stove
For yet ANOTHER variation to get your chicken just right in your own kitchen is this simple stovetop method. You’ll use cooking spray to replace oil, and cook each breast on high to get that crunchy outside.
How To Serve
This recipe is great for a fun weekend dinner or even a quick weeknight meal. Kids will also love these sandwiches. The easiest side to serve with this chicken sandwich is with a bag of frozen French fries that you can just chuck in the oven, set a timer, and go. There are so many healthy options for these now.
Other great options if you have a little extra energy to prepare some sides are your own homemade french fries, sweet potato fries, or crispy roast potatoes. You could also add a side salad or roasted Mediterranean vegetables.
To mix things up, you can also add some additional toppings and sauces to your shredded lettuce and dill pickles.
Fried Chicken Sandwich Toppings:
- Red onion
- Tomato
- Extra pickles (you either love them and want more, or you hate them!)
Fried Chicken Sandwich Sauce Ideas:
- Mayonnaise
- Siracha (or sriracha mayo)
- Tomato ketchup
- Sweet chili sauce
- Hot sauce
Make This Fried Chicken Sandwich Ahead of Time
To have fried chicken sandwiches on hand for any time during the week, you can prep the “fried” chicken pieces ahead of time. Meal prep is a perfect solution if you often crave quick and easy foods in the week and also feel tempted to open up your food delivery app or to swing by the drive-through on the way home.
Instead, just make a gigantic batch and then freeze the chicken in this recipe in freezer-safe bags or Tupperware. Then just grab as many as you need for the evening meal and reheat in the oven or air fryer.
Nutrition
Each Oven Fried Chicken Sandwich contains 511 calories, 22 grams of fat, 42 grams of carbs, and 35 grams of protein.
Reheating & Storage
If you made extra chicken, don’t assemble the sandwiches just yet. Store the fried chicken breasts in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat, simply reheat in the air fryer, on the stove, or in an oven on a wire rack set into a baking sheet (use convect bake if you have it).
Once the chicken is reheated, then assemble your sandwiches to eat. The chicken will keep for 3-5 days.
AS ALWAYS, IF YOU MAKE THIS – PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!
Oven Fried Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts cut into half
- Salt and pepper to taste
Dry Dredge
- ¾ cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp paprika
Wet Dredge
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup skim milk
- 3 tbsp lowfat mayo
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Toppings
- 4 Potato buns
- 4 tbsp whipped butter
- Mayonnaise or your favorite sauce
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Pickle slices
Instructions
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Make sure your chicken breast is either cut in half or butterflied to make ½” thick pieces. Trim of any excess fat and pat dry – very important! Salt and pepper each side of chicken to taste.
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Prepare your dry dredge: mix all of the dry dredge ingredients above in a shallow bowl.
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Prepare your wet dredge: whisk all of the wet batter ingredients above in a shallow bowl, until well combined.
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Working from left to right, take your chicken and dredge into the dry batter, then into the wet, then back again into the dry batter. Then let it rest on a plate before cooking. Repeat with all the pieces of chicken. Spray all the chicken with cooking spray.
Cook the chicken:
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Oven method – set a wire rack into a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place all your chicken on the wire rack and bake for 20 minutes. Flip halfway through and spray the other side with cooking spray.
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Air fryer method – set your air fryer to 400 degrees. Put the chicken in the fryer basket, but don’t overcrowd – you’ll be working in batches. Cook it for 18-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
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Stove method – heat a large pan on med-high. When hot, add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes per side. Use cooking spray when necessary if things get dry.
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While the chicken is cooking, prep all your other ingredients. Brush melted butter onto the potato buns and toast under the broiler for 5 minutes. Add mayo to both sides of the bun. Slice your lettuce into thin shreds.
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Assemble the sandwiches: add the chicken to your bun and top with lettuce and pickles! You can get creative here and add whatever toppings you like as well!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you make this recipe or any others on Bite your Cravings, please leave a comment and a rating below! I’d also love to see and feature your delicious creations on my Instagram page, so post your recipes on social media and tag them with #biteyourcravings!
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