Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Copycat (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Fried Chicken

01 - 360 ml buttermilk
02 - 2 small skinless chicken breasts (approximately 140 g each)
03 - 120 g plain flour
04 - 24 g cornstarch
05 - 8 g smoked paprika
06 - 4 g garlic powder
07 - 4 g onion powder
08 - 8 g salt

→ Frying

09 - 480 ml neutral oil for frying

→ Spicy Mayo

10 - 160 g mayonnaise
11 - 30 ml hot sauce

→ Assembly

12 - 2 brioche buns, lightly toasted
13 - 60 ml pickle chips

# Instructions:

01 - Pour buttermilk into a baking dish and submerge chicken breasts, ensuring full coverage. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
02 - In another dish, combine flour, cornstarch, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Whisk until evenly incorporated.
03 - Drizzle a few spoonfuls of the buttermilk marinade into the flour mixture and gently stir to produce a textured coating.
04 - Remove chicken breasts from marinade and sprinkle lightly with salt. Coat each piece thoroughly in seasoned flour mixture, pressing gently for adherence.
05 - Transfer dredged chicken to a wire rack over a baking tray. Let stand 15–20 minutes to help the coating set.
06 - Heat oil in a large deep skillet to 175°C, ensuring approximately 7.5 cm depth for frying.
07 - Carefully lower chicken breasts into hot oil; fry for 5–6 minutes. Gently flip and continue frying an additional 4–5 minutes, until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 74°C.
08 - Remove fried chicken to a clean rack and season lightly with salt while hot.
09 - Whisk mayonnaise and hot sauce in a bowl until well-blended.
10 - Lightly toast brioche buns. Optionally, spread a small amount of mayonnaise on the cut sides and toast mayonnaise-side down for extra flavor.
11 - Spread spicy mayo on each bun. Layer pickle chips on the bottom bun, top with a piece of fried chicken, then crown with the top bun. Gently press and serve immediately.

# Notes:

01 - Allow the breaded chicken to rest before frying for optimum adhesion and crispiness.
02 - For homemade buttermilk, combine 1 teaspoon lemon juice with 240 ml dairy milk and let rest for 1 minute.
03 - Adjust spiciness by adding hot sauce to the buttermilk marinade or seasoning flour with cayenne pepper.
04 - Fried chicken can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated at 190°C for 10 minutes to preserve texture.
05 - Spicy mayo can be prepared up to 1 week in advance and stored refrigerated in an airtight container.

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