Skip the drive-through by easily making a delicious Crispy Chicken Sandwich at home. This recipe uses baked crispy chicken, so no need to mess with brining or oil and dinner is served in about 20 minutes, plus way cheaper than delivery!
You can’t go wrong with an easy warm sandwich for lunch or dinner, any time of year. Some other quick and easy crispy favorites of ours include this Shrimp Po’ Boy and these Fish Stick Tacos.
Cheater Crispy Chicken Sandwich Recipe
Seems like every fast food joint offers a crispy chicken sandwich now – from McDonald’s to Burger King, Wendy’s, Popeye’s, and of course KFC and Chick-fil-A. And honestly, they’re all pretty good.
But more times than not, I just make chicken sandwiches at home. Instead of deep frying the chicken, though, I cheat and bake up (or air fry!) some packaged frozen crispy chicken strips. And guess what? These crispy chicken sandwiches (along with beef and broccoli ramen, chicken pot pie noodles, and chicken alfredo) are seriously one of my family’s favorite easy meals, either for lunch or dinner. I make them all the time – they’re SO easy!
Why This Recipe Is So Great:
- Baked not fried. No deep frying and having your house stink like oil.
- No brine needed. No need to brine raw chicken.
- Ditch the thermometer. There’s no guessing if the chicken is cooked through.
- Quick and easy. Throw the chicken in the oven (or air fryer!), toast the buns, chop up some lettuce, and make some tartar sauce all in about 20 minutes. Done!
- Inexpensive. Making this recipe is considerably cheaper than hitting the drive through or having it delivered with tip.
- Great for a crowd. Having a big group over? This recipe is so easy to scale up and super quick to assemble.
- Tasty. They’re just really delicious!
Ingredients Needed
You’ll need just a few simple classic ingredients for this chicken sandwich recipe.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Chicken – Using frozen breaded chicken strips makes this recipe so quick and easy, less greasy, and with fewer calories! Foster Farms Crispy Chicken Strips or Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips are our preference and I always have them on hand so I can make these sandwiches in a pinch.
- Buns – Good quality hamburger buns. We’re partial to brioche buns since they have a deep golden color made with a touch of sweetness.
- Dill Pickles – Purchase sliced pickle chips or buy whole dill pickles and slice them thin.
- Lettuce – I personally think crisp Iceburg lettuce that’s shredded is the only way to go for a crunchy chicken sandwich, but you can certainly use whole lettuce leaves and a different type, like Romaine.
- Tomatoes and Onions – Sometimes I add these on, sometimes I don’t. I consider them a great addition, but definitely optional.
- Hot sauce (optional) – Consider having some Tabasco or Sriracha at the table so anyone can drizzle a bit on their sandwich if they like a touch of heat.
- Sauce – We love our homemade tartar sauce for these sandwiches. It’s really what makes them ultra delish, but store-bought is fine too. See other serving suggestions below.
Serving Suggestions
Don’t be shy with the sauce! I typically smother these chicken sandwiches with homemade tartar sauce, but topping them with some of our Chick-fil-A sauce, remoulade sauce, Thousand Island Dressing, honey sesame dressing, or even homemade Ranch dressing all work great. We also love them with a few dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, or our candied jalapeños which are amazing.
And don’t forget the sides. Like most sandwiches, these pair great with French fries, sweet potato fries, KFC coleslaw, macaroni salad, or pea salad.
More Tried and True Sandwich Recipes:
Oh, how I love a good sandwich! These sandwich recipes are always a hit with everyone.
- Reuben Sandwich
- Homemade Sloppy Joes
- Italian Chopped Sandwich
- Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Chopped Cheeseburgers
- Muffuletta Sandwich
- Oven Grilled Cheese
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Easy Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 24 ounce package frozen Foster Farms Crispy Chicken Strips (OR Tyson Crispy chicken strips)
- 8 brioche buns , split
- 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 32 dill pickle chips
- 1 cup homemade tartar sauce (or store bought)
Instructions
- Bake the chicken according to package directions until nice and crispy. Towards the last 5 minutes, place the bun halves on a baking sheet and place in the oven with the chicken to get toasty.
- Spread a good amount of tartar sauce on the inside of both sides of the buns (at least 2 tablespoons per sandwich.)
- On the bottom bun, lay down a mound of shredded lettuce.
- Place a chicken piece on top of the shredded lettuce (if you only have long chicken strips, slice it in half and lay them next to each other – a little overlapping is totally fine.)
- Top with 4 or so dill pickle chips.
- Place the top half bun on top of the chicken. Serve and enjoy!
