Chick-fil-A Grilled Chicken Recipe [Copycat]

This copycat Chick-fil-A grilled chicken sandwich is like wearing your favorite pair of jeans, you just feel good eating it.

With just a simple buttermilk and dill pickle juice marinade, you can create the signature tangy flavor you love, making this the perfect go-to dinner option on chicken night.

You won't believe how much flavor our simple spice mix adds. Try either grilling or pan frying this chicken for equally satisfying results.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Storage
• Top tip
• FAQ
• Related
• Pairing
• Recipe
• Food safety

Ingredients

Marinade

• Boneless skinless chicken breast
• Dairy or dairy-free milk 
• Vinegar or lemon juice
• Pickle juice

Chicken Seasoning Spice Mix

• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• Salt & pepper

Assembling

• Olive oil cooking spray
• Brioche burger buns
• Lettuce
• Large tomatoes

See recipe card for quantities.

Top Ingredient Tip

• You don't need actual buttermilk for the marinade.
  • We use 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice per 1 cup of any type of milk (dairy or plant based) to create a buttermilk. You can use white or apple cider vinegar.
  • Buttermilk is an ideal marinade because the acidity tenderizes the chicken while also adding a tangy flavor.

Instructions

Marinate The Chicken

1. Trim excess fat off the chicken breasts.
2. Cut each chicken breast in half, into roughly ¼ lb portions.
3. Pound the chicken until it is even and around ¼" thick and place it in your marinating container.
4. In a small bowl, combine the milk, lemon juice (or vinegar) and dill pickle juice.
5. Add the marinade to a glass container or Ziploc bag, seal it, and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (30 min minimum, the longer the better).

Cook The Chicken

1. Mix the spices, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
2. Preheat a grill or pan to medium-high heat. If cooking in a pan, test whether it's hot enough by dropping a few drops of water on it. If the water dances around, it's ready, if it evaporates quickly, give it a few more minutes.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and let the excess marinade drip off. 
4. Season the chicken and press the spice mixture onto the chicken so it sticks and you fully cover each breast.
5. Grill or pan fry the chicken until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side (the internal temperature should be 165 F).

6. Lightly spray the inside of the buns with olive oil cooking spray and grill until just toasted.

Assemble & Serve

1. Build the sandwiches in order bottom to top: brioche base, a dollop of your favorite sauce, lettuce, two thin slices of tomato, a piece of chicken, another dollop of your favorite sauce, and finally the brioche lid.
   • We usually opt to use light mayo, but check out other great sauce options.
2. Serve with a side of our homemade waffle fries or oven baked sweet potato fries.

Cooking & Assembling Tips

• The secret to the best tasting chicken is in the marinade. Don't skip this step. For the best flavor and texture, we recommend marinating for 3-4 hours (or even overnight).
• The buttermilk marinade also coats the chicken which prevents it from drying out when cooking.
  • Before discovering this secret weapon, we cooked our fair share of dry chicken that you have to drench in sauce. Don't let this happen to you and try the marinade!
• We prefer topping this with light mayonnaise. In true Chick-fil-A style, try it with a sweet BBQ sauce like honey roasted BBQ sauce or honey mustard dipping sauce.

Substitutions

• Gluten free - Use a gluten free bun, and ensure all spices are free from fillers containing gluten.
• Vegan - Swap the chicken breast for your favorite brand of firm tofu. Be sure to score the tofu before marinating so it soaks up the marinade. You can also check out this grilled tofu recipe on Love and Lemons for cooking delicious grilled tofu.
• Lower calorie - Try Natures Own Butter Buns, at 140 calories each, these are a tasty option with fewer calories than a traditional brioche bun. Also, opt for light mayonnaise as your sauce of choice.

Variations

• Higher protein
  • Make it a double and add two pieces of chicken to your sandwich. Each additional piece of chicken adds 24 g of protein and only about 130 calories.
  • Key macro comparison:
    • Single - 275 calories - 30 g protein - 5 g fat - 27 g carbs
    • Double - 405 calories - 54 g protein - 8 g fat - 27 g carbs
• Spicy - Mix in black pepper or cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon at a time to the spice mix to raise the heat level. Black pepper tends to provide a mild heat, and cayenne pepper really dials it up. Use whatever spice you prefer.
• Deluxe - Go full send and add a slice of your favorite cheese like cheddar or Colby jack, bacon, and grilled white onions.
• Kid friendly - Use slider buns to serve as mini-sandwiches.

Storage

Make ahead - We recommend marinating the chicken early on the day you are cooking (or even the night before), but it's best to cook the chicken right before serving.

Leftovers - Once cooled, store leftover chicken in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days. We recommend storing the chicken separately and assembling the subsequent sandwiches at the time of eating to ensure the ingredients are as fresh as possible.

Freeze - You can freeze leftover chicken breasts in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

Reheating

• We recommend reheating in an oven or air fryer to reheat without drying the chicken out. Preheat an oven or air fryer to 350 F.
  • For the oven, place the chicken on a pan with a wire rack, and add water to the pan. Place aluminum foil over the top and cook for about 15 min, or until reheated throughout.
  • If using an air fryer, just place the chicken in the air fryer and cook for 3 minutes on each side, flipping the chicken after the first side has cooked.

FAQ

Related

Keep changing up your dinner routine, these recipes are here to save you from another night of cereal (no judgement, we've all been there).

Pairing

No Chick-fil-A sandwich is complete without waffle fries, it’s like the ice to your T, they just go together.

If you want to change it up, try serving this with baked sweet potato fries, a side garden salad, or fresh grilled vegetables.

This chicken sandwich is a weeknight staple for us, so if we don't have waffle fries on hand, we keep our backup option sides as simple as possible to save time.

We love making this grilled chicken sandwich, especially when we are craving fast food. It's a healthier alternative that just makes us feel good. Plus it's packed full of that familiar Chick-fil-A flavor but made with simple ingredients.

There's no lab engineered additives going on here, just a perfectly seasoned, great tasting, good vibes grilled chicken sandwich.

So go get your grill on! And don't forget to leave us a rating and a comment. We love your stories and sharing the experience of cooking and eating good food with you.

Recipe

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 F (74 C) by inserting a food thermometer into the middle of the thickest part of the chicken breast.
• Check out other food safety preparation basics if you are new to cooking (especially chicken) or want a refresher.