We are always on the hunt for new dinners that the kids will love, and these Baked Crispy Chicken Sandwiches are such a treat! I’ve been wanting to create this recipe for ages… so happy to share it with you guys today.
I’ve had this in my recipe test book for some time now – I mean, like a few years (sad but true). What took me so long? This is comfort food at its finest my friends. It’s easy to make, healthier than the deep fried version, and makes the most delicious fun meal that the whole family loves!
Re-working family favourite meals to make them healthier is my jam. I’d love to hear what some of your most nostalgic recipes are, are there any you want me to put a bit of a healthier spin on? Let me know in the comments below!
Crispy Chicken Burger Toppings
We chose to keep it simple with the toppings for our Crispy Chicken Sandwiches: mayo, lettuce and pickles! I love Cactus Club and this is a recipe you could easily turn into their Famous Crispy Chicken Sandwich (sorry not sorry). Just add some cheese and tomato along with your mayo and pickles! Add a little bit of sriracha for some heat if you wish: so good! You could also try making a simple slaw to go along with these burgers, the possibilities are endless.
These sandwiches are filling on their own but what’s a sandwich without sides?? You could take this one of two ways. This Blueberry Spinach Salad is one that’s really easy to throw together while your chicken bakes in the oven, but I have soooo many salad recipes linked here (including a killer potato salad)! If you prefer fries as a side these Crispy Oven Fries are one of our go to’s.
Make these gluten free by simply substitute gluten free versions of the Panko, flour (use a 1:1 gluten free flour) and the buns. If you are pressed for time simply skip the step where you soak the chicken in buttermilk they are still delicious!
Baked Crispy Chicken Sandwiches
Baked Crispy Chicken Sandwiches
A spin on a classic, these Baked Crispy Chicken Sandwiches are a perfect family friendly meal! you can skip the step of soaking it in buttermilk (and omit that mixture completely) if you are pressed for time.
Ingredients
Chicken Ingredients:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts* (thighs work too)
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Flour Mixture:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Egg Mixture:
- 3 eggs, well beaten
Panko Mixture:
- 2 cups panko crumbs
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken (optional)
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Place all of the chicken ingredients in a large re-sealable plastic bag, seal it, shake the bag to mix and place it in the refrigerator overnight or 12-24 hours.
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Remove the chicken from the fridge and bring it to room temperature before cooking.
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Preheat the oven to 400F and place a wire baking rack or piece of parchment paper on top of a large baking sheet.
Prepare the Breading
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Make the Panko mixture. In a large frying pan heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil from the panko mixture on medium heat. Mix all of the remaining panko mixture ingredients together in a shallow bowl or pie plate and pour them into the pan. Stir constantly until the panko is lightly toasted and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Pour the mixture back into the original shallow bowl or pie plate.
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In a separate medium shallow bowl or pie plate whisk the eggs together until well-beaten.
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In another shallow bowl or pie plate combine the flour mixture ingredients together well.
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Using your hands, take a piece of chicken from the buttermilk, coat it on both sides in the flour mixture shaking off the excess.
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Next coat each piece with the egg mixture and finish by pressing each side into the panko mixture, shaking off the excess. Place the piece of chicken on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces, being careful not to make them touch. Once the pieces are all coated and placed on the prepared sheet, place the pan in the oven and bake until they are golden brown, approximately 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F.
Recipe Notes
*If your chicken breasts are very thick pound them out slightly in the thickest spots with a rolling pin or meat pounder until they are more even.
I made these for my family and myself and they did not disappoint! So so good. Definitely pound out your chicken breasts if they’re too thick as I didn’t and they were a little too THICK LOL. I also added some hot sauce cause I like some extra kick. Would totally make again!
Hot sauce would be great! Thanks for leaving a review Nichole!
My husband said I need to make this every week! And he is super picky with his ‘fried’ chicken.
So happy he enjoyed it Jude!
These look amazing!! Going to try them out this weekend!
I hope you love them Sabrina – please let me know if you try them! Tori
Tried these tonight! My family loved them! 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to share that Aida I appreciate it!! Tori
How big our your chicken breasts (by weight)? Generally they come in packs of 2 here (~1lb total) which seems like plenty for 4 sandwiches. A whole breast would be much larger than a roll. Thanks for your guidance!
Hi Kristie, yes that sounds like it would be plenty for 4 sandwiches!
Just made and ate these! Turned out delicious. I was a bit discouraged when my flour mixture started getting clumpy and sticky so next time I’ll sprinkle it on instead of dropping the chicken in it. But was so good! Everyone enjoyed and such a great combo with the lettuce and pickles! Thank you!
I’ve tried other oven “fried” chicken recipes and this is by far the best. Everyone liked it and it didn’t take all that long to make. Thanks so much!
That’s awesome Lina so happy you like it! Tori
Would marinating them for only a handful of hours be ok? Or should you just skip that step?
This is quite possibly the best chicken sandwich I’ve ever had!! and so easy to make!! I didn’t have time to marinate the chicken but next time I will and I can only imagine how much better they could be!! I’m going use this recipe next time I make chicken parm too.
Huge hit with my family of 4 (two Teenage boys)! Best baked chicken I have had! Tastes so good they couldn’t believe it wasn’t deep fried! Thank you!
Thank you Bobbi that is awesome! So happy they loved it and thank you for taking the time to rate the recipe!
I just made these beauties and they are so, so delicious! Thank you for such a great, easy to follow recipe. Going in to the rotation for sure.
Thanks Sue that’s so awesome! I appreciate you taking the time to rate the recipe!
Has anyone made this with an air fryer instead of the oven? Was going to try it out this week, but trying to determine temp & time in the air fryer.
Could you use cauliflower (stakes, slices) in place of chicken for a meat-free option? If, yes would you bake/roast for the same amount of time depending on thickness of the slice (ie: 1 inch thick)?
Hey Heather! We have a cauliflower option for this exact recipe. Try it out here! Tori
Thank you!
Is there a dairy free option for the buttermilk?
I just use our regular almond milk and it turns out great.
Utterly divine! I’ve made these twice now and it’s well worth the procedure. I’m passing it along to friends and family now!
Yay! Thanks so much Natalie. That’s great to hear! Tori
Made this tonight along with the creamy dill potato salad. Yummy! My husband thought the chicken would be dried out but it was perfectly moist and tender inside. I’ve used buttermilk in the past and it makes a difference.
I’ve made this several times (it has become a regular recipe in our rotations) but I will say that the first time I made it, we found them too thick to bite into. The second time I pounded them out a bit to help, and it did but they were still very large chicken breasts for a hamburger bun so we cut them in half and it fed 4 people twice as we had leftovers for lunch the next day. I then tried butterflying them so that I had two entire flat halves of the chicken breast and then if they are still large we cut them in half after cooking.
We’ve found this to be the best way to get a manageable size. Of course this all depends on what size the chicken breasts you can get. Otherwise, this is a great recipe. Making it again tonight!
Making these for the second time tonight! This was by far the best recipe for breaded chicken I have come across. Love the healthier spin on it. Was a huge hit with the whole family.
Ashley! Thank you so much for such an amazing review! I really appreciate it. I love hearing it was such a hit! xx Tori