This Popeye’s spicy chicken sandwich copycat recipe is not so secretly delicious! It’s crispy, flavorful and lucky for us, fairy easy to make at home! My whole family loves the how this chicken turns out and since I am the spice lover in my house, I make this spicy for me with my Popeye’s copycat spicy mayo. I keep things not so spicy for the recipe of my crew and they are happy campers.
Jump to Recipe
I am a believer of flavor.
This recipe is pretty easy to make at home and I feel like it tastes even better than the restaurant version! I am a believer in big flavor and while this recipe is a copycat, I also add a little extra flavor and spice to mine, No one at my house is complaining, in fact, everyone at my house loves it more that the original.
Is this sandwich less expensive to make at home?
Making this recipe at home will honestly save you tons of money if you are feeding a family or group. There are 4 kids, me and a hubby at my house, so eating at the restaurant will easily set me back $40. I feel like you can make this recipe to serve 4-6 people for about the price of one and a half to two chicken sandwiches in the restaurant or $10, depending on the price of the chicken breast I buy.
I am all for grabbing this sandwich from the restaurant on busy days but if you have a day at home to whip this together, then it is worth your while. That means that I can keep an extra $30 in my own pocket, which I am all about!
How long should this chicken marinate?
The chicken can be marinated the day or night before for extra tenderness or you can marinate it quickly for 30 minutes before preparing your meal. It is marinated in a buttermilk marinade that helps insure that it stays super moist when it’s breaded up and fried to golden perfection.
What is the breading made of?
The flour coating is a mix of flour. cornstarch, salt and spices. This breading will help you to get the perfect crispiness that stays stuck to the chicken. I don’t do a normal breading process with the egg for this recipe, because I have found that to get the perfect coating of crispy breading, that stays put and isn’t too thick, I don’t need that whole process.
I take the chicken straight from the buttermilk marinade and dip it into the flour mixture, then back into the marinade quickly and then into the breading mixture again. It then gets fried up into golden perfection before going on the bun with some sliced pickles and spicy mayo.
Can this be made gluten free?
Yes! This chicken sandwich can easily be made gluten free. Use a gluten free baking mix in the place of the flour and in combination with the cornstarch for this recipe to make it gluten free. Serve on a gluten free bun or gluten free bread.
Can you air fry this chicken?
Yes! This chicken can also be spritzed with some cooking oil and cooked in an air fryer for those who don’t want a deep fried chicken patty for their chicken sandwich. You will need to bake it about 20 minutes on 400 F..
How do you make Popeye’s spicy mayo?
The spicy mayo could not be simpler! It’s 4 ingredients with an optional 5th ingredient which is hot sauce. I have tasted and re-tasted the Popeye’s spicy mayo and it doesn’t have the acidity that comes with hot sauce. So, if you want it true to their recipe then leave out the hot sauce. If you want it to taste even better than their sauce, in my opinion, then add a little hot sauce. I will add that as a optional ingredient down below.
What oil to use?
You can use any flavor neutral oil you like to fry with like vegetable, canola or peanut oil.
What temperature should the oil be?
I aim for ~350 F. for the best frying experience.
What if I don’t have buttermilk?
A buttermilk replacement is easy to make at home by adding 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to 2 cups of milk and stirring together.
What you need to make these Popeye’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich Copycat Recipe: (printable recipe card is below)
Makes ~5-6 chicken sandwiches
- ~1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts or 3-5 chicken breasts (depending on the size of each piece)
Buttermilk marinade:
- 2 cups buttermilk (or 2 cups milk and 2 tablespoons white vinegar mixed together)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- dash of chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Chicken breading:
- 1/2 cup flour or gluten free baking mix
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
Spicy mayo:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (reduce for a less spicy mayo, I personally like 1/2 teaspoon cayenne added)
- 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or hot sauce (optional)
For the chicken sandwiches:
- 5-6 brioche, potato or hamburger buns of choice
- Sliced pickles
Optional toppings:
- Bacon
- Cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomato
Instructions for Popeye’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich Copycat Recipe:
- Pound out chicken with a meat mallet or I use my rolling pin while the chicken is in a ziplock bag to avoid a mess. Pound until it is roughly a 1/2 inch thick. If chicken breasts are really thick, you can cut them in half horizontally and create 2 – 1/2 inch pieces of chicken. If a breast is really large when pounded out then you can cut it in half and create two chicken patties.
- Add all of the marinade ingredients into a ziplock bag or a large non-reactive bowl then add the chicken and make sure it gets nicely covered.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight if making ahead of time.
- Once ready to prepare the chicken, add all of the breading ingredients into a shallow pan or dish.
- Take the chicken from the marinade and dip into the breading mixture so all sides are coated.
- Dip back into the marinade mixture and then back into the breading mixture.
- Set aside while you prepare the oil for deep frying.
- Oil should be around 350 F., when it reaches that temperature then add the chicken and cook for roughly 10-15 minutes or until the center is cooked through or a meat thermometer reads 165 F. internally.
- Once all chicken is cooked through, prepare the spicy mayo by adding all of the ingredients together and mixing until smooth.
- Assemble by adding spicy mayo to the top and bottom of the bun and then adding pickle slices and the chicken.
- Optional toppings are bacon, cheese, lettuce or tomato.
- Enjoy!
If making in the air fryer:
- Spray the breaded chicken breasts with cooking spray on each side then bake for 20 minutes on 400 F. or until the internal temperature is 165 F.
Here are a few other recipes you may also enjoy:
Redneck Egg Rolls
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Stuffed Manicotti
Chicken Bacon Avocado Salad
Chicken Bubble Biscuit Bake
Popeye’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- ~1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts or 3-5 chicken breasts depending on the size of each piece
For the buttermilk marinade:
- 2 cups buttermilk or 2 cups milk and 2 tablespoons white vinegar mixed together
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- dash of chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the breading:
- 1/2 cup flour or gluten free baking mix
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
For spicy mayo:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper reduce for a less spicy mayo, I personally like 1/2 teaspoon cayenne added
- 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or hot sauce optional
For the sandwiches:
- 5 brioche potato or hamburger buns of choice
- sliced pickles
Optional toppings:
- Bacon
- Cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomato
Instructions
- Pound out chicken with a meat mallet or I use my rolling pin while the chicken is in a ziplock bag to avoid a mess. Pound until it is roughly a 1/2 inch thick. If chicken breasts are really thick, you can cut them in half horizontally and create 2 – 1/2 inch pieces of chicken. If a breast is really large when pounded out then you can cut it in half and create two chicken patties.
- Add all of the marinade ingredients into a ziplock bag or a large non-reactive bowl then add the chicken and make sure it gets nicely covered.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight if making ahead of time.
- Once ready to prepare the chicken, add all of the breading ingredients into a shallow pan or dish.
- Take the chicken from the marinade and dip into the breading mixture so all sides are coated.
- Dip back into the marinade mixture and then back into the breading mixture.
- Set aside while you prepare the oil for deep frying.
- Oil should be around 350 F., when it reaches that temperature then add the chicken and cook for roughly 10-15 minutes or until the center is cooked through or a meat thermometer reads 165 F. internally.
- Once all chicken is cooked through, prepare the spicy mayo by adding all of the ingredients together and mixing until smooth.
- Assemble by adding spicy mayo to the top and bottom of the bun and then adding pickle slices and the chicken.
- Optional toppings are bacon, cheese, lettuce or tomato.
- Enjoy!
Instructions for an air fryer:
- Spray chicken breasts with cooking oil on each side and cook on 400 F. for 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 165 F.