Everyone has that Sunday afternoon realization. You’re craving that specific, salty, pickle-brined crunch, and then it hits you: the lights are off, the drive-thru is blocked by orange cones, and the cows are winning. It’s Sunday.
Finding a Chick Fil A knock off chicken sandwich used to feel like a culinary conspiracy theory. People whispered about pickle juice on Reddit threads or swore that a specific pressure cooker was the only way to mimic that "pressure-fried" texture. Honestly, most of those early home-kitchen attempts were pretty bad. They were too greasy, the breading fell off, or they tasted more like a standard cafeteria patty than the real deal. But the landscape has shifted. You don’t actually have to be a professional fry cook to get close anymore because major food brands and grocery chains have essentially reverse-engineered the recipe for us.
The Secret Isn't Just the Pickle Juice
If you ask a casual fan why that sandwich tastes the way it does, they’ll yell "pickle juice brine!" at you before you can finish the question. They aren't wrong, but they're only about 40% right. Chick-Fil-A’s actual ingredients list—which is public, by the way—doesn't explicitly list "pickle juice" as a brine. Instead, it lists a brine consisting of water, seasoning (sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate), and fruit acids.
MSG is the heavy hitter here.
Most people trying to make a Chick Fil A knock off chicken sandwich at home skip the MSG because of outdated health myths. If you want that umami punch that keeps you coming back for another bite, you need it. You also need powdered sugar in the breading. That subtle sweetness that balances the salt? That’s the sugar caramelizing in the oil.
Then there is the peanut oil. Most home cooks reach for vegetable or canola oil because it’s cheaper and already in the pantry. Big mistake. Peanut oil has a high smoke point and a distinct, neutral-yet-rich profile that defines the fast-food giant's flavor. If you aren't frying in peanut oil, you're just making a standard chicken sandwich. It won't have that specific "fast food" aromatic quality.
Grocery Store Shortcuts That Actually Work
Let's talk about the "Just Bare" phenomenon. A few years ago, Costco shoppers started losing their minds over a brand called Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks. It went viral on TikTok because people realized that when you put these nuggets in an air fryer, they taste almost identical to the Chick-Fil-A counterpart.
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The brand eventually released a full fillet version.
If you're looking for the easiest Chick Fil A knock off chicken sandwich, buying the Just Bare fillets is the gold standard. You skip the flour mess. You skip the raw chicken handling. You just pop them in the air fryer at 400°F for about 12 to 15 minutes.
Sam’s Club jumped on this trend too. Their Member’s Mark Southern Style Chicken Sandwich comes in a box of ten and even includes the foil bags. It’s almost eerie how close they got the seasoning. They use a dill-pickle-flavored breading, which shortcuts the brining process entirely. While some purists argue the breading is a bit thicker than the original, when you’re hungry on a Sunday at 2:00 PM, the difference is negligible.
Aldi fans have their own champion: the "Red Bag Chicken." Officially labeled as Kirkwood Breaded Chicken Fillets, these have a cult following. They are notoriously sweeter than the Sam's Club version, which aligns well with the "powdered sugar in the breading" trick the original chain uses.
The Bun and the Butter
People focus so much on the meat that they ruin the sandwich with the wrong bread. You cannot use a standard sesame seed bun. It’s too crusty. You need a buttery, soft brioche or a high-quality potato roll.
Martin’s Potato Rolls are the industry standard for a reason.
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But here is the step everyone misses: the "dry" toast. You don't just put the bun in a toaster. You melt a generous amount of salted butter in a pan and swirl the bun in it until it's golden brown. Chick-Fil-A uses a butter-flavored vegetable oil spread on their buns, but at home, real butter actually tastes better. The bun should be so soft it almost collapses when you pick up the sandwich.
Solving the Sauce Mystery
A Chick Fil A knock off chicken sandwich is incomplete without the sauce. For years, the recipe was a "secret," though most employees would tell you it’s just a mix of honey mustard, BBQ sauce, and ranch.
In 2020, the company started selling their sauce in 16-ounce bottles at grocery stores like Target and Walmart. This changed the game. There is no longer a reason to try to "fake" the sauce with 14 different ingredients in a bowl. You just buy the bottle.
However, if you’re a fan of the Polynesian sauce, that one is harder to find in stock. A quick "pro tip" for the DIY version: mix a cup of Catalina salad dressing with a tablespoon of honey and a splash of apple cider vinegar. It hits those high-fructose, tangy notes perfectly.
The Pressure Cooker Myth vs. Reality
One of the biggest hurdles for the home cook is the "pressure fryer." Chick-Fil-A uses Henny Penny pressure fryers. These machines cook the chicken under pressure, which keeps the moisture locked inside while the outside gets crispy.
Do not—under any circumstances—try to deep fry in a standard home pressure cooker like an Instant Pot. You will turn your kitchen into a localized explosion.
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To get that juicy interior at home without a commercial pressure fryer, you have to use a "reverse sear" logic or a very specific frying temperature.
- Brine your chicken in a mix of pickle juice and milk for at least 4 hours. The acidity of the pickle juice breaks down the fibers, while the calcium in the milk helps tenderize.
- Coat in a flour mixture that includes salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and that crucial powdered sugar.
- Fry at 325°F. Most people fry too hot (350°F or 375°F). Frying at a slightly lower temperature for a longer period (about 6-7 minutes) allows the chicken to cook through without burning the sugar in the breading.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
There are a few ways this goes sideways. First, using chicken breasts that are too thick. If your chicken breast looks like a football, it won't cook evenly. You have to butterfly the breast or pound it down to a consistent half-inch thickness. This ensures the breading-to-meat ratio is correct.
Second, the pickles. Do not use bread and butter pickles. They are too sweet. You need crinkle-cut dill chips. Specifically, you want them cold. Putting cold pickles on a hot chicken breast creates a temperature contrast that is essential to the experience.
Third, the "soggy bottom." If you put the sauce directly on the bottom bun and then wait five minutes to eat, the bun will disintegrate. Apply a thin layer of butter to both sides of the toasted bun to create a moisture barrier before adding your sauce and chicken.
Why "Close Enough" is Usually Better
Honestly, trying to make an exact 1:1 replica of a Chick Fil A knock off chicken sandwich is a massive undertaking. Between the MSG, the specific peanut oil, and the pressure frying, you’re looking at a lot of cleanup.
This is why the "Grocery Store Remix" has become the preferred method for experts.
If you use the Member's Mark or Just Bare fillets, Martin’s Potato Rolls, and the actual branded sauce from the store, you are 95% of the way there. That final 5% is mostly the experience of someone saying "my pleasure" to you at the window.
Actionable Steps for your Sunday Craving:
- The Meat: Buy Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets (Costco) or Member's Mark Southern Style Chicken (Sam's Club).
- The Prep: Air fry the fillets at 400°F. Do not microwave them. Microwaving turns the breading into a sponge.
- The Bun: Use Martin’s Potato Rolls. Toast them in a pan with salted butter until the edges are slightly dark.
- The Assembly: Two dill pickle chips on the bottom bun. Chicken on top. Sauce on the top bun.
- The Steam: This is the "secret" step. Once the sandwich is assembled, wrap it in foil for 60 seconds. This allows the heat from the chicken to slightly steam the bun, giving it that soft, authentic fast-food texture.
By following this specific assembly line, you bypass the mess of deep frying while achieving a result that’s better than most other fast-food options anyway. You get the crunch, the salt, and the satisfaction of beating the Sunday closure.