Chick-Fil-A Copycat (Original Chick-Fil-Gay Sandwich)

If you’ve been dreaming of a way to make your very own junky fast-food-that’ll-kill-ya at HOME, today is your lucky day with this Chick-Fil-A copycat recipe! Here is Chick-Fil-A’s secret recipe* and my secret* home-frying technique,  because unlike those chicken behemoths, CFA and KFC, we little people don’t have pressure fryers in our kitchens.

To make it “just like” CFA, serve on a buttered, toasted white bun with two (only TWO) slices of dill pickle. Those very cheap, slightly yellowish “hamburger dills” work the best in  my opinion, for the juice marinade and the pickles themselves.

(And for the confirmed pickle-haters who’ve expressed concern over the chicken tasting pickle-y, fret not! Numerous commenters have agreed that the final product does not taste like pickles. Instead, the pickle juice marinade just makes the chicken really juicy (and salty). If you’re still skeptical, please skim the comments on this post; there are several substitutions offered for pickle juice!)

You can totally make this into nuggets, too! Just cut the chicken into smaller pieces, marinate 20-30 minutes, continue as directed. Fry 1-2 minutes on each side.

the unfathomably controversial Chick-Fil-Gay video (scroll down for recipe)

Chick-Fil-A Copycat Recipe

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Chick-Fil-A Copycat

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 157 reviews

  • Author: Hilah Johnson
  • Prep Time: 40 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1/4 cup pickle juice (sour dill is my favorite)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
  • Optional: up to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper for a spicy sandwich
  • Oil for frying (about a cup)
  • For serving: Buns (buttered and toasted) and pickle slices!

Instructions

  1. Wrap the chicken loosely between plastic wrap and pound gently with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until about 1/2 inch thick all around.
  2. Cut into two pieces, as even as possible.
  3. Marinate in the pickle juice for 30 minutes to one hour (add a teaspoon of Tabasco sauce now for a spicy sandwich).
  4. Beat the egg with the milk in a bowl.
  5. Combine the flour, sugar, and spices in another bowl.
  6. Dip the chicken pieces each into the egg on both sides, then coat in flour on both sides.
  7. Heat the oil in a skillet (1/2 inch deep) to about 345-350.
  8. Fry each cutlet for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through.
  9. Blot on paper and serve on toasted buns with pickle slices.

Notes

I’ve used peanut oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, and grapeseed oil all with fine results. Peanut oil is what CFA uses, but don’t use that if anyone has a peanut allergy.

Also, if you’d prefer to bake: substitute bread crumbs (Panko if you got em) for the flour and coat as directed. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

*Not exactly, but pretty close!

For answers to some commonly asked questions about this recipe, watch the Chick-fil-Gay follow-up video.

597 Comments

  1. Great Stone Face on June 18, 2012 at 1:17 pm

    Looks great! We definitely will have to try this recipe. I understand your distaste for MSG. I never use the stuff.

    By the way, do you know how MSG was discovered? Here is an article on the subject by one of my favorite writers.






      • Hilah on June 18, 2012 at 2:10 pm

        AHAHAHA! What a fascinating story! 🙂

        • Ruben on July 19, 2012 at 3:00 pm

          I’m pretty sure that story is untrue/mythology. All accounts I could find have it discovered in 1906 in Japan.

          What’s with the hate on MSG? It’s chemically separated from a naturally occurring and prevalent substance, glutamate, and is a completely benign method to greatly enhance deliciousness. Americans think it’s terrible for you because of some medical journal article that went viral and turned into the baseless “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.”

          Check the wikipedia entry on MSG or this article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2005/jul/10/foodanddrink.features3

          • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 5:30 pm

            Ha! Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was made up, too, Ruben. 😉

            I don’t really have a problem with MSG itself, but more the (as I see it) over-usage of it in fast food and processed, packaged food that contributes to over-eating by making it taste better than it is. I really don’t know if there’s been a study on that correlation – it might be my own theory – but I’d be curious to find out.

            Thanks for writing and for sharing that article. It’s a good read.



          • Lars on July 19, 2012 at 9:17 pm

            I actually like MSG. Yes, a small number of people are allergic to it–but not the vast majority. Glutamate=Umame as far as taste goes, and although umame is similar to salt, it’s not quite the same.



          • Nicole on July 24, 2012 at 1:02 pm

            MSG is terrible, Ruben. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a few years ago, which was causing me a pretty decent bit of pain. A little online research later, I learned that it is entirely controllable through diet. The worst trigger for fibromyalgia pain is MSG. When I stopped eating it, the pain went away entirely. The Chick-fil-A sandwich was possibly what I missed the most, so I’m very happy to find this recipe! I can’t wait to make it.



          • Eve-Marie Hughes on July 25, 2012 at 12:46 am

            For me, with chronic migraines and fibromyalgia, MSG is a major trigger. It also makes my hands and feet swell – very bad for a person who already has high bloodpressure. Yes, foods that are made with it taste better – I really miss all of my flavored chips and dips, and am tired of having to read labels on every can or box I want to buy. The migraine and screaming muscle pain just isn’t worth it to me.



          • Common Sensamilia on July 28, 2012 at 10:54 pm

            If it doesn’t grow in the ground, or graze from the ground… don’t eat it.



          • Joe on March 8, 2013 at 12:33 am

            Our bodies naturally produce about 40 grams of glutimate every day. (Human) mother’s milk is LOADED with naturally occurring glutimate. I don’t doubt that there is a mind-body link in what we eat and experienced symptoms, but I suggest people conduct double-blind experiments with their food. They’ll probably come to surprising conclusions.



          • Dana on July 8, 2017 at 12:52 pm

            I know someone who gets migraines from it. He’ll get sick from it when he hasn’t realized he’s eating it, too, so it’s not all in his head. And it ISN’T “naturally separated” from glutamate or it wouldn’t have sodium in it. Glutamate’s an amino acid, and does not naturally contain sodium.



          • Caliban on June 9, 2018 at 4:00 pm

            I actually use MSG in some things things (Accent), but I never say I do. In all my years of cooking I’ve never had a single person have a bad reaction, even when they are the type of people who complain a LOT about MSG in Chinese food. Drama Queens! 99% of them!



          • Marty on June 4, 2019 at 7:51 pm

            It doesn’t affect me much differently than excess salt does, but my wife get seriously ill even over small amounts of MSG.

            It’s not a myth that it’s bad for you. Worse than iodized salt. Probably as bad as high fructose corn syrup. Our bodies aren’t meant to eat so much processed foods.



          • Barbara on March 16, 2020 at 1:54 am

            When I was a child, I recognized the taste of msg. Of course, I didn’t k ow what msg was. I also recognized that my hands would swell up. I stopped eating things with that “taste.” Even Ranch Dressing! Now at 60, I am thrilled when a package reads “no msg”.



          • Kim on July 17, 2020 at 1:22 pm

            Here in Florida we have a ton of Spanish grocery markets and they sell MSG in bags or in bulk bags



          • Amanda Joyner on July 20, 2020 at 9:25 am

            Yes,MSG may be benign to many,however anyone like myself that suffers from any type of neurological disorder,such as MS, migraines, ADHD,msg is not your friend. Yes,it’s a natural occuring compound, however many companies add amounts that are much greater than you would find naturally occurring. Most fast foods and processed foods add it as it is a very cheap flavor enhancer. So as it does not affect everyone the same,those with many different disorders,not just neurological,cannot consume it without paying for up to days later.



          • Tomy on October 24, 2021 at 4:21 pm

            MSG gives me severe headaches



          • David on November 16, 2021 at 11:28 am

            My ex has bad gastro issues with it. There’s something to it…



          • Stacie on September 26, 2022 at 1:39 pm

            Because my face breaks out in a very serious way!



          • Juliann Fortune on June 6, 2023 at 9:28 am

            My mother was severely allergic to MSG. It was in some boxed flavored crackers and it killed her after her 5th allergic reaction. I will never use it and will discourage its useage!



        • Frederick on December 27, 2020 at 7:07 pm

          If you research true history msg is an American racist thing against Chinese I don’t know if Japaneseeven use. Just like cannabis and black and Latin reefer madness. Actually Accent is pure monosodium glutamate its really just salt and reactions are very rare. It took off late 70’s people saying hold the msg on Chinese take out

          • Wiseacre on October 9, 2021 at 6:16 pm

            You are right. Many people want to blame their problems on something tangible when they don’t like the medical evidence and scientific explanations. No, MSG is not inherently bad for the majority of human consumption. Neither are peanuts. But if you have an allergy, yeah, maybe avoid. But don’t tell others to in blanket terms. It is racist in that it’s mostly been anecdotally linked to Asian foods and Asian people. Just not true.








          • Deborah on December 27, 2021 at 8:57 am

            Frederick, I can’t use MSG (causes extremely bad migraines that last for days – and pain killers do not help) and for you to say it’s due to racism is utterly absurd! MSG also increases blood pressure (not a good thing) too. Companies like Chick-fil-A and KFC apparently haven’t found a way to create their famous chicken without MSG so of course, being the huge companies that they are, they defend the use of it. All I know is that when I consume either of their [delicious] chicken, I end up feeling extremely bad with a migraine that lasts for at least three days. Not even slightly worth the few minutes of happiness that my tastebuds experienced. Btw, same with Taco Bell as they use MSG too. I should also note that in Europe, they haven’t used MSG or artificial sweeteners (another headache trigger) for many years because they know the problems those additives cause (I’m originally from Europe so I know this firsthand). Here in America, many people choose to consume things they know are bad for them and then they wonder why they feel bad and/or worse, develop serious illnesses/diseases. Ignorance is not bliss. And stop blaming everything on racism. Sadly, racism is a huge problem, but not the reason for every single thing that some of us speak up against. My best friend just so happens to be Japanese. PS- for those of you who are seeing this and have discovered MSG bothers them, you should know that it has many different names, so companies and restaurants can cleverly state “we don’t use MSG” but actually still use it. I found this out the hard way. Google “other names for MSG” and carry that list with you so you can check when you go out to eat.



        • Richard on October 16, 2022 at 12:56 pm

          Can I substitute air frying instead of oil frying and get similar crispy results?

          • Hilah on October 19, 2022 at 8:32 pm

            Probably, but I’ve never tried it.



          • Kelly on September 29, 2023 at 1:36 pm

            I was hoping that’s an option with good results. I’m going to try tonight! I’ll let you know



        • Phillip on September 4, 2023 at 8:59 am

          Hilah, your recipe is perfect! I do alter to my taste a little but for years I have tried to develop a Spicy chicken sandwich that is crispy, juicy and tender just like chic fil a. Now I can make my own delicious sandwich thanks to you, and it is actually better than the original chik fil a
          Thank You!

      • S Short on October 23, 2020 at 1:27 pm

        I Made this recipe but added extra paprika, cayenne and poultry seasoning. It came out just like chic fil a and much more affordable. Thank you!! Delicious!






        • Cat on March 1, 2023 at 9:49 am

          Nope – you made your recipe, not hers.

          • Sam on July 18, 2023 at 2:46 am

            …ok?



      • Nakoa on June 8, 2022 at 8:14 am

        Great recipe! I’d add about some more cayenne if you want heat. I added 1 tsp to what the recipe recommended. Love it so much!






      • Jeff on September 17, 2022 at 3:05 pm

        About as close as one can get. Very good!






    • ANDRADE on June 27, 2012 at 9:44 am

      OI
      VC AI SINTA MEU ABRAÇO DE AMIGO DE CORAÇAO NO CORAÇAO!!
      São maravilhosas suas atividades, Desejo sucesso sempre pois dá água na boca!

    • Cheryl L on February 3, 2013 at 8:31 pm

      Amazing. I mean A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I may never eat out again. Easy to make and taste like heaven. Even my picky eater inhaled it. Thanks for this recipe.






    • WayneH on April 9, 2018 at 11:09 am

      Thanks for the reminder. I added MSG to the flour.

    • Maribeth on July 5, 2018 at 9:40 am

      Thank you so much for this recipe!! It’s really close to the original and in my humble opinion, just as good! I used a little extra hot sauce and cayenne because I like it extra spicy.

      • Kenya on April 26, 2019 at 2:55 pm

        WoW! I can’t believe this taste so amazing my daughter loves it. Thank you for this.

    • Christine Driggers on November 9, 2020 at 2:22 pm

      You remind me of Phoebe Buffay …LOL Cant wait to make this tonight! thanks for this recipe!

      • Laurie on February 1, 2021 at 2:16 pm

        I thought the same thing! Doppelganger for sure!

    • LisaB on February 28, 2021 at 1:32 pm

      My grandmother used Accent (MSG) in almost everything she cooked. She, her husband and all their children lived to be well into their 80’s. I don’t believe all the hype about MSG being bad.






    • Pam on January 23, 2022 at 6:28 am

      I am allergic to msg, as are many people. Some don’t make the connection between hand swelling and msg, but I did, and stopped using it.

  2. Chris on June 18, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    I am not a fan of pickles or their juice…anything else you can think of to sub?

    Thanks!

    • Hilah on June 18, 2012 at 1:46 pm

      Ooh, a tricky one, Chris! I’d try making a brine – maybe a cup of water with a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of sugar dissolved into it. That will keep it good and juicy. Let me know how it goes!

    • Drew on July 18, 2012 at 7:31 pm

      Another marinade you could try is sauerkraut juice. Real kosher dill pickles and sauerkraut are both prepared the same way by fermenting them slowly in brine, and a beneficial bacteria produces lactic acid which acidifies and preserves them. Both the salt and the lactic acid in the pickle or sauerkraut juices will keep your chicken juicy and flavorful.

      • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 8:31 am

        Whoa, Drew! That sounds awesome! We love sauerkraut around here. Thanks for the tip!

        • Drew on July 19, 2012 at 5:22 pm

          I just learned about making homemade sauerkraut a few weeks ago (it is SUPER easy)… but now, despite having given away jars of the stuff several Foodie-Friends, I still have a LOT left over! My plan is to make this recipe, and use some ‘kraut juice for marinade . I’ll let you know how it goes!

          • Hilah on July 23, 2012 at 8:46 am

            Hey, Drew! If you’d be willing to share your homemade ‘kraut recipe, I’d be forever grateful, too. 🙂



          • Katrina Spivey on January 6, 2020 at 11:52 am

            Yes Drew please share your recipe on making sour kraut. Please!



    • Jonathan Hawk on July 26, 2012 at 9:34 pm

      One thing you could look at are any of the vinegar-based brines for smoking fish. One of my favorites for use on wild ducks, geese and venison uses a combo of worcestershire and balsamic vinegar. You might try experimenting with any of the vinegars in your local supermarket. Good luck.

    • Alana on September 6, 2012 at 2:08 pm

      hi! i just made this recipe, but was out of pickles. i substituted olive brine, and added a little bit of brown mustard and some tabasco. it was delicious! it still tasted like the chick-fil-a version, only with a slight olive hint instead of the dill. i thought it was a tremendous success and am SO glad to have come across this recipe!! we are all MSG sensitive in my house (fibromyalgia, migrains, as well as terrible stomach upset when consumed) and big-time supporters of equality, so it’s very nice to be able to enjoy delicious chicken without all the issues. next time, i’m going to try the baked version using gluten-free panko bread crumbs.






      • Hilah on September 7, 2012 at 8:52 am

        Ooh, I love olives so I’ll have to try that some time, Alana! I’m really happy to hear y’all enjoyed it and don’t have to worry about the MSG.

    • Keith on June 10, 2013 at 1:55 pm

      How about the brine from Pickled Jalapenos? Any one try that yet?






      • Hilah on June 11, 2013 at 8:33 am

        I haven’t but it sounds wonderful!

      • MA Stokes on October 5, 2018 at 12:19 pm

        Yes,I tried it out of desperation but was pleasantly surprised. I loved it! Better than the original very happy accident.

      • Lori Patton on January 29, 2019 at 5:45 pm

        Yes. My 1st try was with pickled jalapeno juice and it came out great!!!






    • melissa on March 8, 2015 at 11:43 am

      I hate pickles w a passion… but I love this recipe. The pickle taste disappears completely and leaves a tiny sweet tang that tastes nothing like the pickles. I hate anything pickled or vinegar-y, but I love this. Make it at least once a month.






      • Frances Moore on May 25, 2020 at 7:08 am

        Thank you for posting! Good to know because I am not a big pickle fan and my family orders the sandwiches minus the pickles.

        • Frances on May 26, 2020 at 8:56 pm

          Made this recipe today. The chicken comes out tender and juicy but we all definitely tasted the pickle flavor. Will try again sans pickle juice. Thank you Hilah for the recipe. Glad I found you. I will have to check out your other dishes.

    • Amy on July 28, 2016 at 11:17 am

      I usually marinate chicken that I’m going to fry in buttermilk with a little salt and some paprika mixed in. I don’t know how that would compare to a pickle juice marinade, but I find that a good overnight soak in seasoned buttermilk produces moist, flavorful fried chicken.

      • Don on April 15, 2018 at 7:28 pm

        I marinate my chicken with a buttermilk/pickle juice combination!!!!

    • Ray on August 2, 2018 at 2:13 pm

      You won’t notice it when used as a brine. There is absolutely zero pickle taste in the chicken when brined in pickle juice. It is mainly used for the high sodium content and the vinegar, making it super juicy. If you’ve had a Chick Fil A sandwich, you’ve had pickle brine.

    • Lisa Martinez on May 2, 2019 at 9:29 am

      Make a brine of 3T granulated sugar and 3T salt and 1Q water.

  3. Chris on June 18, 2012 at 1:49 pm

    I’ll give the pickle juice a try. You haven’t failed me yet.

    • Hilah on June 18, 2012 at 2:09 pm

      It doesn’t really give it much pickle flavor – just some saltiness and moisture.

      • ArugulaZ on July 19, 2012 at 5:25 pm

        This may sound weird, but I added pickle brine to a meatloaf mixture once and the finished product was pretty tasty! It’s been a while though, and I don’t remember the right flavor of pickle or the right amount of brine to use.

        • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 5:42 pm

          Hi ArugulaZ! That sounds so GOOD! It would never have occurred to me to try that. I’ll give it a shot next time, maybe even with pickled jalapeno juice since we like spicy around here. Thanks for writing!

  4. SteveO on June 18, 2012 at 2:26 pm

    The pickle juice is just one version of a brine. You could push that deviation in flavor with rosemary stalks or olive juice. I like the Pepperoncini as a starting brine myself.

    • Hilah on June 21, 2012 at 12:10 pm

      Ooh, SteveO, I love the idea of using pepperocini juice! I think I’ll try that next time. Thanks!

      • Zainy on February 8, 2015 at 11:45 am

        Hi Hilah and SteveO,

        I just made this using the pepperoncini juice and it turned out amazing. Since it already has the spicy factor in it, there wasn’t any need to add in Tabasco or cayenne.

  5. Amy @ What Jew Wanna Eat on June 18, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    Yum I love Chick-fil-a and gay people! Can’t wait to try this.






    • Hilah on June 21, 2012 at 12:06 pm

      This is the PERFECT recipe for you, then! 🙂

      • Killian Dempsey on March 7, 2020 at 1:53 pm

        I am out of powdered sugar… is it key to the recipe??

        • Hilah on March 8, 2020 at 7:09 am

          You could omit it

  6. Peter on June 20, 2012 at 5:51 am

    I have lost 35 pounds since last July by cooking differently. On this one I will bake the breasts to omit the oil. How can I still get a moist return without the oil on the outside???????






    • Hilah on June 21, 2012 at 12:14 pm

      Hi Peter,
      The soak in pickle juice brine will be all you need to ensure a moist interior! I think you’ll be happy with your baked result.

      • moura maun on September 24, 2012 at 8:30 pm

        I am on a lower sodium diet so I will do the pickle juice and ground celery seed and leave out the salt- should work a treat. will probably add some tabasco or cayenne as I love spicy!!!!

    • Mike D. on August 3, 2014 at 5:40 pm

      I like to use boneless,skinless chicken thighs because I like the flavor first and it is naturally more moist and I buy them with the the bone in and skin on in jumbo family packs when they are on sale for next to nothing at the store. I simply just remove the skin and bone,it’s extremely easy to do. It along with the pickle juice makes a wonderfully tasty and moist baked chicken sandwich. I just wrap the remaining pieces very well in individual servings and freeze to use as we want them.






  7. Kristina on June 20, 2012 at 6:02 pm

    Thank you so much-Chick fil a use to be the only fast food that I truly enjoyed. Then they had to go and be haters, which made me really sad. Booo! Thanks to you I can still get my fill. Love it! Can’t wait to make these.

    • Hilah on June 21, 2012 at 12:02 pm

      Yay!
      I know, it’s a shame, isn’t it? I actually think they are probably some of the healthiest fast food out there, too, compared to everything else. 😉
      I hope you and the family enjoy!

      • Gina on July 21, 2012 at 3:02 pm

        Why is it okay for you to have an opinion about “gay” being cool and CFA having a different opinion than yours ? Get a life, stop thinking everyone must agree with your view of things, it’s life, we’re different people, with different beliefs.

        Your videos are childish and trying to be Miss Cool is not working. Then you go and mock the Sabbath. Done with you, I’m sure there are more mature and quality cooks out there who aren’t trying to push their views on others.

        • Eileen on July 22, 2012 at 11:26 am

          Wow, isn’t it great that people in this country have the right to say and believe whatever they want, and also the right not to support bloggers with whose views they don’t agree? There are plenty of gay-hating, Sabbath-keeping websites out there, and I’ll bet you can easily find one.

          • Great Stone Face on July 22, 2012 at 12:09 pm

            You even can find a Sabbath-respectful website that also is respectful of gay rights, e.g., mine! I hope Gina respects that I follow Exodus Chapter 20, which says that “the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord, your God…,” (וְיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שַׁבָּת לַי־הֹוָ־ה אֱלֹהֶיךָ) meaning Saturday, not Sunday.








          • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 6:04 pm

            Thanks, GSF. 🙂



          • Sheila on July 27, 2012 at 1:12 pm

            I just found your site also(I love new receipe sites) and always wondered about their chick receipe,I can’t wait to try yours,I also love their slaw,do you have a close receipe on how to make that also? Thanks!



          • Lea on August 5, 2013 at 11:11 am

            Ok, so I realize this issue is now over a year old… but I just wanted to add… I don’t believe the CEO ever “hated” on gay people. He simply has a belief. That belief happens to be that 2 men or 2 women shouldn’t get married. Do I agree with him? No not really. I don’t think he has ever used any hateful words though, like some people do. Does he picket funerals and say God hates Fags? No. Westboro Baptist Church does though… Those are haters… and they ARE NOT good people at all. They are a hate group. CEO of Chick-Fil-A simply believes a marriage is between a man and a woman. I personally have no issues with his beliefs, even though I do disagree…. but my kids love Chick-Fil-A chicken and its not often that we can eat out.








          • Vincenzo D’Agostino on December 16, 2021 at 1:52 pm

            Perhaps you should move to Twitter. This is a recipe site.



        • theotherlee on July 22, 2012 at 2:32 pm

          There had to be one, didn’t there? I was so blissfully happy that all of the comments were so supportive, and kind.

          Gina, how is having an opinion which is supportive and loving towards ALL people.. UN-cool? You sound like a Christian, so, I’ll just remind you of what Jesus said:

          1 Peter 4:8
          Above all, continue to love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.

          Mark 12:31
          The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

          Christ is about love, and forgiveness. Not being hateful. Think about Christ for just a moment, and after all of the examples he portrayed in the bible, with Mary, the fallen woman, and healing the Centurion’s same-sex lover… and then look at your behavior.

          I hope you can open your heart, and your mind to the LOVE that you are denying yourself, and God by supporting this company which completely bastardizes the real message of Christ. If you can’t express love that Christ himself compels you to show, I’d rather you weren’t a part of the group that does.






        • Daniel on July 23, 2012 at 3:05 pm

          Hi Gina,
          I don’t understand how you can criticize Hilah for choosing not to patronize a business that she disagrees with and then and say that you’re not going to visit her site because you don’t agree with her. You’re criticizing her for the very thing you’re doing!

          Furthermore, she didn’t mock the Sabbath. She mocked Chick-fil-a for not being open on Sunday. I suggest you do a better job of studying your own holy text because it clearly states that the Sabbath is on Saturday, not Sunday.

          Hilah, my wife and I recently gave up eating Chick-fil-a for the very same reason as you. This recipe sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it!

          • Hilah on July 24, 2012 at 8:48 am

            Thanks, Daniel! I hope you and your lady like it!



          • Sherry on October 19, 2012 at 9:48 am

            I couldn’t have said it better myself! I did, however, put in my two cents as well! I’m not gay either but also boycott ChickFilA for those reasons, as well as Papa Johns!



        • beedogs on July 26, 2012 at 12:42 am

          Gina, I’m sure I speak for everyone here when I say that no one will miss you. BYE!

          • Paul on July 29, 2012 at 10:40 pm

            +1

            Exactly my thought.



          • Sherry on October 19, 2012 at 9:48 am

            +1



          • Cindy on May 22, 2022 at 2:25 pm

            We made this today and it was delicious! Last week we made bread and butter pickles which made me think about looking for this recipe.
            It was amazing! We made a batch of regular and a batch of spicy in the air fryer. For some reason I did the flour mixture as recommended except did half of the called for flour and made up the rest with bread crumbs. They are both wonderful, but we all liked the spicy a bit more than the restaurant version. We put them on toasted King’s Hawaiian rolls which was delish. Your recipe is amazing, thank you!!!








        • geedeck on August 1, 2012 at 7:47 am

          Also, gay isn’t about being cool. It’s a human right. Like all men and women being able to vote in America and not having separate services for different races. If you truly love as the Bible tells you to, you’ll love people enough to let them choose their partner and their sexual identity.

          This isn’t an opinion like gun control or drug laws or tax laws. This is just a right that every human should have.

          I’m saying this issue in a few years will be akin to a hobo sitting in the street, telling you that it’s good to brush your teeth with dirt. There is no sane reason to believe it, except that dude has a book about how only the dirt brushers will be saved when the end comes. This is a totally baseless accounting, but the dirt brushers say they have the right to worship how they want to.

          So, do we consider allowing the dirt brushers to ban fluoride because they don’t like it?

          No.

          This isn’t about LGBT rights.
          This is about SLGBT rights.

          And anything less is willingly plunging a cancerous dagger into our hearts and corrupting our ability to love ourselves fully.

        • Emotastic on August 3, 2012 at 6:31 pm

          In my head, all I heard while reading this was: “Man, why do you get free speech? Don’t you know right-wing-gay-hating wackjobs are the only people who get free speech? I’m so tired of getting free recipes and advice. I also feel the need to attack you personally because I’m insecure about myself and my beliefs, and if I don’t push these beliefs on others, then I don’t know my place in the world. Wah wah wah.”

          I wonder if this person understands the irony of their post, or if they are even aware of what the definition for “irony” is…






        • daynamomma on August 5, 2012 at 9:40 pm

          Will fight for ANYONE’S right to express their opinions. Chic fil a can use their money to support any anti gay, change them gays, ‘profamily’ organizations that they want. I’ ‘ll be damned if they will use MY money to do so. If the Christian right is coming out in droves to eat chicken now, does that mean they won’t support progay businesses? That would be great because maybe the lines at disney won’t be so long now!

        • Sherry on October 19, 2012 at 9:45 am

          Get a life, stop thinking everyone must agree with your view of things, it’s life, we’re different people, with different beliefs. You hit the nail on the head yourself, Lady. I was raised as a Pentacost but you know what? I grew up and starting using my brain instead of letting my church do all my thinking for me. It must be very frustrating for you to defend all the stupid things old men want you to believe came from God, especially when they so often contradict themselves and seem downright idiotic and cruel; not at all what the supposed message of Christ was claimed to be. God gave you a heart and a brain for a reason, I expect He intended for you to use them. Slavery seemed like a good idea and was fully endorsed by the Bible, too. Doesn’t it seem to you that intelligence and open arms are in direct opposition of those truths you hold so dear? Love thy neighbor as yourself, feed the needy, vengeance belongs to me saith the Lord, forgive 70 times 7, judge not, etc.; they don’t really have a place in Christianity though, do they? No, that’s all just hippy love crap to you. The important thing is that you stay diligent in your many levels of hatred, unacceptance, and criticism. Are you on Hitler’s side or the Jews’? The North or the Confederate’s? An oppressor is an oppressor no matter what the topic, just know that the Bible does not condone oppression in any manner so NOW who’s not being cool?






        • Sam on July 20, 2023 at 8:00 pm

          I don’t think you know what “mature” means






    • Eda on June 17, 2021 at 4:29 pm

      Haters?? Are you kidding me? They have NEVER said that they hated anyone. It sounds like YOU may be the hater. Booo, that makes me sad. Anyway, glad you enjoy their recipe. We all still LOVE going there in person but this recipe helps on the weeks that we can’t make it.






  8. Linda on June 22, 2012 at 3:32 pm

    Hey Hilers! I used to work at Chick-fil-a back in the day and to get that real authentic flavor, fry it in peanut oil! That’s what they use! They didn’t use pickle juice in the batter, but I’m sure it’s great! Even after eating it on my break EVERY day that I worked there, I’m still not tired of it…excuse me while I wipe the drool off my chin!

    • Hilah on June 25, 2012 at 10:14 am

      Hi Linda!
      Thanks for the tip! I like frying my fried chicken in peanut oil, so that makes perfect sense.

    • Lea on August 5, 2013 at 11:22 am

      ive tried it with and without the pickle juice but both times with peanut oil, for whatever reason i thought the pickle juice one tasted more like chickfila.






  9. Katy Blankenhorn on June 26, 2012 at 11:45 am

    Someone in the chicken frying biz told me one time that “the company that shall not be name” used peanut oil to fry their chicken. Thanks so much for the recipe, I’ll def be trying it and sharing it, I love their chicken but hate their politics. I always tell my friends to boycott and now I can tell them I’ll cook it for them instead!

    • Hilah on June 26, 2012 at 12:00 pm

      Thanks, Katy!
      I’m so glad you’re planning on making this for your friends. I’m sure they’ll love it. 🙂

  10. Val on June 26, 2012 at 1:51 pm

    Amazing! My friends and I love CFA but hate giving them our money. I’m definately going to give this a try soon. Kudos to you!






    • Hilah on June 26, 2012 at 2:00 pm

      Perfect, Val! I hope you like the recipe and feel free to share it or reblog it with your friends, too. Thanks for writing! 🙂

      • Val on July 18, 2012 at 5:35 pm

        Hi again 🙂

        So since my last comment I have made this recipe a few times times and I think I’m making it again tonight. The first time was good. Like some others I had an issue with the breading falling off, but it was still delicious. (When I make it tonight I’ll let it sit for 10 minutes before I put it in the oil. I might also make the oil just a bit hotter.) I also made it into chicken strips and chicken nuggets. It was fantastic both ways.

        I tried it in the oven once as well. It did take longer than I thought it would and didn’t get as crispy as I would have liked. Next time I feel like doing it this way I’ll try panko crumbs instead of flour.

        I’m incredibly happy that I’m now able to enjoy this chicken at home and haven’t given a dime of my money to CFA since finding this recipe online. I thank you again, and so does my roommate!!

        • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 7:17 pm

          Perfecto! Thanks so much for the update, Val! Great to hear the nuggets work well, too. I’m glad you and your roommate are enjoying them. 🙂

        • Eve-Marie on July 25, 2012 at 1:33 am

          Hi Val – my Dad used to cool Weinerschnitzel a lot when I was growing up. He always dipped the cutlet in flour first, then the egg, then the breadcrums and the coating always stuck. Maybe you could dip it in the flour then egg and then the seasoned flour mix?






        • mike on July 25, 2012 at 10:18 pm

          For crispier crust baking, once its basically done, turn it over to broil for just a couple of minutes. that will give it a blast of heat just enough to set the crust.

  11. Caliban on June 26, 2012 at 6:43 pm

    Thanks so much for this! Chik-Fil-A sandwiches are one of the few fast-food things I really like (I like McRibs too so it’s not like I have good taste) but being a good gay I’ve been boycotting them for years. Really. Years!

    But now I can make my own!

    • Hilah on June 26, 2012 at 7:09 pm

      Hi Caliban!
      Good for you for sticking to your guns! I hope you like the recipe and that it meets your exacting standards. 😉

      • Caliban on February 2, 2018 at 3:08 am

        Wow. Its hard to believe I wrote the comment above almost 5 years ago. Since then I’ve made these sandwiches several times and they are, at least from what I remember, just like the real thing. (Still boycotting.)

        Just so you know, I was on a gay news website and in the comments people were… crabbing and moaning about Chik-Fil-A vs how much they liked the sandwiches so I shared a link to this recipe.

        I don’t know if you’ll think this is funny (if you don’t, oops) but when I was living in Asheville, NC a Chik-Fil-A opened up next to the grocery store where I shopped, and during their grand opening they had free food & games outside. One of the games was bean-bag toss, the target an angled piece of plywood with a hole in it and the word “cornhole” written on it. (The bag is filled with dried corn, not beans.) So my partner and I stopped and got a photo of ourselves cornholing at the Chik-Fil-A! ?

        http://dresse.club/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/corn-hole-game-corn-hole-toss-bag-bean-bag-china-toss-bag-bean-corn-hole-game-diy.jpg

        • Hilah on February 2, 2018 at 11:22 am

          I am familiar with the cornhole game! My husband is from Oklahoma and they play it a lot there. It’s fun!

  12. David on June 26, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing….

    • Hilah on June 26, 2012 at 9:09 pm

      Hope you approve, David! Thanks!

  13. Alisha on June 27, 2012 at 10:34 am

    I made these last night for dinner and again today for lunch. They were absolutely amazing each time. My 2-year-old daughter, who is a picky eater, loved them. Thank you so much for this recipe. I will be coming to this site often to use your other recipes as well. You rock.

    • Hilah on June 27, 2012 at 10:38 am

      That’s wonderful, Alisha! I’m so glad they turned out so good. Kids can be hard to cook for sometimes!
      Thanks for writing. Hope to hear from you again.

  14. Phil on June 27, 2012 at 11:18 am

    So I was going through my Facebook news feed and I see a post by Hilah Cooking. I said to myself “I’ve gotta support this chick, because she. is. awesome.” Then I watched this video and it didn’t disappoint. Cheers!






    • Hilah on June 28, 2012 at 8:55 am

      Thank you, Phil! I’m happy you liked it! 🙂

  15. Will on June 27, 2012 at 2:04 pm

    Hilah,
    I’m glad to see that ‘Next Chef stardom’ hasn’t gone to your head and you care enough to answer each post and comment on your site, Fb, You Tube, etc. That’s what keeps me coming back. I’ll have a kitchen again in August and look forward to trying a few of your latest recipes, including this one. No CFA overseas….

    • Hilah on June 28, 2012 at 8:52 am

      Haha! Thanks, Will. I try to respond to everyone, especially FB and on here of course. YT is starting to get overwhelming, though!
      I can’t even imagine living without a kitchen! Good luck until August. I hope to hear about your cooking escapades then!

  16. Lawrence on June 27, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    Great job as usual….jeep ‘m coming …






    • Hilah on June 28, 2012 at 8:50 am

      Thank you, Lawrence! 🙂

  17. Matt on June 27, 2012 at 5:49 pm

    I love the recipe for chick-fil-gay especially since I am gay. (:o) Can you please tell me what is the best type of oil for frying your sandwich? The picture on the recipe makes the sandwich look so delicious.

    • Hilah on June 28, 2012 at 8:49 am

      Hey Matt!
      I used grapeseed oil, but peanut oil is always a good choice for frying. Hope you try it!

  18. Dr.Happypants on June 27, 2012 at 8:53 pm

    GREAT RECIPE! I tried it and it was awesome, the pickle brine really made the taste. I never bothered with marinating the chicken prior to breading but I will be sure to do so for now on. 🙂

    Just one question, how do you think this recipe would fare in the oven ?

    • Hilah on June 28, 2012 at 8:48 am

      Thank you! Glad you liked it!
      Since it’s a flour breading, it might be difficult to get it crispy in the oven. I think I’d try panko crumbs or cracker crumbs instead of flour if I were to bake them. Let us know if you try it!

  19. David on June 28, 2012 at 9:46 am

    I currently work at Chick-Fil-A. I would have to say that you did a great job making your chicken sandwich. I understand not wanting to support Chick-Fil-A, and I always crave them on Sundays too. Just to add more fuel to the fire, here is a story about how Chick-Fil-A treats their employees. This is MY personal story from working there. I was first working at a great company making almost double what I do at Chick-Fil-A. I came to work at Chick-Fil-A because they promised me more hours and Sundays off, they also said I would be back up to my previous pay in only a few short months. Well, it turns out that was all a lie. They got me in there, put me on register and told me not to move from that spot. They even for the first few months invited me to manager meetings because in my interview that is what I was hired for, but that soon stopped. I never saw the 40 hours we agreed on in the interview, at most I would get 25. This Chick-Fil-A is in a mall, and beside the store is a pizza place, the manager of the pizza place heard I worked pizza for 5 years and asked if I wanted to work with him to make up to 40 hours per week between pizza and Chick-Fil-A. I said sure, and as soon as I started at the pizza place, the next week I was no longer on the schedule at Chick-Fil-A. They have not fired me, I have not quit. I called, text, and emailed the manager at Chick-Fil-A with no response. The sad part is, if it was not Chick-Fil-A I would have never believed them in the interview when they promised me the world. But, I thought this is a good company, they would not lie to me in a interview like that. Little did I know…. Chick-Fil-A is the worst company I have worked for, ever, and that is just internal before you get to all their political views. Anyway, thanks for the video, I will repost it!






    • Hilah on June 28, 2012 at 9:59 am

      Wow! That is quite a story, David! I’m so sorry they jerked you around like that. I guess it shows there’s really no such thing as ethics in big business. Sad thing.
      I hope you’re getting more hours at your new job at least. Thanks for sharing your experience.

      • Henry on September 6, 2014 at 10:55 pm

        Please tell me what ANY of the information provided in the comment above or your reply to that comment HAS TO DO WITH COOKING?! Are you using this forum to promote cooking or to promote an anti Chick-fi-a(Christian) agenda? I am a Christian and I don’t hate gay people. I’m pretty sure that if you go into a church full of Christians, and say”I’m gay, do you mind if I come to worship with you?” NONE of them would have a problem with you. In fact I PROMISE YOU that they would welcome you with open arms. Being a christian is about loving the person and hating the sin. AND WE ALL SIN. The difference is that true followers of Jesus Christ(oops I used the J word) recognize that 1. All sin is bad and 2. You can’t serve God and yourself. True Christians choose to accept forgivness from a LOVING God. And through that grace we see our sins AND TURN AWAY FROM THEM. It’s a choice. God gave each of freewill and the mind to make that choice. We all fight against “somthing” in our lives that tries to hold us down and eventually destroy us. It doesn’t matter what your “somthing” is, I promise you GOD LOVES YOU AND WILL FORGIVE YOU. Please just give him the chance. I dare you to go church. If you don’t like Sundays then get to a wednesday night service. Folks stop believing what you see on tv and read online and FIND OUT FOR YOUR SELF. FIND OUT WHATS MISSING IN YOUR LIFE. TASTE AND SEE. I love all of you. God bless.

        • Hilah on September 7, 2014 at 10:25 am

          Hi Henry,

          You have mistakenly conflated my “anti Chick-fil-a agenda” with a position against Christianity (which implies that you think that CFA represents all Christians, I suppose?) My beef with CFA is the monetary donations they’ve made to organizations whose purpose is to “re-educate” gay people. I find this wrong, immoral, and do not wish to support that cause by purchasing their product. Meanwhile, my lovely mother-in-law loves their sandwiches and has them for lunch at least once a week. I am completely okay with that and would never encourage her to give them up. You, too, are free to eat what you like and patronize (or not patronize) any business you want for any reason at all.

          I understand that you believe homosexuality is both a choice and a sin. I wholeheartedly disagree with that notion and therefore can not argue any further on the point.

    • Chris on July 22, 2012 at 10:53 pm

      A similar thing happened to my mom when she worked at Chick-Fil-A, although she never started a new job. One day she just found herself not showing up on the schedule anymore, and she couldn’t get any sort of answers from the managers. I think that technically she may still be employed there to this day, but she hasn’t worked there in about two years, I believe. Kind of a crappy way to treat your employees, in my opinion.

    • crsytalwolfakacaligrl on July 29, 2012 at 8:31 pm

      David, file a labor board case against them.
      Your losing wages. You can file for your lost wages and how they misrepresented themselves to you when
      you got hired. Shock! Many Republican/ConServative company’s are like this. They would have us back
      in “THE JUNGLE”(Upton Sinclair)
      Hilah, although I’ve never even heard of Chik fil A I wouldn’t go there knowing what kind of people run it.
      And how they treat their employees but your recipe looks yummy and I will try it as well as tweet out!

  20. Oscar on June 28, 2012 at 3:39 pm

    I choose not to give my business to Chick-Fil-A, but they do make a good chicken sandwich. I sometimes get cravings for them, but refuse to patronize them.

    I tried this recipe, and I must admit – It is amazing! I was so impressed with how close the flavor was. It really did satisfy my cravings for a Chick-Fil-A sandwich. I was really impressed. I kept saying to my partner – this totally tastes like Chick-Fil-A! I repeated this almost after every bite. Wow!

    Thank you Hilah for posting this recipe. It is great!!!






    • Hilah on July 1, 2012 at 9:38 pm

      Hi Oscar!
      Thank you so much! That’s great y’all liked them and that it took care of those cravings. Makes me really happy to hear, in fact. 🙂
      Thanks for writing.

  21. Julie on June 28, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    Hey Hilah,

    Can you explain what you were doing there with the fork to check if the chicken was done?

    Also, I can’t believe I just now discovered your site. Best cooking videos ever.

    • Hilah on July 1, 2012 at 9:41 pm

      Hi Julie!
      Sure! I was just giving them a little poke to make sure the juices that came out were clear, not pink. Clear indicated they are fully cooked.
      I’m glad you found my site, finally! 😉

  22. Jim on June 29, 2012 at 9:29 am

    Looks fantastic Hilah.. we don’t have a chick-fil-A anywhere near me here in Wisconsin but I used to eat there when I would visit my son in Texas.. and now knowing that they don’t support the gay lifestyle I definitely will not be returning to eat there.. I’m so glad I came across this video and your website I’m looking forward to watching your other videos.. keep up the great work.. a new fan.. jim






    • Hilah on July 1, 2012 at 9:51 pm

      Thanks Jim!
      I’m glad you found this video and my website, too. Hope you try the recipe – so far, it’s gotten the seal of approval from CFA lovers everywhere! 🙂

  23. Drew on June 29, 2012 at 7:14 pm

    This recipe is a whole bunch of firsts for me – the first recipe I’ve tried off your site, the first time I’ve used a meat tenderizer for close to the intended purpose, and the first time I’ve fried something! I’m traditionally a baker, but this recipe looked too good not to try out – and it turned out AMAZING. Now I’m going to have to start playing around with different spices in the coating. And powdered sugar? Never would have even thought of adding that.






    • Hilah on July 1, 2012 at 9:56 pm

      Hi Drew!
      Yay!! Thank you for the great report! I’m glad it worked for you. Let me know if you come up with any variations you like!

      • Drew on July 12, 2012 at 6:10 pm

        Tonight I tried doing a baked version with a panko coating. I also put chipotle chili powder and cocoa powder into the flour/sugar mixture instead of the paprika, celery, etc. The dill from the brine was still the dominant flavor, but it was by no means bad. I might try a sweeter brine with it for next time and up the cocoa and chili powder. Still, this has been a fantastic recipe to play with!






        • Hilah on July 16, 2012 at 7:41 pm

          That’s so great, Drew! I love hearing about the food experiments other people do. Gives me lots of ideas. 🙂 I wonder… maybe try using pickled pepper juice for the marinade? That might go well with the Mexi-chili-and-cocoa vibe you’re working with. Or even a sweet pickled jalapeno? I’ve had those recently and I kind of adore them.
          Have a ton of fun playing with it!

  24. Devin on June 30, 2012 at 6:57 pm

    Hiya Hila,
    I’m so glad that advocate.com posted your recipe for chick-fil-gay. I work at a large university in NY, which shall remain nameless, and we house the only chick-fil-a in the city… which means I have access to this delicious establishment. It also means that I have to deal with the constant temptation to give money to a company that will use it to make life more difficult for some of our friends. You, my lady, have eased my aching soul. No more temptation, no more angst, no more denial of deliciousness.
    Thank you so much.

    • Hilah on July 1, 2012 at 9:29 pm

      Hi Devin! I’m glad you saw the Advocate post! I think I even know which university you are referring to. 😉 I’m happy to have eased your aches a little bit. Stay strong! Make your own chicken sandwiches!

  25. Sean on July 1, 2012 at 1:57 am

    I’m going to try this, but cut the filets into nuggets which my Wife & Daughter like more than the sandwiches. Hopefully, I’ll follow up with how they turned out.

    • Hilah on July 1, 2012 at 9:27 pm

      Good! Let us know how it goes, Sean! Hope your family likes them.

  26. Caz on July 2, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    Hi Hilah,
    I found your site through the Microsoft Zune Marketplace. I’m so glad I did. I’ve loved Chick-Fil-A sandwiches for 30 years but don’t live anywhere close to one. About a year ago Micky D’s started to copy them with their Southern Chicken Sandwich and all was good for 6 months. After that they started to used their regular dry chicken patties and screwed it all up.

    I tried this on Saturday at 4AM and the oil was too hot. Even way dark, they tasted good. On Sunday I did it again, soooo effin good.

    Thank so much for your site and your humor.

    • Hilah on July 2, 2012 at 2:31 pm

      Hey Caz!
      I’m glad this solves your CFA problem! I’d heard from someone else that the McD is a close substitute, too, but I’ve never tried one. This is probably slightly healthier than either one, though.
      Thanks for writing!

  27. Megan on July 2, 2012 at 5:34 pm

    I just made these for dinner tonight, with some fried zucchini and my family LOVED it! It tastes so close to the real thing! Thanks!

    • Hilah on July 2, 2012 at 6:17 pm

      Yum! Sounds great with the fried zucchini, Megan! Thanks for the update. 🙂

      • katierose on July 8, 2012 at 5:42 pm

        Is it possible to use granulated sugar (or another form of sweetness) in place of the confectioners? I’m toooo lazy to run out and get a box.

        • Hilah on July 9, 2012 at 9:20 am

          Hi Katierose!
          I think that would work okay. I haven’t tested it, though. Let me know if you try it and how it works!

          • Christa on July 28, 2012 at 3:19 pm

            In a pinch, you can make powdered sugar at home by simply putting granulated sugar in a blender. It measures cup for cup. The sugar may etch the blending container. If that’s a concern, try a spice grinder.



  28. Adam on July 8, 2012 at 11:32 pm

    Hi Hilah,
    My wife and I made this for dinner tonight but the breading fell off while it was frying 🙁 What type of pan should I use next time? It still tasted good! Thanks.

    • Hilah on July 9, 2012 at 9:19 am

      Hi Adam!
      Sorry you had trouble with it. I have always used a cast iron skillet. Maybe next time allow the breaded chicken to sit on the counter about 10 minutes before frying. That should help the breading adhere. Glad y’all still liked it. 🙂

      • theotherlee on July 18, 2012 at 3:53 pm

        Quick question on this… I grew up in Texas… so fried foods were fairly common. When I make chicken fried steak, I double coat the steak… Would that be advisable for the chicken too you think?

        • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 7:10 pm

          You could if you wanted a thicker crust. I experimented with that when I was testing and this way is the closest to the CFA version. So, your preference!

    • Caz on July 9, 2012 at 4:27 pm

      Generally when the breading falls of it is because the oil is not hot enough.
      Caz

      • Adam on July 9, 2012 at 4:33 pm

        That makes sense. With that wet layer underneath, it would have to crisp-up quickly to stay intact. Thanks.

      • Hilah on July 9, 2012 at 4:34 pm

        Thank you!

    • Miya on August 3, 2012 at 6:45 pm

      Same thing happen to me..it was a great chicken. I have to say it was so much better then Chick Fil..thank you for the recipe Hilah!

  29. Abby on July 10, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    I made this tonight and it turned out beyond amazing! My husband took a bite, turned to me and said, “Shocked. I’m shocked”. As in shocked by how much it tastes like CFA! I did 2 breasts & doubled the spices but not the flour and it turned out perfect 🙂






    • Hilah on July 10, 2012 at 7:07 pm

      That’s awesome, Abby! We were pretty amazed too, when I finally got it just right. So glad y’all liked it. 🙂

  30. Heather on July 11, 2012 at 3:42 am

    We made these last night, OMGSFG! I haven’t had C-F-A since moving to Germany 4 years ago, and I doubt I could give them money again, due to their political views. Ha, this recipe had me order valasic’s from the UK since I can’t find good dill pickles in Germany, and what is a good fried chicken sandwich w/o dill pickles!

    Thank you for your site and loads of good old Texas recpes!

    aTexanInBavaria

    • Hilah on July 11, 2012 at 9:04 am

      YES! That is so wonderful to hear, Heather! Yay! And that just seems totally crazy to me that you can’t find a dill pickle in Germany! I don’t know what I’d do about my grilled cheese without them, either. Thanks for writing!

  31. Debbie on July 16, 2012 at 10:24 pm

    OMG! This is the best recipe I have found for copy cat Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich. My daughter and I have made this 4 times in 2 weeks, that is how much we love it! I stumbled across your Youtube videos and had to subscribe. Thanks for the great recipes. My 10 year old daughter thinks you are hilarious and look like Lisa Kudrow.

    • Hilah on July 17, 2012 at 10:27 am

      Hey Debbie!
      That’s great to hear! So glad you liked it and that you are cooking with your daughter. Really, that makes me happy to hear. Thanks so much for writing.

  32. Dusty Alan on July 17, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    Delicious! So glad I made this. I really can be done w Cfa now!!! I wish I could post my picture!! It looked as good as it tasted!

    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 9:23 am

      Thanks, Dusty Alan! So glad you liked it.
      If you have the picture on a flickr account or somewhere else, you can post it in the forums if you want!

  33. Wade on July 18, 2012 at 12:21 am

    Chic Fil GAY!!!! HAA!! I love you. -subscribed-






    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 9:23 am

      Yay! Thanks, Wade!

      • Sean on February 10, 2017 at 1:07 pm

        I know this thread is old and I see many saying they won’t give Chic-Fil-A their money. I assume this is because of Truett Cathy, the founder, now deceased who I believe expressed his opinion on same sex marriage which he was against and strongly believed that marriage should be between a man and a woman. The man was a devout Christine his whole life, hence every CFL being closed on Sundays, no exception whatsoever which at most is a slight inconvenience.

        After he issued his statement on his views on same sex marriage his sales actually went up. I’m a proud veteran, retired detective, 1st responder on 9/11 in Manhattan, love my country and loved serving it on two levels. I have no problem with same sex marriage and even if I did I certainly wouldn’t boycott a tremendously popular restaurant as it wouldn’t make a difference at all to their profits. If people do it for the reason of hurting their business, forget it. If it effects your moral fiber and makes you feel better to do so, go right for it.

        I’m very happy for a close friend of mine who was able to legally marry his partner of 30+ years so that he could have benefits and be recognized as his next of kin to be able to make decisions for his health and possible DNR papers should that time come.

        Enjoy your chicken whether you make it at home or find your way back to the restaurant.

  34. Christopher on July 18, 2012 at 1:06 am

    Do you think this would work for nuggets because those are my favorite from there!

    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 9:24 am

      Hi Christopher! I haven’t tried that but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I’d marinate them a shorter amount of time, though. Let us know if it works!

  35. Jhonathan Free on July 18, 2012 at 3:34 am

    Great recipe and video. Thank you for the alternative to a company that stands for hatred of other humans. Their policy is unacceptable and I will NEVER spend a dime on their bigot sandwiches. Take care!






    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 9:27 am

      Thank you, Jhonathan! Happy to help. 🙂

  36. crisd on July 18, 2012 at 8:48 am

    Saw this posted on the Advocate- RIGHT next to the interview with Dan Cathy- C.O.O. of Chick-fil-A. He admitted that CFA is and always has been anti-equality for gays. This saddened me to no end- I LOVE(D) their chicken!! I’ve since sent them a strongly worded- but polite email explaining my displeasure with them and that I would no longer step foot in or support them in any way or fashion since they take our money and support discrimination- and encourage EVERYONE to send an email through the official CFA site to let them know, it’s not enough to just not go, you have to let them KNOW you aren’t going- they only worship money in the end. They say they want to run a “biblical” company…but I don’t see any slaves or multiple wives there and they sure as hell don’t believe in the “love thy neighbor” thing. I can’t wait to try this recipe out!! Would you use the same recipe for a nugget version- I have to try and convince my family and their children that the cows are indeed evil and we can make better chicken ourselves. I’ve printed this and am passing it on to as many people as I can. Thanks again for helping take a bite out of the evil chicken!!






    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 9:39 am

      Hi Crisd!

      Thank you. I hope you like this recipe. I think it would work for nuggets? I haven’t tried it, but I think I should since several people have asked.

      And thank you even more for bringing up the emailing idea. Of course! Yes. That is a GREAT suggestion. I didn’t find a direct email address, but here’s their contact page if anyone else wants it http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Connect/Contact-Us-CARES
      And here’s the interview with Dan Cathy, C.O.O. for anyone who wants to read it http://www.advocate.com/business/2012/07/17/chick-fil-coo-dan-cathy-officially-comes-out-antigay

      It’s interesting that he’s finally “out” with it; previously CFA had denied any political agendas. I’m sure there’s a strategy behind it and I’m guessing it has to do with getting more money from people who sadly agree with their supremely bigoted and idiotic position.

      Anyway, I appreciate your support and spreading the recipe around!

      • Greg on July 18, 2012 at 12:08 pm

        So I am totally making nuggets now 🙂 I have the chicken in pickle brine now. I went to culinary school and have worked in the industry for 15 years . I have been trying to crack the “code” on this for a few years as I grew up on CFA, but find it hard to justify supporting such a right wing business. i never thought that plain old “pickle juice” was the trick. I’ll let you know how it works out in a few hours LOL.

        • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 12:10 pm

          Hooray!
          I don’t think that CFA actually uses pickle juice, but it sure does make a good copy.

      • theotherlee on July 18, 2012 at 4:06 pm

        Thanks for the link to their contact page. I sent a “polite” message to them. I wonder if they will respond. LOL

        • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 7:14 pm

          Let me know if they do!

  37. theotherlee on July 18, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    Thanks for this.. The recent news blurb about CFA “bravely” admitting their anti-gay support, I’ve been promoting recipes like yours to persuade people away from CFA.

    Will definitely be giving this, healthier, better tasting.. and bigot free version a try!!

    Thank you!!

    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 1:23 pm

      Thanks Lee!
      Did they really claim to be “bravely” admitting? Good Lord. *eyeroll*
      Anyway, hope you like the recipe!

  38. Jason on July 18, 2012 at 12:54 pm

    “I’m sure there’s a strategy behind it and I’m guessing it has to do with getting more money from people who sadly agree with their supremely bigoted and idiotic position.”

    So, what you’re saying is anyone who is Christian and believes as Dan Cathy does is a bigot and an idiot. In your statement above you just alienated many Christians here in the U.S. and worldwide. Let’s take it a step further, and look at Muslims because many of them feel the exact same way regarding marriage and homosexuality. I’ll bet that they get left out of the conversation because in this country they don’t have the influence of the conservative Christians, and the popular thing is to bash Christians for their faith. I am sure you are very proud of that. Why don’t you say what you really think about Christians like Dan Cathy, because I’m sure its not as nice as your statement above.

    • BrianX on July 18, 2012 at 1:38 pm

      Anyone who believes as Dan Cathy does is a bigot regardless of their Christianity or not. It has nothing whatsoever to do with faith and everything to do with respecting other people (not necessarily their beliefs) despite their differences. In any case, unless the parable of the Good Samaritan is a complete forgery, bigotry of any form is anti-Christian.






    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 1:39 pm

      Hi Jason!

      I don’t think all Christians are bigots or idiots. There are lots of Christians who do support marriage equality! I think believing that one group of law-abiding citizens should be disallowed something that other citizens are allowed to do under state law is the definition of bigoted and it is sad that so many people are bigots without even realizing it! Perhaps it is Dan Cathy who is giving Christians a bad name.

      But maybe you’re right that “idiot” is too strong a word. I don’t think that everyone who disagrees with me is stupid. I fully stand behind “bigoted”, though.

      • Shayne O on July 19, 2012 at 4:54 am

        Your defintely a more diplomatic person than I. I throw a few F bombs , references to being dropped on the head, body part references and a reference to hopes for their short lifespan, when discussing anti-gay activists. I see them as no better than the Klansmen of old who justified their racism with screwy bible references.

        Anyway, good on you Hilah, your a legend.






        • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 8:39 am

          Ha! Thanks, Shane. I guess I’m trying to catch flies with honey or something? 🙂

      • Erica on July 19, 2012 at 2:43 pm

        I only saw one person in the comment above being called an idiot and a bigot. If any group was implied then it was CFA. I’m a Christian and I certainly didn’t feel like I was being called an idiot and a bigot… but then again perhaps that is because I know that I’m not.

        Bigotry is an effect of fear and, more importantly IMHO, a lack of understanding. To call someone an idiot may be insulting, but using it was still accurate. Anyone offended or feeling alienated at being accurately insulted is just whining.

        • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 5:32 pm

          Thanks, Erica. I agree that fear and misunderstanding are all reasons behind bigotry. Lack of empathy also contributes, I think.

    • Lara on July 19, 2012 at 10:55 am

      I have several Muslim friends and acquaintances, some of whom live in North Africa or Saudi Arabia, but many of whom are American or Canadian. I’ve had numerous discussions about homosexuality with both conservative Muslims and conservative Christians. On the whole, I’ve found Muslims to be very intellectually curious about the issue, highly literate about their religious texts and open to discussing different interpretations, and very warm, civil and polite even when they disagree with me. So, just as we shouldn’t generalize about Christians, let’s not generalize about Muslims, either. Incidentally, there are plenty of both gay Christians and gay Muslims, whom I know personally.

  39. Robert Prather on July 18, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    Hilah — Thanks for this! I’m a gay guy who’s just getting into cooking and I’m so glad I found your site. 🙂






    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 2:10 pm

      Perfect timing, Robert! I think you’ll get a lot out of the site. Lots of beginner recipes. 🙂

  40. Mike on July 18, 2012 at 1:53 pm

    How amazing, that looks so good, never eaten at chick–fil-A. this sounds amazing, and being a gay man i won’t eat there, i will for sure try your Chick-Fil-Gay sandwich, kudos to you for caring about your gay friends and supporting them.. you are amazing

    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 2:15 pm

      Thanks, Mike!
      Well, this tastes pretty much exactly like the real thing, so you won’t have to wonder what you’re missing. Haha 😉 Thanks for writing.

  41. Great Stone Face on July 18, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    Interesting forum for this debate.

    I am a Bible-follower as well. There are at least 614 commandments in it. I suppose a strict adherent will follow all of them — and stone to death disobedient sons and adulterers. The prohibition against homosexuality in Levitucus is close by the prohibition against tattoos. (The New Testament says nothing about homosexuality.) If you don’t follow every commandment, the must be a reason why you follow one and not another. Do you follow every commandment? If not, which do you ignore and which do you follow — and why do you so so? If you discriminate against gay people, but not equally against adulterers, tattooed persons, and disobedient sons, what is your Biblical justification? Or is your justification non-Biblical?

    • Erica on July 19, 2012 at 2:05 pm

      I always answer this argument with Matthew 22:34-40. This tells the part where the Pharisees ask Jesus what the greatest commandment was. Basically, the most important thing was to love God with all your heart. The second was to LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. After that, everything else falls into place.

  42. Sean on July 18, 2012 at 3:57 pm

    Love that this is making rounds on the Internet! Definitely going to try it. Love their chicken, hate their philosophy.






    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 7:11 pm

      Thanks, Sean!

  43. Darrien on July 18, 2012 at 4:02 pm

    Hi Hilah, I’m in the UK and have never eaten a Chick-Fil-A (and based on the company’s reputation, never would on my USA visits). However, I’d always wanted to know why people raved about them. I tried your recipe tonight (your video has been posted all over the place) and the result was great. It’s a superb recipe, so thank you for creating it and then posting it.
    I’ve been nosing round your site and I can’t wait to try out some of your other recipes. They’ve really got my imagination – and cooking juices – flowing (I read the key lime pie recipe and turned into Homer Simpson).
    Thank you, once again. Apart from the excellent reasons you posted this recipe, the sheer quality of the end result shows you’re a class act with impeccable taste (yeah, both meanings).






    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 7:14 pm

      Hello Darrien!
      I’m so happy to hear the CFG exceeded your expectations! Hope you do try some other recipes and let me know how they go.
      Thanks so much for writing and for perusing the rest of the site. If we ever make it to the UK, you know I’m looking you up! 🙂

  44. greg on July 18, 2012 at 4:33 pm

    So I made nuggets for lunch 🙂 this recipe is great!

    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 7:14 pm

      Yes! Awesome. Thanks for writing, Greg!

  45. babalooga on July 18, 2012 at 4:33 pm

    i find i odd that the church after sooo long alowed us to eat meat on friday. they changed that rule so why not others? so when i eat my chickfilgay on a friday i will think of ….
    smiles from germany

    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 7:16 pm

      Haha! Great point there. Thanks for writing! 🙂

  46. Isaac James on July 18, 2012 at 7:03 pm

    Listen. I made this for 2 lesbians and my boyfriend [all of whom have given up eating chick-fil-a]. We LOVED this recipe. It was so easy and I was shocked at how good it was. My suggestion is to put the chicken in a large ziplock back to pound. That way the juices don’t leak anywhere! I cant wait to eat this again. You have a new fan!

    • Hilah on July 18, 2012 at 7:21 pm

      Thank you, Isaac! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me to hear! I love people who cook for their friends.

      Thanks for the ziplock bag tip – err, it’s probably a smidge more sanitary than my dumbo way. 🙂

  47. Max on July 18, 2012 at 7:47 pm

    I followed your recipe exactly to cook a celebration dinner for my partner (we both love CFA but can’t give them our money, of course), and it was a HUGE success! Thank you so much! I documented the whole thing at (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150921846435666.406889.500345665&type=1&l=5eafbfe887), so if you want to nerd out and see the pictures, please feel free! Again, thanks for this–you made two Southern boys very happy!

    • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 8:34 am

      Omigaw! Thanks, Max! I just checked it out and read the comments and I LOVE the steaming idea that one of your friends had. I was telling Chris when we were testing that I thought it needed to be… not soggy, but not as crisp. Brilliant idea! And your pictures look great!

  48. Chrislabeard on July 18, 2012 at 8:38 pm

    Can’t wait to try this, bookmarked.

    • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 8:34 am

      Thanks!

  49. Mike on July 18, 2012 at 11:07 pm

    I am brand new to your site and can hardly wait to make this one! I cannot in good conscience ever step foot in Chick fil a again. Thanks for the recipe!

    • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 8:36 am

      Hi Mike! I’m glad you found me. Thanks for writing. Hope you like the recipe!

  50. Coyote on July 19, 2012 at 12:42 am

    This makes me _so_ happy! Thank you so much for sharing.

    The pickle juice idea is excellent! I probably would never have thought of that, but what a great idea! Dahling, you are mahvelous.






    • Matthew on January 1, 2013 at 11:22 am

      Thanks for the recipe. I am a Christian, I don’t hate “gays” nor do any of the Christians I know. We disagree with the practice of same sex acts, but we still love the person, and respect who they are. I am sorry you feel hated, or are hated by some. You certainly are not hated by all.

  51. Josh on July 19, 2012 at 1:13 am

    Holy cow! (Or should I say holy chicken? LOL)

    This looks and sounds so yummy!!!

    I hadn’t even heard of Chick-Fil-A until I saw the parody video by Willam from RuPaul’s Drag Race. I live in the Twin Cities and there is apparently only one CFA location here. Now that I know of them and what they stand for I will never eat there but I am glad I heard of them because it lead me to your website and your “Chick-Fil-Gay Sandwich” looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it and try it!

    Thank you so much! 😉

  52. jerk on July 19, 2012 at 6:09 am

    hey guess what? i reported you to the company who’s name you are ripping off and injecting your homosexual agenda into!

    put that in your humble pie and eat up!

    • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 8:29 am

      Sounds good, Jerk!

      • Dusty Alan on July 19, 2012 at 10:26 am

        Thank you for contributing to the “Homosexual agenda,” Hilah! I was really getting tired of going to work, going home, making dinner, gardening and going to bed, just to start all over again. ;-D

        • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 5:39 pm

          I know you were, Dusty. That’s why I had to shake things up with a chicken sandwich! 😉

    • Jess on July 25, 2012 at 11:57 am

      And what exactly did you “report” her for? She’s not doing anything illegal LOL. She came up with a recipe and is sharing it for free with everyone. She’s not using their name on it so they can’t really do anything about it. Seriously, get a freaking life.

  53. Anna Marie on July 19, 2012 at 8:00 am

    Thanks so much for this recipe! I had to go gluten free 8 years ago and haven’t really had a good chicken sandwich since. This will be super easy to make gluten free, I already know which flour I’m going to use. Thank you!

    • Meredith on July 21, 2012 at 10:10 am

      As someone who is a queer gluten-free person, I am with you! YAY! We can have chicken sandwiches that taste good (because I do miss the CFA ones) AND not support bigotry and hate.

  54. Jenny Jacobs on July 19, 2012 at 11:10 am

    I cannot wait to try this! Literally, making it right after this post. Now I can have a taste of home and none of this discriminatory nonsense =) Much love from London!

    • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 5:38 pm

      Hi Jenny! You’ve probably already made it by now! Hope you liked it. 🙂 Thanks for writing. xoxo

  55. Marco on July 19, 2012 at 11:12 am

    Ah so good! As a gay man from the South, this was awesome!!!! I used whole wheat buns just to make it a little healthier 🙂 Also, I couldn’t help but sing “I’m gonna toast my buns, I’m gonna toast my buns” over and over again to myself…






    • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 5:37 pm

      Yay, Marco! Sounds like you had a great time in the kitchen. I like to sing while I’m cooking, too. Thanks for writing and I’m so happy you approve of the recipe!

  56. Cosmos Human on July 19, 2012 at 12:37 pm

    Can I eliminate the sugar? As I watch carefully what i eat, I’m going to try to oven “fry” this?

    I just found out about your website from The Consumerist. I’m subscribing now!

    • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 5:33 pm

      Hi! I think you could. Obviously it won’t taste quite the same, but it should cook up the same… oh, except you’re baking it, too. 😉
      Let us know how it goes! Glad you found me.

  57. Erica on July 19, 2012 at 1:27 pm

    So… I pinned this… it seems a *whole* lotta peeps out there had the same idea. When I clicked on the “Also from hilahcooking.com” link, I found oodles of pictures of your chicken sandwich… hopefully there will soon be oodles of pictures of your nuggets 😉

    You did a great thing here. A truly great thing.

    • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 5:34 pm

      Hi Erica! Thanks for “pinning”! This might be the first thing of mine that’s ever been pinned! Uh, I mean… besides by myself or my boyfriend. 😉
      Good to hear from you. Hope you like the recipe!

  58. Ken Howard, LCSW on July 19, 2012 at 2:38 pm

    I am a gay-affirmative psychotherapist in Los Angeles who specializes in working with gay men. I’m also a strong gay community advocate. With my clients, I often do what’s called Behavioral Therapy. In Behavioral Therapy, to stop one behavior (such as patronizing Chick-Fil-A), you need to substitute another behavior. It is remarkably effective. Thank you so much for giving folks a “behavioral alternative” to giving money to hate organizations, while still preserving their love for chicken sandwiches (which I love, too, by the way). This is a good tip for cooking and for life — instead of using ingredients that are bad for you (like MSG), just use spices that are often actually GOOD for you. In life, if you have a bad habit, try substituting something else for it. Your brain will gravitate to the “new” behavior and forget all about the old one. This is all… FOOD FOR THOUGHT. 🙂






    • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 5:36 pm

      Hi, Ken! I like your take on this. And your pun. 😉 Thanks for writing!

  59. emily on July 19, 2012 at 5:24 pm

    This is so fantastic. I have actually never had Chick-fil-A and never will unless they shift towards the bright side of human rights/equality. However, I will most definitely try your copy cat recipe and I am sharing your video on Facebook/Twitter now. Thanks!

    • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 5:43 pm

      Thank you Emily! I think you’ll like this if you like chicken and fried things – and pretty much everyone does, right? 😉 Thanks for writing and for sharing with your friends!

  60. Gregrhi on July 19, 2012 at 6:14 pm

    You are funny as hell and as instructional videos go you’re really fun to listen to. I look forward to making this tomorrow. I also agree with and love your idea of siding with your friends over a corporation that hates them! Good on ya!!






    • Hilah on July 20, 2012 at 9:23 am

      Thanks, Gregrhi! Glad you like the videos… and think I’m funny. *blush*
      Hope you like the CFG, too!

  61. Navras on July 19, 2012 at 6:46 pm

    Oh man, this sounds great! I’m going to fry up a whole cornish hen this way 🙂 you should totally figure out their chocolate chip cookie recipe they just started using… I hate going there but I love their cookies so so much 🙁

    • Hilah on July 20, 2012 at 9:21 am

      Hi Navras! Are you SERIOUS?!? For real, if you do that, PLEASE post a picture somewhere.
      And damn… I’ve had so many requests for their Polynesian sauce and waffle fries, I didn’t even THINK of the cookies! Looks like I got my work cut out for me. 🙂

  62. Kelly Robinson on July 19, 2012 at 6:46 pm

    Hilah, you just made a grown man cry. This afternoon I went to my favorites CFA in Atlanta GA, where I usually eat lunch 3-4 times a week. I told them I would not be back and that I will not support a restaurant that spreads hate and supports discrimination. I was so sad all day, until I came home a saw your Chick-Fil-Gay video online. I swear you made me cry tears of joy. I madeChik-Fil-Gay sandwiches for dinner tonight and I’m taking the left overs to work for lunch tomorrow to share at the office. Any tips on Waffle Fries and coleslaw? LOL

    Thank you, I LOVE YOU!

    • Hilah on July 20, 2012 at 9:20 am

      Oh, Kelly, you almost made a grown woman cry with your story! Good for you for telling them why you’re leaving. That took a lot of guts.
      I hope you find this a satisfactory substitute. I’ll get to work on that coleslaw breakdown! 😉
      hugs,
      h

  63. Kathy McC on July 19, 2012 at 8:29 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing this! I love these sandwiches (with extra pickles!) but I can’t justify eating there anymore, so this is the perfect solution! I might try it to make nuggets for my boys, too! 🙂

    • Hilah on July 20, 2012 at 9:16 am

      Hi Kathy! I think you and your boys will like this copycat. I haven’t tried making nuggets myself, but several people in the comments have said it works just great. Have fun!

  64. Doug on July 19, 2012 at 10:03 pm

    I am so glad I saw the post about this recipe on Gawker, because that led me to the rest of your videos–absolutely hilarious AND informative; a perfect blend! I got inspired and finally bought the cast iron skillet I’ve been waiting to get, now that I’ve found the perfect tutorial on seasoning it, and can’t wait to try many of your recipes, including this one! Thanks for being AWESOME.

    • Hilah on July 20, 2012 at 9:12 am

      Hi Doug! I’m so glad you found me, too!
      Have fun cooking with your cast iron. It’ll be a little awkward at first probably, but once it gets going you’ll never cook without it. And, actually, frying stuff in it is a great way to get it well-seasoned. 🙂

  65. Airren on July 20, 2012 at 7:41 am

    Hi Hilah! Just wanted to drop in and comment on how awesome you are for getting this recipe together. You’re all over the innernets now and for all the right reasons! I cannot wait to make the Chick-fil-Gay! Also, your Roku channel is super great – I can’t wait to watch them all. :::high five!:::






    • Hilah on July 20, 2012 at 9:02 am

      Hi Airren! Thanks so much for writing! I hope you like the recipe and I’m super stoked you got me on the Roku, too. Also, I love your name. 🙂
      :::Back atcha!:::

  66. Ali Vonal on July 20, 2012 at 10:03 am

    Oh my god! I love you! Finally, we can enjoy a great sandwich without supporting fascism! Yay!






    • Hilah on July 20, 2012 at 10:13 am

      Yay! Thanks, Ali!

  67. Heidi on July 20, 2012 at 10:11 am

    WHY USE PICKLE JUICE, WE ALL KNOW HE USE PEANUT OIL.. plus i love what they stand for, i’m so glad that they are not backing down or giving in to the rest of the worlds opinions. Think about it, sounds like high school all over again. Why can he and his business stand for what he believes in and not have to answer to anyone else. Why should he please everyone. Good for him for being original and a leader NOT A FOLLOWER! Didn’t YOUR parents raise you to be a leader! I’m not a gay lover, God created adam and eve!

    • Hilah on July 20, 2012 at 10:13 am

      No comment.

    • Ali Vonal on July 20, 2012 at 10:26 am

      Oh, I love the use of words there: Gay lover. Substitute the gay for n*8ger, or Jew, and you’ll understand how your post is like nails on a chalkboard for any decent person. You stand up for what you believe in, regardless of how backward you may be, regardless of how archaic and foolish you sound. But don’t get offended when we do too.
      Boycott the haters at Chick Fil A.

    • Becky on July 20, 2012 at 4:15 pm

      Jesus is my lord and savior. I’ve read the bible and from what I can tell, Jesus is about love, empathy, kindness, goodness, salvation, helping others, yada yada yada. He died for me, He can judge me. As a follower of Christ, it is most consistent with my belief system to give money to groups that help the sick, elderly, poor, hungry, etc. Jesus did not hate. Jesus did not promote discrimination. Jesus was not down with bigotry. There’s some scary stuff in that bible, but it’s pretty clear who Jesus Christ was and what He was all about. It’s an odd dichotomy in the bible to be sure, but I’m not really up for my head exploding at the present time. Anyway, we all have a choice. CFA made their choice and I strongly disagree with it and the “logic” behind it. I’m making my choice, which I also have the right to do. No CFA for me or my family because it goes against my faith, my Christianity. I’m not even a member of the LGBT community. I’m just a mom who wants to do the right thing and stand up for what I believe in (hint: equality & human decency.) I’d also like to know at what temperature and for how long if I want to bake these instead?

      • Hilah on July 21, 2012 at 11:21 am

        Oh, Becky. Thank you. That was beautifully stated. 🙂
        As far as baking, I’d try it at 375 F for just about 10 minutes and then check them. Might need to go a little longer, but not more than 15 minutes. Also, I suggest using bread crumbs instead of flour. The flour just doesn’t crisp in the oven.
        Thanks again for sharing your loving perspective.

    • Pston on July 21, 2012 at 9:35 am

      You should talk about sounding like high school….

      He DOES have to answer to me if he wants my cash…and yes, my parents raised me to be a leader, a leader who thinks for myself.

      I ain’t eatin’ no right wing chicken! (unless I make it myself)

    • Joe on July 24, 2012 at 11:31 pm

      If “God created adam & eve” & that’s all good, why do adam & eve keep making them homos? If you heteros stopped having sex, there’d be no more gays already! Homos can’t make more homos, hater. So quit with the straight sex, if you don’t want no gays. Werd.






  68. Cosmos Human on July 20, 2012 at 10:31 am

    To the previous posters who are anti human being. If you don’t like Gay people, don’t date or marry a Gay human being…it’s that simple! Like with abortion..if you don’t like abortion…don’t have one! Now how simple is that?
    I maybe straight…but I love all human beings; straight or Gay…even idiots who post nothing but hate and ignorance!

  69. Sean on July 20, 2012 at 10:50 am

    Can’t wait to make this. Love the brine idea. And for anyone out there looking for a Chick-fil-gay sauce, tastes so close to the real thing:
    1/2 cup mayonnaise
    2 tbsp. plain yellow mustard
    1/2 tsp. garlic powder
    1 tbsp. white vinegar
    2 tbsp. honey
    Salt and pepper

    • Hilah on July 20, 2012 at 2:51 pm

      Yay! Thanks, Sean! 🙂

  70. Brad Wilken on July 20, 2012 at 11:46 am

    I am going to be sure to try this. I was previously very conflicted about the news of CFA coming to the Minneapolis area next year. I am addicted to their sandwiches but don’t wish to support hatemongering. Maybe, if this recipe is as good as other commenters seem to say, I won’t have to!
    One question, just curious where are you from? Your accent really stands out to the ears of this Upper Midwestern boy.

    • Hilah on July 20, 2012 at 2:50 pm

      Hi Brad! Hope you like it. I think you will!
      And I’m from Texas.

  71. Sarah on July 20, 2012 at 3:10 pm

    Thank you! I LOOOOOOVE Chick-Fil-A but have been avoiding it since the whole ridiculous anti-gay crap came out. You rock. I’m going to make this this weekend!

    • Hilah on July 21, 2012 at 11:26 am

      Thanks, Sarah! Enjoy and have a great weekend!

  72. shadowknows on July 20, 2012 at 4:10 pm

    Just made this recipe and subbed out the flour for rice flour.
    Amazing. All the taste without the hate!

    • Hilah on July 21, 2012 at 11:23 am

      Oh awesome! Thank you so so much for sharing that. I have had several GF questions so now I can tell them rice flour!

  73. JD on July 20, 2012 at 6:06 pm

    MSG gives me headaches and makes my tongue and lips swell up. I had to get steroid shots twice and pills several other times. Took years to narrow it down to that common ingredient in the attacks but now I know to stay away from it and the problems are gone. Whether it contributes to high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s or cancer is yet to be seen. Why risk it? Chinese food is often pegged as the lone user of monosodium glutamate but it is in countless snacks(Doritos), salad dressings(ranch), soups(ramen, canned), dips, sauce mixes(Knorr), beef jerky, pork sausage and fast food fried chicken and other items. It’s even in vaccines and food crop fertilizers. Sure it’s approved by the government but does that really make you believe it’s safe?

    • Hilah on July 21, 2012 at 11:22 am

      Yikes! Sounds like a severe allergic reaction, JD. That’s scary. I’ve never had a reaction to it, but I certainly share your skepticism about FDA approval.

  74. Gregrhi on July 20, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    I just made and ate Chick-Fil-Gay sandwiches with my wife and we both agree that these are exponentially better than the corporate version. My wife actually said that it was the best fried chicken sandwich she has had in a long time, and that’s saying something! We both thank you for sharing this delicious goodness.
    Indian tacos will be next!






  75. Erica on July 20, 2012 at 10:28 pm

    While searching around for the recipe for their Polynesian sauce, I found that it is the exact same thing as Marzetti Honey French dressing. Haven’t decided if I’m going to try and make my own or just buy this.

    Either way… Chick-fil-Gay nuggets… here I come.

    • Hilah on July 21, 2012 at 11:13 am

      Salvation! Thank you, Erica!!!

  76. Ano nymous on July 20, 2012 at 11:50 pm

    I dont understand whats your beef with chick-fil-a. If they dont like gay people so what. Who are you to control them. Stop discriminating against other people religious, moral and spiritual views.

    • crsytalwolfakacaligrl on July 29, 2012 at 8:40 pm

      We don’t have a “Beef” with Chik fill H8…we just don’t agree with the “Values of Hate” they stand for so we will not go
      there. Same with Paper towels made by Koch! Get it?

  77. Ben Blair on July 21, 2012 at 1:56 am

    Tried it. Loved it. Quick question. I made it for my family and made about 6 total sandwiches. Would you recommend I double the wet and dry mixes? The wet seemed ok, but the dry seemed to run out….

    ALSO, would you do a really kickass mashed potato recipe that I could make with this?

    Thanks Hilah! You rule.

    Ben
    http://www.majizuwamovie.com (changing lives of orphans)






    • Hilah on July 21, 2012 at 11:01 am

      Hi Ben!
      I’m so happy you all loved them! Yay for family dinners!
      I think, yes, you’re right, for 6 sandwiches it would be better to double the batter ingredients. If you were just to make 4 sandwiches, there should be sufficient wet and dry mixes as the recipe is written.
      Also, I DO have a mashed potato recipe! https://hilahcooking.com/mashed-potatoes-recipe/
      Thanks for writing. I’m gonna check out your movie.
      -h

  78. Lenore on July 21, 2012 at 3:20 am

    Is there anything else I can use to marinate the chicken with besides pickle juice? I hate pickles.

    • Hilah on July 21, 2012 at 10:55 am

      Hi Lenore! There are several suggestions in the other comments like sauerkraut juice but if you don’t like anything pickled at all you can make a simple brine of 1 cup water with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon sugar dissolved into it. Add some Tabasco too, if you like.

  79. Carlin on July 21, 2012 at 3:46 am

    Political views aside, I am normally one of those people who light fires when I cook. So I enlisted help, because boiling oil sounded dangerous.

    But we followed the recipe. And I have to say that it is all kinds of tasty. It is not the exact same as the Chick-Fil-Et flavor; I actually think it has been improved on. Especially with a dose of cayenne pepper.

    • Hilah on July 21, 2012 at 10:51 am

      Thanks, Carlin! Glad to hear you didn’t burn the house down. 😉 And I thought these were a little better than CFA, too.

  80. Deanna on July 21, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    Our neighborhood had a chick fil gay party last night. Had a great time and the recipe was excellent! We will be making these again for sure!

    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 10:44 am

      What a great neighborhood to live in, Deanna! I’m glad I helped in a tiny way. 🙂

  81. Debra on July 21, 2012 at 1:54 pm
    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 10:43 am

      Omigaw, I saw that after we made our video and then Willam Belli tweeted at me about it! Eek! 🙂

  82. Brooke Baker on July 21, 2012 at 6:47 pm

    These were awesome! I made homemade biscuits to serve mine on, since I’ve always been a big fan of CFA’s chicken biscuit breakfast sandwich. I have to say, they definitely tasted better knowing I wasn’t funding homophobia! *g*






    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 10:41 am

      Oh awesome idea, Brooke! Thank you for sharing! 🙂

  83. Marja on July 21, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    Thanks so much for this recipe! Made this for dinner tonight using three breasts. Perhaps the spices I was using were old but they did not give it much flavor and using granulated sugar it came out extremely sweet. It was delicious but not quite to mine nor my husband’s preferences on savory spices, so I’ll definitely be making again but will adjust the seasonings (double or triple) and cut the sugar for our tastes. Thank you for putting in the work to come up with an alternative for those of us who aren’t bigots! 😀

    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 10:40 am

      Hi Marja!
      Thanks for the update! That’s very helpful to know about the granulated sugar not working the same – a few people have asked and now I can tell them to cut it back or use powdered sugar.
      I do hope y’all try it again with more success. Thank you for writing.
      -h

  84. Conner on July 21, 2012 at 10:32 pm

    My boyfriend and I are currently making this as I type. Smells delicious so far! Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂

    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 10:38 am

      Yay Connor and Co.! Hope y’all loved them. 🙂

  85. Rory on July 21, 2012 at 10:58 pm

    Hilah:

    I am gay and I love Chick Fil A. Thanks to you now I can still be gay and make a awesome Chick Fil Gay at home.

    XOXO






    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 10:38 am

      Hi Rory! Thanks for writing. Let us know how it turns out! XOXO

  86. M86 on July 22, 2012 at 4:08 am

    Hope it’s OK to comment on an older post… I can’t remember how I happened to land here, but this looks delicious! As a northerner transplanted to the south, I grew to love Chick-Fil-A’s sandwiches, but, as a gay male, am saddened by some of their comments and actions.
    I loved the video! I’m not familiar with frying food, so seeing it done boosts my confidence! 🙂
    Glad I found your blog… I’ll be a regular!

    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 10:37 am

      Thank you! Hope you find them a satisfactory substitute. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!

  87. Amanda on July 22, 2012 at 7:24 am

    Wonderful, I am living in Australia currently so no Chic-fil-a here! Now to crack the recipe for polynesian sauce!






    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 10:33 am

      Hi Amanda! Hope you like it! Someone else in the comments said that the brand T.Marzetti makes a Honey French dressing that’s the same! I haven’t tried it, but you might be able to find it or order it online.

  88. sarino on July 22, 2012 at 1:09 pm

    not only good recipe, but youre a real cutie too! love the video

  89. Seth on July 22, 2012 at 2:10 pm

    Howdy, Hilah.

    If I may offer a suggestion on the breading…

    Once you have dipped the meat in the wet mix and then the dry mix, place them on a cooling rack sitting on foil or paper towels (for easy clean up) and let the breading “dry” for about 20 minutes. This will allow the air to circulate around the meat and help the dry stick to the meat because the wet will have evaporated slightly.

    It also helps make the breading a bit crispier.






    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 6:04 pm

      Hi Seth! Great suggestion! Thanks for writing.

    • Julia on August 6, 2012 at 12:39 pm

      I have not tried Hilah’s recipe but have made fried chicken breasts in a similar way. I have had good success with the breading sticking on by using only an egg white for the wet part, no milk mixed in. It seems the white is glueier than the yolk maybe, I don’t know. Also, don’t beat up the egg white but leave it in the same gloppy consistency it slides out of the shell in.

  90. Nicholas McRae on July 22, 2012 at 2:58 pm

    Thank you VERY much for making this.






    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 6:03 pm

      No problem, Nicholas! Thanks for writing.

  91. Cosmos Human on July 22, 2012 at 3:31 pm

    I was wondering if the company contacted you about your version of the chicken sandwich. I just hope they don’t try to shut you down…you totally make my day!

    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 6:03 pm

      They haven’t. I’m sure they’re trying to get out of the negative press limelight, so hopefully they don’t. Thank you!

  92. Mrs_H on July 22, 2012 at 4:11 pm

    Do you have reason to think Chik-Fil-A sandwiches actually contain basil, and are marinated in pickle juice? Or are those touches simply added to your recipe for flavor? I ask, because I’m allergic to both basil and cucumbers, as well as many vinegars, and I used to eat at Chik-Fil-A often without problems. If there is any evidence that they actually do contain basil and are marinated in pickle juice, I’ll have the allergist run tests again — it would be nice to scratch a couple of things off of my long, long list of food allergies. Thanks!

    • Hilah on July 22, 2012 at 6:01 pm

      Hi Mrs H!
      No, I don’t believe this is how they are made at CFA at all, judging from the ingredients I found on their website. Sorry to be a bummer! Would have been nice to be able to help with your allergen list.
      If you still want to try this, you could leave out the basil of course and use one of the other suggestions maybe? Sauerkraut juice or just a little homemade brine?

      • Mrs_H on July 22, 2012 at 8:02 pm

        Oh, well — I was hoping! 😉 I will likely try it with brine and without the basil. Thanks!

  93. Amber Boegly on July 22, 2012 at 4:26 pm

    This looks delicious. I may have to try it sometime. While I love Chick-Fil-A’s food, I’m not sure I like if they’re really extremist Christians. It saddens me how many people who say they are Christian behave in very un-Christian like ways. We’re supposed to LOVE everyone. Anything else is between them and God.

    I do have my own beef with CFA though…I love their Caesar Chicken Wraps, but the one at the mall no longer carries them. So if I wanted one, I’d have to drive way out of my way into town. Any chance you could do a recipe for grilled chicken wraps? I’m inclined to make em myself rather than drive for 30 min.






  94. Paul on July 22, 2012 at 7:34 pm

    Just tried this recipe out tonight for me and my family. Holy ghost, this sandwich is delicious!! This is the first one of your recipes I have tried, and needless to say I will be coming back. The best part of this sandwich is that I never have to give CFA a red cent of my money again. As a gay man in a committed relationship, I thank you. 😀






    • Hilah on July 23, 2012 at 9:09 am

      Thanks, Paul! That makes me very happy to hear. So glad you liked it and thanks for reminding me of the “Holy Ghost” exclamation! I’d forgotten about that one. 🙂

  95. Stephanie on July 22, 2012 at 8:39 pm

    Hi Hilah,

    Just wanted to say “Thanks!” for posting the recipe. My husband and I just had them tonight for supper and it was yummy. I do have a couple of comments though.

    For me, I preferred their chicken strips, so I cut the chicken breasts into strips 1/2″ wide (this meant I didn’t need to use the meat tenderizer so it went a little faster). I did brine the strips for about 35 minutes in a zipblock using a garlic dill pickle juice.

    I figured I’d leave a few notes on how it came out as feedback. Firstly, we dried and dredged all the pieces in flour before putting it in the wet mix to ensure that the coating didn’t come off while cooking – this worked perfectly. Unfortunatly the pickle flavour came off a little too strongly for my taste – I’ll probably use 1/2 – 2/3 proportionally plain brine to pickle juice next time. The last thing I noticed is that even though I used peanut oil to cook the chicken, it didn’t have any peanut taste at all – which is one of the things I loved about Chick-Fil-A. I will try to hunt down some peanut flour to use a little bit for the next version.

    Hugs from Ottawa!

    • Hilah on July 23, 2012 at 9:07 am

      Hi Stephanie!
      Thank you so much for your feedback! I think for strips and nuggets, a 20 minute marinade is probably sufficient. That might solve the too-strong-pickle flavor for you, too.
      Let me know how the peanut flour goes. I have seen powdered peanut butter on store shelves lately.
      Thanks for writing!
      xo,h

  96. Andee on July 23, 2012 at 3:02 am

    Hi! First I just wunna say, I saw your Project Rant videos and have enjoyed all of them, just as I have your cooking videos. I’m gay and I’ve never had CFA (because it just never happened for me) and it looks like I’ll never have to. Also after trying this recipe, I am quite inspired to use celery salt in many dishes in the future as this was the first time I ever tasted anything with it.

    Ps: Hilah, your menu on the right -I think it’s a funny coincidence that the colours of the links are the same as the Armenian flag aaand your name is Hye-la.

    • Hilah on July 23, 2012 at 8:48 am

      Hi Andee! Whoopee! I think you’re the first to comment here who ever saw my Project Rants! Those were so much fun to do.
      I’m glad you liked the recipe and are now a celery salt lover, like myself. Eventually, I plan to convert the entire world population to celery salt lovers. 😉

      • Andee on July 24, 2012 at 3:03 am

        Any suggestions on other wonderful dishes involving celery salt?

  97. Chris on July 23, 2012 at 9:05 am

    Wanted to let you know that we made this last night for dinner….and was also my first try at EVER frying chicken- it was FANTASTIC!!! We did the breasts and nuggets to try the difference. The breasts we had were a bit large- especially after tenderizing them and they took a while to cook. The nuggets turned out fantastic and JUST like the bigoted chicken place! We even made waffle fries to complete our faux Fil-A experience. I’m passing this recipe on to everyone I know and care about.

    • Hilah on July 23, 2012 at 2:05 pm

      Hi Chris!
      That’s great that y’all were able to recreate the whole thing, even down to the fries. Thanks so much for writing and for sharing with your friends!

  98. Jean on July 23, 2012 at 9:19 am

    Has anyone tried a version of this without chicken? Maybe with seitan?

    • Hilah on July 23, 2012 at 2:01 pm

      I haven’t heard of anyone doing that yet, Jean, but my friend Tasha posted this recipe for vegan fried chicken that might be useful. Maybe you could combine the two recipes to make it work.

      • Jean on July 23, 2012 at 2:05 pm

        Thanks, Hilah! I will try just that.

  99. DGB on July 23, 2012 at 12:42 pm

    The recipe looks easy and I will definitely try it. My question/comment is about your kitchen. This is the first time I have seen your blog, so please tell me that the orange kitchen is just your quirkiness and not coming back into vogue? I thought we got rid of that in the 7o’s. 🙂






    • Hilah on July 23, 2012 at 2:00 pm

      Haha! No, as far as I know, DGB, I’m the only person who chose to install bright orange countertops. This decade, anyway. 🙂

      • dean on April 30, 2013 at 6:47 am

        and they are spectacular! love’m.






  100. Kris on July 23, 2012 at 8:23 pm

    Made this tonight for the family. We all loved it. Thanks for the great home cooked CFA sammy recipe!

    • Hilah on July 24, 2012 at 8:54 am

      Yay! That’s great, Kris! Thanks for the feedback!

  101. ryan on July 23, 2012 at 10:01 pm

    I made this last night so great my picky children even loved it.
    I hate pickles so I used Stubbs marinade instead
    http://www.stubbsbbq.com/products/marinades/chicken-marinade/






    • Hilah on July 24, 2012 at 8:50 am

      Thanks for the tip, Ryan! I’m glad your kids liked it.

  102. Alice on July 24, 2012 at 5:48 am

    Is there anyway to vegetarianize this recipe, if not veganize it? back in the day i used to love a chick fil A sandwich but gave them up in the late 90’s when i heard about their policies. now i’m a vegan (ish, it’s hard to be vegan in london) but would love to try this recipe.

  103. Katie on July 24, 2012 at 1:02 pm

    Just discovered your site thanks to the Huffington Post, and now I’m hooked. Awesome job, keep up the good work!

    Made this for dinner the other night (uhm…after the gym), and it was easy, and delicious. Plus, don’t have to feel guilty that my money is going to causes I don’t support.

  104. Sheilah Jensen Wight on July 24, 2012 at 1:09 pm

    But what about the Chick-Fil-A sauce? Gotta have it! Anybody got that recipe??

    • Hilah on July 24, 2012 at 3:27 pm

      Hey Sheila! Check the comments. Someone posted a recipe for the mayo sauce and someone else posted a link to a store-bought duplicate of the Polynesian sauce!

  105. Stace on July 24, 2012 at 4:56 pm

    I just made chicken nuggets with this recipe that earned me a “Best Cook Ever!” from my boys.

    Thank you!






    • Hilah on July 25, 2012 at 9:17 am

      Yay! Good job, Stace!

  106. Tyler on July 24, 2012 at 6:59 pm

    Decided to try this out over the weekend and WOW. It’s ridiculously good! I’m not typically a pickle fan, but the way the chicken tastes after marinading in this for an hour is unbelievable.

    Well done, can’t way to see what other recipes you have around here. Thanks for sharing!






    • Hilah on July 25, 2012 at 9:22 am

      Thanks, Tyler! I’m glad you decided to go for the pickle brine. So far, even confirmed pickle-haters have enjoyed it.

  107. Tatiana on July 24, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    I love your recipe, Im thinking about making some chicken tenders (because my son hates sandwiches) with it. :3 Thanks for the recipe, and I have this bookmarked!

    • Hilah on July 25, 2012 at 9:24 am

      Hi Tatiana!
      Hope you try it with the tenders. Other people have said it works fine, but you probably won’t want to marinate it quite as long. Thanks for writing!

  108. Garry Yates on July 25, 2012 at 8:31 am

    I used to enjoy watching your show, but since you’ve decided to make it political, I believe I’ll go elsewhere for my entertainment. Just for the record, I’m neither pro nor anti gay and am basically a lazy atheist, and I have no problem with straight or gay people (both groups contain jerks of all sorts). My problem is that CFA has never, ever made any secret of their christian, family oriented views. This has been their policy since their first day of business decades ago. Honestly, I have never heard any advertisements from CFA openly bashing or hating the gay community. If you don’t like their beliefs quit going there, just as I am planning on doing to Hilah’s cooking site. I am saddened that she has decided to go political, although that is her right.

    • Hilah on July 25, 2012 at 9:41 am

      Hi Garry,
      I’m sorry to hear that, although I don’t really consider this video to be “going political” seeing as how I didn’t mention political parties, only my disapproval of a corporation that gives money to organizations whose objectives disgust and repulse me (by openly bashing and hating the gay community). It has nothing to do with their supposed “Christian, family oriented” views; it has everything to do with where they put their company profits (which indirectly come from my pockets).
      I’d also like to point out that my videos are free to consume, unlike a CFA sandwich.
      Thanks for sharing your perspective.
      -Hilah

  109. hotpinksox on July 25, 2012 at 1:02 pm

    Hilah! I have watched this video about 8 million times and finally feel confident enough to try it tonight. I’m worried I might screw it up since I left the chicken in pickle juice this morning (read: marinating for 8 hours). It might be a salty mess. Eeek! I’ll let you know how it turns out.

    Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    hps

    • Hilah on July 25, 2012 at 2:05 pm

      You can do it!!! But, yes, also prepare yourself for a very salty chicken breast! 😉

  110. Ashley on July 25, 2012 at 5:53 pm

    My best guess for waffle fries: crinkle cutter or mandolin with a crinkle attachment, rotating potato 90 degrees per cut, toss in peanut oil, bake at 400-425 until cooked and crispy. I haven’t tried it, but it’s worth a shot.

    Thanks, Hilah!

  111. ArugulaZ on July 25, 2012 at 7:56 pm

    I’ll admit, while it’s great you keep an open line of communication with your fans, I’m a little shocked you have any time to cook!

  112. Hotpinksox on July 25, 2012 at 8:19 pm

    You were right, very salty! And I burned my buns because I wasn’t watching them. But it was amazing and I’ll never need to go to Chick-Fil-A again! Yay! Thank you!

    • Hilah on July 27, 2012 at 8:51 am

      Oh, man, I’ve burned more things in the broiler than I care to count!

  113. msconduct10 on July 25, 2012 at 8:37 pm

    Thanks for this recipe, Hilah! Made a few tweaks that others might enjoy. Did the first batch per the recipe and it was SO close that I made a second batch right after to try the changes I was thinking, and the second one was as close as I can imagine getting without MSG and a pressure fryer.

    In the second batch, the chicken sat in the pickle juice more like 45 mins (first batch was in for 15-20). For the dry coating, I doubled the salt (more like 2.5x since they were heaping half-teaspoons), changed the celery salt to onion salt and doubled it, doubled the garlic powder. Left the paprika, black pepper, and powdered sugar the same. Also, ditched the basil entirely. Just didn’t feel like that flavor belonged.

    Also, I did a light flour dredge before the egg/flour dredge to thicken the coating a bit, and I felt the texture of the coating seemed closer to the real deal that way. A hair thicker and crumblier.

    Anyway, what a fun thing to play with in the kitchen, and I normally hate cooking (and am normally terrified of frying)! So thank you for the foundation recipe! Will definitely make this again!






    • Hilah on July 27, 2012 at 8:52 am

      Thanks for sharing your changes and suggestions, Msconduct! It’s fun to play with recipes indeed. 🙂

  114. Jean Marie on July 26, 2012 at 8:27 am

    I made these last night after tweeting your link a couple of times. They were great. My son says they are better than the ones at CFA! A couple of thoughts – adding a tsp of tabasco to the pickle juice is a good idea. Doesn’t make it too spicy, just adds some depth. I patted the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and dusted them with flour before egg dipping, etc. Then I let them dry for about 15 mins on a rack before frying (in peanut oil). It helps the coating to adhere better. Thanks for this delicious recipe!

  115. The Metal Chef on July 26, 2012 at 10:26 am

    Excellent idea to marinate the breasts in dill juice if you’re just going chicken + pickles. I prefer to add a thin slice of cheddar or colby right after the chicken comes out of the pan (to melt it) and then top with a couple strips of bacon, so the salty marinade doesn’t come into play for me.

  116. Marcia Webb on July 26, 2012 at 12:32 pm

    I know what I’m making for dinner tonight! Thanks so much for sharing this, and I love your video.






  117. Jenny (vintagesugarcube) on July 26, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    Thanks a million for the recipe. Though I loved their chicken, will never step foot in their establishments again.

  118. Nick on July 26, 2012 at 3:43 pm

    I just saw you on Yahoo! and wanted to say “Congrats!” on the notoriety. I first saw you with Jenny Kelly (close friend), and love any support for a fellow Texan! Cook on!






    • Hilah on July 27, 2012 at 8:48 am

      Any friend of Jenny’s is a friend of mine, Nick! Thank you!

  119. Suzan on July 27, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    Hi, sounds all good except I thoroughly dislike pickles & their juice…any recommendations as to what else would be good to marinate them in?

    • Hilah on July 29, 2012 at 12:21 pm

      Hi Suzan! If you read over the comments there are several suggestions, though many people who also hate pickles have tried it and reported no pickle flavor in the final dish!

  120. adambowling on July 27, 2012 at 1:39 pm

    You are on Yahoo News. This is awesome.

  121. mark on July 27, 2012 at 2:34 pm

    WOW!!… I just went thru this whole comment list, and I was looking for “Comments” about the chicken, and what people thought about it and how to improve it.. or just say how close it is to the real thing…. But NOOOO…everyone wants to Yack about there problems with the gays. I mean IM sorry they said all that, and i know gay people and are friends with like 1 or 2 but thats not gonna change my mind about CFA. There chicken is to die for. “Msconduct10”, and Jean Marie left the best info…. thanks u 2.

    • theotherlee on August 2, 2012 at 3:31 pm

      Author: mark
      Comment:
      WOW!!… I just went thru this whole comment list, and I was looking for “Comments” about the chicken, and what people thought about it and how to improve it.. or just say how close it is to the real thing…. But NOOOO…everyone wants to Yack about there problems with the gays. I mean IM sorry they said all that, and i know gay people and are friends with like 1 or 2 but thats not gonna change my mind about CFA. There chicken is to die for. “Msconduct10”, and Jean Marie left the best info…. thanks u 2.

      #1. There are MANY, MANY comments on how good the chicken is.. how people who don’t like pickles/cucumbers can substitute.. how you can alter the recipe for nuggets, or strips over a sandwich.. etc.. etc… So you evidently didn’t look too hard, now, did you?

      #2 The title of this video and article is Chick-Fil-Gay Sandwich.. so you should have expected what a lot of the comments were going to be. Unless, of course, you are a moron.

      #3 Other than to be pissy.. if you actually stumbled across the page.. why comment at all.

      #4 If you actually DO have Gay friends, I hope you tell them that you will continue to give money to CFA, so they can make donations that will CONTINUE to work to remove and reduce the rights of the LGBT community, and not only that.. support groups that are supportive of international legislation that calls for the Death Penalty for gays… and life in prison for anyone that knows, and does not report homosexuals.

      Good on you… and I hope that after you inform your gay friends of that.. that they stop being your friend. Because OBVIOUSLY, with friends like YOU… Who needs enemies?!

  122. OhHoneyHoney on July 27, 2012 at 5:00 pm

    Why always an American woman , an American man or an American gay has the magic to do an American recipe excellent But me..as a Mexican woman who likes to cook even doing the same recipe step by step i can’t do this magic.

  123. Anthony on July 27, 2012 at 9:01 pm

    What is the calorie per serving for each sandwich?

  124. Ibis3 on July 27, 2012 at 11:18 pm

    A couple of questions…

    Is powdered sugar the same as icing sugar?

    I’ve never tried Chick Fil-A (never heard of it before this whole “Yes, we’re bigots and proud” thing), so I have no idea what the Polynesian sauce is for that people are mentioning in comments. Is it a dipping sauce or is it an optional spread or something else?

    Thanks for the recipe, Hilah. I’ve been wondering what CFA sandwiches taste like and now I get to find out. Looking forward to trying it.

    • Hilah on July 29, 2012 at 12:24 pm

      Hello Ibis!
      1. Yes, it’s the same thing.
      2. Polynesian sauce is one of the dipping sauces available with the nuggets I think. I’ve never ordered it myself.
      Hope you like the recipe!

  125. Dan The Man With The Master Plan on July 28, 2012 at 10:27 am

    I came across your site from watching the Chick-Fil-Gay recipe and its been spreading like wildfire on Facebook. The lgbtq people of the world would like to thank you for standing up to corporate homofobia and bigot bullshit and fighting back in such a quirky creative way. You’re really good lookin on TV btw, and you remind me of a young Gwenyth Paltrow.

    (Awesome job on the website by the way. Let us know who designed it and maintains it. Excellent work)






    • Hilah on July 29, 2012 at 12:19 pm

      Thank you Dan!
      And I’ll tell Chris what you said about the site. It’s all his doing. He’s pretty much a genius. 🙂

  126. Antonio Losavio on July 28, 2012 at 9:28 pm

    I just made two of these and they were amazing. Tasted just like the real thing. And none of the bigotry!!! I want to tell you just how awesome you are for turning cooking into a form of activism. I’m going to pass this on to all of my friends. I am now a huge fan of your show!!!

  127. Pete on July 28, 2012 at 9:37 pm

    Hi Hilah,

    We just made the chicken sandwich and we give it a thumbs up! Making the dumplings tomorrow.
    We are hooked on your videos and think you’re the best..always put a smile on my face..
    No more chik-fila for us

    Pete, Joe & re-Pete.

  128. Kaleigh on July 29, 2012 at 7:10 am

    Thank you so much for the recipe I can’t wait to try it. I worked at CFA years ago and I love the food. This recipe has two benefits for me, one is because I will not go to CFA ever again, also where I live now we don’t even have one close by.

    • Hilah on July 29, 2012 at 12:25 pm

      Thanks, Kaleigh! I hope it satisfies your cravings!

  129. Rush on July 29, 2012 at 3:47 pm

    Can you come up with a recipe for the polynesian sauce, please? I love that stuff!

  130. ProudArmyWife on July 29, 2012 at 7:28 pm

    Let me start off by saying that I support gay marriage but I respect Chick-Fil-A’s right to free speech. Before trying this recipe I had determined that I was still going to eat at Chick-Fil-A, but just making this recipe once there’s no way I can ever eat at Chick-Fil-A again. This recipe is incredibly good and so much better! I had no celery salt so I had to use celery seed and a tab bit of MSG (Accent Seasoning), and OMG this was so good! My husband couldn’t stop raving! This is my new favorite recipe site!






    • Hilah on July 30, 2012 at 1:02 pm

      Haha! Thank you for sharing! Glad y’all liked it. 🙂

    • theotherlee on August 2, 2012 at 3:42 pm

      Dear PAW…

      I don’t know if you’ll return to the site to read this, but I would just like to clarify that for me, and a large portion of the LGBT and supporting Community are not fighting against CFA because of Free Speech.

      http://equalitymatters.org/factcheck/201207020001

      Please read through that site.

      The issue is not a matter of Free Speech, it’s a matter of knowing that the a portion of the money I give CFA is being donated to anti-gay hate groups that have been created specifically for the purpose of removing, or limiting MY rights as a Gay American. One of the organizations that CFA donates to actually supported the “Kill the Gays” legislation from Uganda, so.. they’re giving money to people that want us DEAD.

      I hope you can recognize the difference in being bothered by what the CEO had to say about “traditional marriage” .. and not wanting to contribute additional money to be used for hate.

      Bless you!

  131. Gabe on July 30, 2012 at 10:12 am

    Holy crap it was freakin amazing!!! My husband used chicken breast cutlets so he didn’t have to pound down the meat. It was soooo sooo delish!






  132. CanadianGay on July 30, 2012 at 12:32 pm

    Hi Hilah,

    I tried your chicken sandwich and LOVED it. I love dill pickles so the brine was an awesome idea. I would also like to thank you for your kind words and support. I know some people don’t get the big deal, but as someone who’s grown up with constant reminders that who I am in regards to my sexuality is someone who should be put to death (coming from classmates, teachers and parents) appreciates what you’ve said. I also loved your collard greens recipe, so easy and flavorful. Crun – chay. LOL.






    • Hilah on July 30, 2012 at 12:55 pm

      Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it and the collard greens. Stay strong, my friend!

  133. Deb on July 30, 2012 at 1:46 pm

    I realize this will seem odd ~ but I have NEVER eaten there. Now, I am thrilled I haven’t. I have cooked my ‘own’ fried chicken sandwiches. Learned to use forks with the batter part (not my fingers. MESSY! lol)… THANKS!






  134. Matthew on July 30, 2012 at 6:07 pm

    Just ate 2 sandwiches and one plain chicken breast (no bun). I’m a little piggy. 🙂

    Seriously, great recipe!!! Tastes so great!

    Thanks Hilah!!!






  135. Brad on July 30, 2012 at 10:17 pm

    Yes, now I can have a chicken sandwich, hold the hate!

  136. Twi-gay Alanward on July 31, 2012 at 4:39 pm

    I cooked this and let me say IT WAS FREAKING TASTY!!!! super moist and juicy not to mention very flavorful. In my opinion, maybe even better than Chick-fil-ingnorience. Thank you Hilah for this amazing recipie and your equality support. Me and my gays enjoyed it very much. I love cooking and now I want to try all your brilliant recipies. Love the humor and zestiness you bring to each dish! Thank you so much! 🙂






  137. Janet Powell on July 31, 2012 at 5:38 pm

    I adapted your recipe to be gluten free. It was a fantastic sandwich!!! Definitely one to be repeated and often! Thank-you!
    P.S. I used Udi’s GF multigrain buns and Schar’s bread crumbs for the coating .

    • Hilah on August 2, 2012 at 5:46 pm

      Thanks for the GF tips, Janet!

      • Rowan on August 8, 2012 at 11:32 pm

        I was just trolling for this very information!! YAY! I do have success with Jules Gluten Free Flour, and have made amazing bread crumbs from GF Rice Krispies! Am I the only one who found the nuggets at CFA to be a bit sweet? Not bad, but different than the sandwiches? Anyone have any suggestions?

        We have pimped you on all our facebook pages. 🙂






  138. Kathlyn on July 31, 2012 at 6:40 pm

    Thanks for this amazing recipe! You are so getting bookmarked!!!

  139. Mags on July 31, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    I made these tonight and have one word: YUMMO! I wish I could share a pic because they look spot on like the real thing. Definitely adding this recipe to the repertoire!






  140. Thomas on August 1, 2012 at 1:19 pm

    Thank you,
    This is delicious, and pretty easy to make.
    Its just so great. And every time I make it I feel like I’m taking action against Chick-Fil-A. And no MSG!
    I love it, my family loves it. Its incredible. Truly, thank you very much. I love this recipe.






  141. Howard on August 2, 2012 at 1:29 pm

    Hi Hilah. Your chicken recipe looks terrific. Can’t wait to give it a try.

    I’ve been enjoying your videos since you started on Roku. I wasn’t aware of CFA’s stance on gay marriage until I saw this video. The company made the news afterward, so you were ahead of the curve. Great job. I really hope they have a change of heart, because I’d like to go back there again.

  142. Miss Anthropy on August 2, 2012 at 8:43 pm

    I found this video mistakenly, but serendipitously! I am enjoying your site and sharing it with others, but more importantly: tonight we made your Chick-fil-Gay recipe with Quorn (vegetarian chicken) nuggets. It was AMAZING! And this isn’t just the crazy vegetarian chick saying this. My meat-eatin’ fam (kids, too; I used to not let kids in my house, either, but…yeah, the man found my biological clock ‘cuz I didn’t hide it very well) all loved it and had seconds. Woot! Major fake chicken win, and now I’m going to be frying up plates of this yummy, gay, fake chicken goodness for all my friends, gay and straight! Thanks very much for this video and all your wicked cooking badassery that you share with us out here in internet land. 🙂

    • Hilah on August 3, 2012 at 8:52 am

      Awesome, Miss Anthropy! Thanks for sharing your success. I’ve had a few people ask about vegging this recipe, so now we know it can be done. And happy to hear the family loved it, too. 🙂

      • Miss Anthropy on August 3, 2012 at 9:27 am

        You’re welcome. I’m going to try it with the Quorn patties next, though those are not my favorite to work with (the varied thickness means burning them is easier than browning them). I served the Chick-fil-Gay Quorn nuggets with corn tortillas and toppings and the tacos were delicious, though everyone also tried the nuggets alone. My older daughter insisted I tell you we made tacos with them after she watched some of your videos yesterday. 🙂






  143. Shermani on August 3, 2012 at 9:20 am

    WEll, this is perfect! I have suddenly developed a strong craving for CFA, due to all the publicity. What’s a non-hater to do? Make this recipe! I also found an amazing recipe for sandwich buns, so I’m all over it. My chickens were raised with love at home, and will be eaten with love my me and ALL my friends (none excluded.) Thanks so much!






    • Hilah on August 3, 2012 at 3:12 pm

      Oh, wow, Shermani! I’m impressed with your chicken raising! And your homemade bun-making. Have a great meal!

  144. Savannah on August 3, 2012 at 1:05 pm

    I’ve been missing the flavor of Chick-Fil-A! I am also glad to see that most of the comments on this have been supportive. Thank you for giving us this recipe! My question is, how do I create the flavor of Chick-Fil-A’s waffle fries? I’ve tried good ol’ deep frying them, but it just isn’t the same. Any advice?

    Thanks!

    • Hilah on August 3, 2012 at 3:11 pm

      Hi Savannah! Have you tried frying in peanut oil? That’s what CFA uses. Might make a difference!

  145. Sheilah Jensen Wight on August 3, 2012 at 6:40 pm

    OK, I made the Chick-Fil-Gay chicken and it came out awesome! Now, is there a recipe for the spicy chicken? I actually tried adding the hot sauce in with the pickle juice, also added cayenne pepper to the flour mix, but it wasn’t very spicy. What is the trick to making it super spicy like CFA’s spicy chicken?

    • Eve on August 3, 2012 at 7:01 pm

      Sheilah, maybe add the hot sauce to the eggs instead of to the pickle juice? Or in addition to? Good luck – please post if you find a solution!

      • Sheilah Jensen Wight on August 5, 2012 at 1:46 pm

        Thanks Eve, I will try that, along with some cayenne pepper (more this time) in the flour mixture. 🙂

  146. Rod T. on August 4, 2012 at 10:00 am

    Just tried this recipe, and it is absolutely fantastic. I was prtty suprised that even whe using the pickle juice as a brine the chicken doesn’t taste like pickle at all (I also like to use orange juice with some salt added to brine chicken). Really, really good stuff.

  147. JenG113 on August 4, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    Hi Hilah! I found you through Consumerist who posted your recipe a few weeks ago. I’d been dragging my feet about trying it because the frying intimidates me, but I finally took the plunge today and I was thrilled with the results!

    To readers who are pickle-haters: I am, too. When I used to go to CFA I always ordered my sandwiches without pickles. I followed Hilah’s recipe exactly and my finished product did not taste pickle-y at all to me. Just incredibly moist, slightly salty, and every bit as yummy as I remember the real thing to be. Give it a try!






  148. Todd on August 4, 2012 at 8:09 pm

    HILAH!! OMG – I love you. Thank you so much for this recipe. I am a Southern transplant living in NYC and have been missing CFA hard core for the entire twelve years I’ve been here. I get back to Georgia about once a year and always go directly, do not pass go, to CFA. Well, obviously that isn’t an option any longer so when I saw your video on FB I must admit, I had low hopes of it tasting like CFA. How could it? But, lo and behold, I just made sandwiches for me and my friends and was shocked, SHOCKED, at how EXACTLY like CFA they tasted. The frozen waffle potato fries I baked? Not so much. But it’s all about the sandwiches which you NAILED. Wow.

    I am eternally grateful.

    Be well!

  149. Chris on August 4, 2012 at 11:11 pm

    Between this and the KFC mashed potatoes and gravy recipes I looked up earlier today, I may never have to eat out again.






  150. David on August 5, 2012 at 2:36 pm

    Hello Hilah! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. We are, thanks to you! My partner, Greg, best friend Theresa and myself have just finished eating fabulous Chick Fil Gay sandwiches from your recipe. I guess I should add that it is Sunday and we are enjoying the sandwiches with delicious mimosas – something we couldn’t get at that God awful CFA-hole establishment anyway. I just wanted to let you know that we love your shows and recipes and you have inspired us to stay home and cook for ourselves while watching countless hours of Olympic competition. We have a meatloaf in the oven as I type this. You now have several more loyal fans and we hope to see you in person someday. I’ve recently visited Austin and as you probably can imagine, had an awesome time. Let us know if you ever get to Marietta, GA and we’ll glady prepare a meal for you that you’ll never forget. All our best, David, Greg and Theresa.

    • Hilah on August 5, 2012 at 5:29 pm

      That is fantastic, David! I’m proud to be a tiny part of your awesome Olympics party. xoh

  151. Nicholas on August 5, 2012 at 11:12 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing this, I’m going to try it really soon with my family. I’m gay and I will never step foot into a CFA ever again, and if I do it will be for water, I can’t eat in a place knowing that they don’t support the gays, so I thank you again for this and I bet they taste better than CFA, you rock 🙂

  152. T Brown on August 7, 2012 at 11:19 am

    I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS!!! I over marinated my chicken because of a thunderstorm ( hour and a half) and it was definitely to die for

  153. tom on August 7, 2012 at 12:07 pm

    One Tasty Sandwich!!!
    I have given this recipe to all my friends, Gay and Straight.
    We have agreed to never patronize any company that holds misguided bigoted beliefs.
    BTW, if Chik-Fil-A is so hardcore about the Old Testament, then why are they serving pork sandwiches for breakfast.. A BIG Leviticus NoNo!!

  154. Jimmy on August 9, 2012 at 9:50 am

    This is so awesome! Thanks, Hilah! 🙂






  155. bogo on August 10, 2012 at 7:03 pm

    never heard of CFA but will definitely try this!

  156. ChuckG on August 11, 2012 at 12:05 pm

    I made this for supper last night and they were delicious! Thanks for posting this recipe.






  157. Elizabeth S. on August 11, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    Hi! I am making these tonight since my husband has been waiting for them. I wanted to get peanut oil, but they only had a gallon size bottle at Target and I was far too lazy to go elsewhere. Do you think canola oil will be okay or should I stick with vegetable oil? I am really glad I found your blog, thanks. 🙂

    • Hilah on August 13, 2012 at 9:32 am

      Oh, shoot, Elizabeth! I’m too late! I hope you went ahead with out me. 😉 Canola or vegetable oil will both work fine, assuming your vegetable oil (like most) is actually soybean oil. I have no idea why they label it vegetable oil when it’s usually soybean in the ingredients. Crazy world…
      Anyway, there’s been so many questions about cooking oil lately I’m working on an article about the differences between them all and best uses. 🙂

  158. Steph on August 12, 2012 at 8:02 pm

    Hi again, Hilah!

    I made these tonight, only without the batter, and they were freaking awesome. So, basically just marinated the breasts in pickle juice, drained the marinade, then dumped all the spices in the ziploc with them and shook it all around, then seared in my cast iron. Seriously delicious. Just thought I’d let the people who are looking for a healthier option know that you can get that same pickle-brine-deliciousness without the gluten, etc.

    Thanks, again. I would have never thought of using pickle juice as a marinade, even though I am a pickle freak.






    • Hilah on August 13, 2012 at 9:20 am

      Wonderful! Thank you, Steph! That’s great to know especially since we are trying gluten-free this month. Thanks again!

  159. Eve-Marie on August 13, 2012 at 12:13 am

    I discovered this weekend that the juice from a jar of marinated artichoke hearts works really well as a marinade. Not quite as vinegary as pickle juice and a nice combination of spices, too.

    Also, you can skip having to split chicken breasts if you buy a bag of chicken tenders and thaw what you need. They hammered out nice and thin – and never made it onto the buns because we kept eating them as soon as they cooled enough to handle. 🙂






    • Hilah on August 13, 2012 at 9:19 am

      Oh, wow! Thanks for that suggestion, Eve-Marie! I’m always trying to figure out some way to use leftover marinades and things. That’s a great solution for pickle-haters, especially.
      Glad you liked the chicken! 🙂

  160. Lori on August 13, 2012 at 9:18 pm

    Hi Hilah! Before this controversy, I hadn’t even thought about Chick fil a in years (I’m not that big into fast food). But now that it’s been all over the news, and I’m pregnant, I’ve been craving a chicken sandwich like crazy. I knew that no other fast food would take the place, and I was so thrilled to find this website that I shared it on Facebook with my many friends who like to cook/eat, or just like to stand up for their beliefs. Well I finally bought the ingredients today and made this sandwich, and holy moly!! It was fantastic! So similar to Chick fil a, but juicer and fresher tasting! It was actually the first time I’ve fried chicken in the traditional sense, and certainly the first time I used peanut oil. Even though I’m not laid up on the couch in a food coma, unable to clean my mess, I want to thank you for this fantastic recipe. I will use it sparingly, but it’s my now my favorite fried chicken sandwich. You are awesome!






    • Hilah on August 14, 2012 at 4:12 pm

      Oh hooray! That is great news, Lori. Glad I could help with your pregnancy cravings… and perhaps beyond. 🙂

  161. Sue on August 14, 2012 at 8:28 am

    Love this recipe! Pickle juice marinade–who’da thunk?

    Anyhow, I did make some changes, and thought I’d pass them along:

    1) DOUBLE THE SPICES. Do not double the flour, just the additions to it. And always add the 1/2 tsp cayenne, regardless of if you want the sandwich spicy or not. That amount of cayenne doesn’t make it spicy so much as enhance the flavor.

    2) When making 3 breasts (1.5-1.8 lbs), use 2/3 cup flour. Makes the perfect amount.

    Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! My family just loves it!

    • Hilah on August 14, 2012 at 4:11 pm

      Thank you, Sue!

  162. Amanda on August 15, 2012 at 1:07 pm

    As an Episcopalian, I was in a bit of a moral dilemma, but no longer (some Christians consider supporting equal rights to be part of respecting the worth of all our fellow humans). I used to hit up CFA everytime I was back in TX, but now I can make my own more moral sandwiches in Germany with farm chickens, and will no longer feel the urge… I can spend that valuable time eating at Mexican restaurants instead 🙂

    Hint to you guys in Germany or other places with an inexplicable lack of sour pickles – make the marinade by briefly boiling 200 ml of water, then throwing in a tablespoon or so each of salt and sugar. Cool with a few ice cubes before pouring it over the raw chicken.

    • Hilah on August 15, 2012 at 2:36 pm

      Hi, Amanda! Though not practicing, I was raised in the Episcopal church and was very happy to have been so when they officially sanctioned same-sex marriage. I also love Mexican food so we have a lot in common. 🙂
      Thanks for your tip on the brine!

  163. Liz on August 17, 2012 at 8:21 am

    Looks delicious — now someone just needs to come up with a copycat recipe for their honey BBQ sauce 😉

    • Sheilah on August 17, 2012 at 12:09 pm

      it’s very simple – buy a bottle of Ken’s honey mustard dressing (it has to be Ken’s) and then add some smoky BBQ sauce to it. Doesn’t really matter what kind of BBQ, as long as it’s smoky. About 2 tblspns of the BBQ sauce to one cup of the honey mustard. It really does taste just like their sauce! 🙂

  164. Zack on August 17, 2012 at 9:54 am

    I made these last night for my wife and I. I will be making these tonight for my wife and I. Probably tomorrow too. Sonofabitch, I’m ruined now that I can make these at home.






    • Hilah on August 18, 2012 at 12:50 pm

      Ahaha! Yes, they do get a hold of you don’t they, Zack. Try to resist! At least one night a week. 😉

  165. Joe Price on August 20, 2012 at 12:38 am

    I’m a little late to the party but just wanted to say how much I enjoy your videos. I was marathoning it over on youtube and didn’t even know you did a Chick-fil-gay one until I visited your website. I just love you so much! Can’t wait to share these videos with my boyfriend! BTW, the corn dog video had me in hysterics.






    • Hilah on August 20, 2012 at 7:40 am

      Ha! Thanks, Joe! I’m glad you like … ALL my videos. 😉 And thank you for stopping by the website. Let me know how the cooking goes!

  166. Hannah on August 22, 2012 at 10:56 am

    I’ve never had ThatCompany’s chicken. But I love the idea of a pickle and chicken sandwich and being a lousy cook, I will try this, because it sounds so tasty.

    The same people who are supported by the owners of ThatCompany are also the same people who want to tell me what to do with my lady parts. Why is it they need to be so hateful and nosy at the the same time?

  167. Katie on August 23, 2012 at 4:48 pm

    Made this last night and it was amazeballs. I accidentally started it in the pickle brine too early in the day so after the correct amount of time I rinsed my chicken parts, patted dry, and dredged in flour. At dinner time I followed the breading procedure as written. The breading was crisp, flavorful, and all stayed on. I made the honey mustard sauce from the comments and that was great too. My husband is pickle phobic so I didn’t mention what the marinade/brine was until after he was done eating, and when I did tell him he didn’t believe me. We also quoted Conan O Briens muppet replacement “Chad the homophobic CFA Chicken”‘s catch phrase “eat up, you godless sodomites!” while we were eating it. Good times.






    • Hilah on August 24, 2012 at 8:40 am

      Awesome! Thanks for sharing your solution to over-marinating, Katie! And the affirmation that pickle haters the world over need. Sounds like y’all had a fun dinner. 🙂

  168. Laura on August 29, 2012 at 12:15 am

    I worked for chick fil a and loved it. I had great bosses with an amazing work ethic and we prided ourselves on providing the best customer service. We also got frequent raises, 25-50 cent raises. I guess it all depends on where ya go… But anyways this recipe looks great and I will be making it soon! I did just want to say CFA mixes the milk, egg, pickle juice, and some seasonings together, to dip the chicken into before putting it in the flour

    • Hilah on August 29, 2012 at 8:27 am

      Thank you, Laura! It’s good to hear about your positive experience there. And thanks for sharing the top-secret battering method! 😉

  169. Laura on August 29, 2012 at 12:33 am

    Oh, also the nuggets are made exactly the same as the chicken breasts

  170. Chris on September 21, 2012 at 2:19 pm

    I used to work at CFA as well. A few things.

    1. mix all the ingredients except egg, pickle juice, and flour in the milk. You don’t need the egg or pickle juice. This makes the milkwash. The chicken is then breaded with flour only. Fry in peanut oil. You are right on about buttering and very lightly toasting the bun.

    2. From what I understand, all CFA’s are independently owned, so the terrible treatment at some stores is 180 degrees out from the one I at which I worked. I was treated very well, and I was a long haired grunge pot smoker at the time.

    3. I could care less what their views on the family is. They provide a product that is superior to all other fast food out there, in my opinion. They are allowed to have and voice their opinion, as long as they are prepared to deal with the response. I may not agree, but I don’t go there to be told what is right and wrong. I go there for a tasty damn sandwich.

    • Sheilah on September 23, 2012 at 2:02 am

      My darlin’ you ain’t gettin’ the point here. It’s a moot point now, since the boycott actually worked, and Chick-Fil-A has stopped donating money to radical christian hate groups, BUT – that is what it was all about. They were donating money to groups that actually advocated killing all gay people! So, Me Myself & I said “oh hell no, no way was I ever gonna buy another beloved spicy chicken sandwich from these people (I don’t care if they worship greeen bananas, whatever) until they stopped giving the money “I” was giving them, by buying their product, to support these hate groups. Please tell me now that you understand??

      • Miss Anthropy on September 23, 2012 at 1:21 pm

        Except sadly it did not work: http://news.yahoo.com/chick-fil-ceo-denies-giving-concessions-open-chicago-200551778–abc-news-politics.html “Chick-fil-A CEO Denies Giving ‘Concessions’ to Open Chicago Restaurant”. The alderman who said their policies were changing is not responding to requests for information and the CEO said those news reports were a mistake. CfA remains as gay hating as always, sad to say.

        In happier news, Beyond Meat (supposed to be a super tasty alternative to chicken) is finally available in my region. I’m going to pick some up from Whole Foods and repeat Hilah’s Chick-fil-Gay recipe with it and see how it tastes. I previously tried it with another chicken substitute, Quorn, and it was delicious. 🙂

        • theotherlee on September 25, 2012 at 11:58 am

          I don’t know about anyone else here.. but this really isn’t a surprise to me. They were bigoted, anti-gay for YEARS before this story broke. They’ll continue to do so as long as people feel the need/desire to support a company that donates millions to hate groups.

  171. Catherine on October 16, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    Heads up, store-bought pickles/pickle juice contains MSG. “Natural Flavors” is MSG.

  172. Shantel on October 28, 2012 at 7:35 pm

    Wow, this recipe is fantastic! Made it tonight and hubby said that it is spot on. I used grapeseed oil which can handle the hi heat too. Yummy! 5 stars! Thank you! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.






  173. Vyvacious on October 31, 2012 at 1:49 pm

    Thanks for this recipe! I was wondering if you had another oil in mind that would work well enough when frying chicken? I’m allergic to peanut oil. I know you listed 3 other options but I was wondering if you thought one of those was a close second to the peanut oil. Thanks in advance! 🙂

    • Hilah on October 31, 2012 at 2:27 pm

      In that case, I’d use grapeseed oil. It’s kinda become my go-to frying oil. Have fun!

  174. Brian on November 24, 2012 at 10:47 am

    My family loved this recipe, it tasted better than CFA ! Thank you…

  175. Becky on November 28, 2012 at 3:46 pm

    Love the recipe, thanks. I used a gallon-size freezer bag to pound my chicken breast in. Might make it a little easier for some people.






  176. Lee Shuwarger on December 23, 2012 at 8:56 am

    Hilah, this is absolutely great! Thank you so much for posting this, and all your videos.

    When I made this, I bit into it and learned that it was not fully cooked. I decided to nuke it– which cooked it– but the coating fell off. I realized that happened because of the steam escaping the chicken which steamed off the coating.

    But in the video, you pierced the chicken with a fork to see if it was done. What were you looking for? Would you please teach us how to do that? Are there other ways you can tell if the chicken is done? If so, what are those other ways?

    BTW, “Howdy” from Amarillo! Not all of us are as closed minded as you have probably heard!

    Thanks!

    Lee






    • Eve-Marie Hughes on December 24, 2012 at 2:46 pm

      Hi Lee – I can answer this one! 🙂 When you stab the chicken with the fork, you’re watching for the juices running out. If they’re still bloody, the chicken’s not done. If they’re clear, it’s done.

      Also, if you need to finish cooking it after the fact, instead of nuking it throw it in the oven or toaster oven at 400, and check every 5 minutes. That will keep it crispy.






  177. Heather on December 28, 2012 at 5:15 pm

    Made these again tonight. DH’s eyes always get big and happy when I suggest them for dinner 😉 . Out of pickles, so we used pickled jalapeno’s instead on the sandwich, but I’m not ashamed to say we keep a bottle of Valasic pickle juice in the fridge just for making these!

    aTexanInBavaria






  178. Lisa Lockwood on January 22, 2013 at 12:02 am

    Thanks Hilah! Another really awesome recipe! I tried it with panko crumbs and it was very tasty. I ‘ve never had “those other guys ” and I don’t think I need to. There isn’t one near my home anyway and with this recipe I don’t think I need to search one out. This will become a quick and easy lunch or dinner for me n the guys! Gracias!

    • Hilah on January 22, 2013 at 2:31 pm

      Thanks, Lisa! I’m so glad you liked it! And thanks for the rating. 🙂

  179. Lisa Lockwood on January 22, 2013 at 12:03 am

    forgot to rate it! damn. ; )






  180. Gloria on January 30, 2013 at 3:39 pm

    JUST MADE THIS–IT IS SO GOOD , NO MORE GOING TO BUY THE REAL THING , THIS IS SO CLOSE TO IT , EVEN BETTER..I DID OMIT THE SALT. I JUST SPRINKLE THE SALT ON THE CHICKEN WHEN IT IS DONE..TRYING TO CONTROL MY SALT INTAKE .. LOVE IT THANKS.. GLORIA

  181. Gloria on February 2, 2013 at 8:02 am

    FOR ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE PICKLE JUICE , MAKE IT WITH OUT IT . I MADE HALF WITH PICKLE JUICE AND THE OTHER HALF WITHOUT IT THEY BOTH CAME OUT GREAT.AND SOME PEOPLE SAID IT WASN’T THAT SPICY WITH THE CAYENNE TRY ADDING ZESTY PICKLE JUICE AND CAYENNE PEPPER AND SEE HOW THAT GOES.






  182. Katy Brackeen on February 18, 2013 at 11:59 pm

    This one really worked out for me! I can not get over how close this is to the FF version. Easy to make as well. Thank you!






  183. fauxchef5 on February 24, 2013 at 11:16 pm

    I have never had a chick fil a sandwich. I personally would not frequent there. However, one of my son’s wanted me to make this for our pizza Friday evenings. This recipe is delish. Very simple too. Definitely will make again. Thank you!






  184. maryluz on March 4, 2013 at 11:21 pm

    Hello Hilah, i watched your video just now and got interested with your recipes and style of cooking, really enjoy watching it, ill be trying your shrimp corndog today, thanks to you!






  185. Hope on March 12, 2013 at 7:50 pm

    Hi Hilah love your recipes! Very eager to try this one but have never seen/heard of celery salt. Is it a specialty spice? Any good substitutes for it perhaps? TIA!

    • Hilah on March 14, 2013 at 11:41 am

      Hi Hope! Celery salt is just a pre-mixed blend of celery seed and salt. You can swap it out for celery seed (about half the amount called for) if you don’t want to buy it just for this. It should ve easy to find, though.

  186. Mike P on March 17, 2013 at 4:47 am

    HI Hilah, I tried your Chick-Fil-A- clone recipe on march 16th, 2013.

    I did the baking option and it Turned out great, very tasty, and was fun to make. I will be making this again for sure. Thanks for making this recipe available.






  187. Heather on March 18, 2013 at 1:23 pm

    Thanks, Hilah! Hey did you know that Chick Fil A dips their meat in milk before breading it but the breading itself has no dairy in it? It’s amazing what you can get people to tell you when you have allergies! Re MSG – it does make us sick because it usually uses lactose as a filler.

  188. Ella on May 2, 2013 at 6:48 pm

    I’m going to try this recipe, but I don’t see why people can’t just go to your local Chick-Fil-A and buy one as well. I buy Oreos and love them even though they support gay people and gay rights and whatever and I don’t. I have exactly one gay friend and like him and wish the best for him and whatever he chooses, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it or approve. An oreo is a cookie, not a gay person trying to get married. The chick – fil-a sandwich is a sandwich, not a southeren, rightwing, bible thumping guy.

  189. rania khalid on June 8, 2013 at 8:04 am

    thats perfect for snacks






  190. laura on June 13, 2013 at 12:35 am

    wow i was reading through all the comments and they went from loving your fried chicken sandwich to a heated christian, gay rights, free speech rally pretty darn fast. hilah, when you said your community policies the ‘trolls’ (someone else’s word, not hilah’s) you weren’t kidding! thanks again for the high quality video panel at blogherfood last week. it was one of the highlights of the conference. bon appetit! laura

    • Hilah on June 13, 2013 at 9:22 am

      Ha! Yes, this is one of the most … interesting (?) comment threads I think I’ve seen. 🙂
      Thank you for attending the panel! It was fun. I’m glad you liked it!
      -hilah

  191. Sebastian on June 23, 2013 at 7:10 pm

    Hey Hilah, my mom tried to make this recipe and wanted me to ask you a quick question. When she was making it, she was able to get the outside to taste the same, but she couldn’t get it to be breaded. Do you have any advice for getting the outside crispy? She said the flour wouldn’t stick.

    Thanks!

    • Hilah on June 24, 2013 at 8:48 am

      Hi Sebastian!
      Often when the breading falls off of a fried dish while it’s cooking, it’s due to the oil not being hot enough. Use a thermometer if you have one to get it hot before you put the chicken in. Also, with all breaded things, if you have time to let the chicken sit in the fridge for a while after you’ve breaded it (30 minutes up to a couple hours) it will help the coating stick. Hope that helps!

  192. Laura on July 19, 2013 at 6:07 pm

    That was a really funny and entertaining cooking segment. I’m definitely going to try this recipe for my picky eater. Have you tried adding just a little baking powder to get a little “puff”? Also, Not sure if this would help anyone but besides bringing the oil up to temp doing a double flour usually coats it really well so it sticks. (Flour, eggwash, Flour,Fry)

    • Hilah on July 23, 2013 at 12:43 pm

      Thanks, Laura! The baking powder is a good suggestion.

  193. Lea on August 5, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    So, I made these the other day, as nuggets for my 2 and 5 year old and me. Only had one chicken breast left so I also made some frozen nuggets. Gave my kids a mix of both. My 5 year old son picks up the CFA copycat and asks “whats this?” lol. (we have eaten at CFA but dont go often mainly for inconvenience and $$, im a SAHM and have 3 young kids) I told him it was a homemade chicken nugget. He tasted it… I say “do you like it? he said yes! I asked if it tasted like anything he had before and he said “taste like CHICKEN!” (LOL) I asked him if he thought it tasted like any specific type of chicken he has had before and he said CHICKFLA! So you won him over! LOL I did think it could use a lil more spice, and honestly 30 min in the pickle juice was really bland in my opinion so I might do 45-1hr next time…. otherwise AWESOME! also, I def got peanut oil to fry it in and I have a small home deep fryer I used to fry them in…. my only thing was the breading wasnt as deep in color as chickfila’s is but since i didnt want to burn it maybe I took them out to soon?

    My husband used to work at a chickfila (one that was part of a college cafe) and said they did not marinate in pickle juice but for me, that made it taste the most like it, as I had tried a recipe once before that did not use the pickle juice and I didnt think it tasted much like it at all. Unless the milk and egg wash is already made for them, and thats where the pickle juice is in…..






  194. Lea on August 5, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    So, I made these the other day, as nuggets for my 2 and 5 year old and me. Only had one chicken breast left so I also made some frozen nuggets. Gave my kids a mix of both. My 5 year old son picks up the CFA copycat and asks “whats this?” lol. (we have eaten at CFA but dont go often mainly for inconvenience and $$, im a SAHM and have 3 young kids) I told him it was a homemade chicken nugget. He tasted it… I say “do you like it? he said yes! I asked if it tasted like anything he had before and he said “taste like CHICKEN!” (LOL) I asked him if he thought it tasted like any specific type of chicken he has had before and he said CHICKFLA! So you won him over! LOL I did think it could use a lil more spice, and honestly 30 min in the pickle juice was really bland in my opinion so I might do 45-1hr next time…. otherwise AWESOME! also, I def got peanut oil to fry it in and I have a small home deep fryer I used to fry them in…. my only thing was the breading wasnt as deep in color as chickfila’s is but since i didnt want to burn it maybe I took them out to soon? the juices were running clear though….

    My husband used to work at a chickfila (one that was part of a college cafe) and said they did not marinate in pickle juice but for me, that made it taste the most like it, as I had tried a recipe once before that did not use the pickle juice and I didnt think it tasted much like it at all. Unless the milk and egg wash is already made for them, and thats where the pickle juice is in…..






  195. vanessa cain on August 21, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    tried it and liked it! yummy!

  196. alice on September 4, 2013 at 3:54 pm

    finally got around to trying this but i can’t find celery salt anywhere! can i just omit it or is there something else i could use?

    • Hilah on September 4, 2013 at 4:20 pm

      Hi Alice! You can use half the amount of celery seed instead, or just omit it. It will still be good. 🙂

  197. Nikki on September 11, 2013 at 2:07 pm

    Hilah- I have to start off by saying that every recipe you have is amazing and delicious! You are awesome! I’ve made this chick-fil-a copy cat many times, it’s so good- and believe it or not I’ve never actually eaten at Chick Fil A, so I am just trusting you that they taste the same 🙂 What’s the point of the powdered sugar though? Last time I used about a third as much and powdered sugar and it was still pretty yummy. Is it a taste thing, or is it helping with the breading? Thanks!






    • Hilah on September 12, 2013 at 10:09 pm

      Hi Nikki!
      I’m so glad you like this! The powdered sugar is just for flavor, so if you are happy with less, then that is great! I was trying to make it as close as possible to the original and as you probably know, fast food is often sweeter than it needs to be.
      Thanks for writing!

  198. krystal on September 25, 2013 at 1:29 pm

    Just made this today. It was delicious, but for some reason the breading came off. I’m thinking the chicken was too wet from the pickle juice? Anyway, I still enjoyed it and will be making it again soon. 🙂






    • Hilah on September 25, 2013 at 2:23 pm

      Hi Krystal!
      Usually when the batter comes off of fried foods it’s because the oil isn’t hot enough, so make sure it’s 350ºF. Another thing that helps is to let the breaded chicken sit a while on a plate before frying so that the batter really adheres.
      Hope it works better next time!

  199. Wayne Harrison on September 30, 2013 at 5:44 pm

    I tired to comment on a Chick-fil-A copycat recipe on Food Network, saying it wasn’t as good or as simple as yours.

    Here’s the reply I received: “Although we appreciate your interest in Foodnetwork.com and our recipes, we consider these types of comments unacceptable and not in compliance with our guidelines.”






    • Hilah on September 30, 2013 at 6:50 pm

      Ahaha! Thanks for trying, Wayne. Man, I am surprised FN would be so sensitive!

  200. Seth Rhodes on October 13, 2013 at 5:15 pm

    I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I went out and bought a large airtight storage container and made a huge batch of the dry mix. Whenever I want to make the recipe, I just add spoonfuls at a time to a ziplok bag and shake it up. I find that method gets better coverage of the chicken and it also greatly reduces waste of the dry mix by only using what you need. Never any excess. One thing I’m bemoaning is the inability to purchase straight-up pickle juice. I always run out of the juice and am left with a jar of dried up pickle slices. Is there a way to make pickle juice (the finished byproduct and not just the brine)? Any help would be greatly appreciated!






    • Hilah on October 14, 2013 at 8:02 am

      That’s great, Seth! Thanks!

      You know, you might try asking a local restaurant if you could have their pickle juice. I imagine they end up with buckets of it they don’t have a use for.

      • Seth Rhodes on October 14, 2013 at 12:28 pm

        You know, that thought never actually occurred to me. Thanks so much! I’ll definitely give that a try.

  201. Elaine on October 15, 2013 at 5:30 pm

    Wow, my boyfriend will be thrilled to see this recipe! Most the other ones online seem overly complicated and require a pressure cooker. We too, stopped eating at CFA when we found out about their politics so thanks a bunch for the wonderful information!






    • Hilah on October 16, 2013 at 8:53 am

      Hallelu! I hope you try this, Elaine! It’s really simple and a very close facsimile of the original.

  202. Todd on December 15, 2013 at 11:11 pm

    I just tried this recipe tonight. AWESOME!!!!! This is the first time I have ever fried anything!!! Very close to the real thing.

    A few things:
    1- I used peanut oil
    2- I let the breaded pieces sit on a rack while I heated the oil
    3- I brined the pieces for about 45min
    4- I dd 2min on one side and 2min on the other. I flipped again and did another 30sec’s or so (see below)

    I thought I had a meat mallet (pounder) but I can’t find it. I used the bottom of a skillet. Worked pretty good but hard to control, so my pieces were a little thicker than should be. So I also used a bit more oil too.

    Next time, I think I will add %20 more of the spices to the flour. Just to pep the flavor up a bit 🙂

    THANK YOU FOR THE VID!!! Not only an awesome recipe, but I could SEE how to fry it.

    I owe ya girl,

    Todd






  203. Gregory Roth on December 19, 2013 at 8:41 pm

    Hi Hilah,

    You’re awesome for doing this. I am with you. I care too much about my friends that are gay to patronize Chick-Fil-A. I am going to try this recipe this weekend and pass it onto those who I think will enjoy it.

    Have a great holiday season.

    ~Greg

    • Hilah on December 20, 2013 at 9:21 am

      Thank you, Greg! I’m sure your friends will love it. Happy holidays, friend!

  204. Alan Graham on February 27, 2014 at 12:38 am

    Looks like someone else is passing off your recipe off as their own now: http://texas.spoonuniversity.com/recipe/eat-copy-cat-chick-fil-sandwiches/

    Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?

    BTW, love this recipe!

    • Hilah on February 27, 2014 at 8:07 am

      Interesting… Thanks, Alan!

  205. Tim on March 8, 2014 at 9:08 pm

    Hilah,

    You are so popular that you have about a mile long list of comments that I couldn’t read all of. So someone may have asked this already, and I missed it. Sorry if I’m redundant.

    Here’s the question: I just read/watched both your chik-fil-gay and Mickey D’s fish sandwich recipes and can’t wait to try making them in my Cast-iron dutch oven that you taught me how to restore. (Triple thank you’s). Is there a reason you bread with flour on the chicken and cracker-crumbs on the fish?

    Please lemme know as soon as you can. I’m dying to try both.

    Best,

    Tim

    • Hilah on March 9, 2014 at 10:56 am

      Hi Tim!
      The recipes are different because the original sandwiches are different. I’m sure you could swap out the different coatings and come up with your own fried chicken or fried fish sandwiches! Cracker crumbs make a crunchier coating and the flour makes a more batter-like coating. Hope you like them both!

      • Tim on March 9, 2014 at 11:26 am

        Thanks, Hilah. guess I’ll have to try them both and see if any mixing-and-matching would be interesting.

        BTW, one of my favorite flavor combos in the world is chicken with Thai satay (peanut) sauce. So I’m going to splurge and use peanut oil on the chicken.

        And on a related note, try putting a dab or two of peanut butter on a hamburger. It’ll change your life.

  206. Rebecca Arnold on May 25, 2014 at 9:20 pm

    Made this tonight (5/25/14) and it was a huge hit with the fiance! Who doesn’t crave CFA on Sundays? haha. I used veggie oil because it was all I had on hand, next time I will make sure I have peanut oil. It is just so similar it really is crazy. Make sure you add the cayenne because I doubt it taste close without it.

    One thing I do not agree with is your site about CFA being anti-gay and what not. It is a belief and everyone is allowed their own opinion on the matter. Although I do not agree with what they believe, I do respect them enough and still support their business (although not as often because I have this now and the nuggets recipe)… but lay off them and love their sandwiches.






    • Hilah on May 27, 2014 at 6:25 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it, Rebecca! I think it’s a good clone. Several people have used the same recipe to make nuggets, too, with great results!

      We’ll have to agree to disagree on the politics. While I don’t think I was too heavy-handed, I still don’t want to give my money to a company who donates their profits to organizations that go against my principles. There are so many other places to spend my money! Hope you can understand.

      • Tim on September 7, 2014 at 1:19 pm

        Hilah:

        Thanks a million, once again, for keeping up my cooking eudcation.

        I love your site, your attitude, your food and (in a grandfatherly way) you. Please keep rolling.

        For what it’s worth, I would like to express a preference.

        I keep up with the news and current issues, and express my opinions as vociferously as anyone else. But as always, where political issues are invoked, there is argument, anger, rancor and–in these days of the anonymous internet comment–a sad diminishment in civility by those who snipe from the cover of a keyboard.

        No less than when I’m having Thanksgiving dinner with family, when I’m thinking about food and cooking, I find my appetite spoiled by vitriol and argument.

        Please, Hilah, if you feel the need to engage politically, could you set up a thread for it and other contentious issues that is away from our thoughts on preparing delicious food for our families and friends?

        I’ll still be here if you don’t, but if you do, it would make my visits more a comforting respite from the turmoil of the world. And I think we all need that at times.

        Best wishes to you and yours,

        Tim






  207. Anis on July 22, 2014 at 8:55 am

    Made this last night and it was SO GOOD!! Who knew I could fry up a chicken breast?! Thanks for the great recipe.






  208. Justin on December 21, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    Hey, Hilah!

    I have Celiacs disease and I saw your Chick – Fil – Gay and was craving it!! I have a wonderful gluten free flour called Namaste and it is a cup for cup substitute for white flour. It turned out awesome!! I will definitely be making it again! Thanks for your awesome recipe.

    Hugs from WI!

    Justin






    • Hilah on December 22, 2014 at 11:54 am

      Yay! Super happy to hear that, Justin. Hugs!

  209. Tracey on January 22, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    I’ve never had a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, so I don’t know about the accuracy of this clone. All I know was that the chicken flavor was bad and the basil flavor was so off putting, I can’t imagine CFA is so popular if their chicken tastes like this.






    • Hilah on January 22, 2015 at 1:42 pm

      I wonder what kind of pickle juice you used? Out of the hundreds who’ve made this, I’ve never heard a complaint!

  210. Susan on February 21, 2015 at 1:18 pm

    Thanks so much for your recipe! I like Chick-fil-a too, but I hate their politics, which is one of the reasons I chose your recipe over others since you specifically mentioned it. I refuse to support a company that actively works against my personal beliefs. Anyway, I clearly made the right choice using your recipe! I’m very happy to say that this chicken sandwich was so much better than the original it’s actually sort of laughable. I haven’t purchased anything from Chick-fil-a in years, and now I’m not even tempted.

    I’ve also substituted erythritol for the sugar and different things for the flour when I want to eat healthier and it always turns out great. That combination of seasonings is just magical. Thank you so much!

    (Plus, your video was super cute!)






  211. Harlie on March 5, 2015 at 6:37 pm

    All I’m gonna say is chick-fil-a doesn’t use your chicken sandwich money to fund brain washing gay-bashing propoganda… in fact, I haven’t heard a statement regarding gays since the original one (which might I add someone asked and all he did was answer honestly). So as for me, nah, I’m not giving up chick-fil-a because a man has his own opinion just as I won’t stop shopping at Target for having a gay couple in their advertisements. I honestly couldn’t care less about a company’s personal opinions unless they’re forcing me to buy a shirt that has a flaming child with their middle fingers to the sky worshiping Satan/Kony while eating the head off a puppy dog. And as far as I know, Target’s not selling Satanic shirts and Chick-fil-a isn’t sticking tiny old testament bibles into your fry box. So shut your fry boxes and get along for once!

    So with that, it was good recipe, and because of it I didn’t have to put pants on and leave the house. Thank you!






    • Hilah on March 6, 2015 at 8:42 am

      I’m really glad you liked the recipe, Harlie. CFA indeed has given over 5 million dollars through their WinShape Foundation to several organizations that promote “Christian family values” and lobby against LGBT rights. The most nefarious of these is probably the Family Research Council.
      These groups are the “political affiliations” I mentioned in the video, which was made a couple weeks before Cathey’s public statements that got everyone in an uproar.
      Thank you for that awesome t-shirt idea. 😀 Your description had me a’giggle.

      EDIT: I want to make it clear that if money had simply been donated to Christian groups that don’t lobby against other people’s rights, then I wouldn’t give two hoots about it. I put “Christian family values” in quotes because to me, raised in a church-going house, what these groups are doing has nothing to do with Jesus Christ’s message.

  212. Tim on March 6, 2015 at 5:05 pm

    If you act on that t-shirt idea, you’d better have a good recipe for puppy-dog heads ready to go.

    • Hilah on March 6, 2015 at 6:31 pm

      I’ve got a couple of dogs, so I can get started this weekend!

  213. tim on March 8, 2015 at 11:44 pm

    This is getting tedious.

    I am apparently missing a basic secret to deep and sort of deep frying.

    Tonight it was the fried chick-fil things. Since they hadn’t worked well the last time, I took extra care to follow your procedure to the T, but I still got either gooey or burnt breading.

    I’m using a perfectly-seasoned cast iron skillet and a gas stove. And I finally sprung for an instant-read digital thermometer.

    I’m pretty sure the problem is maintaining the right temp of the oil (I used peanut). I heated it up to a hair over 350, then put in three hunks of beat-down, spiced, egged and breaded chicken of the same size as yours. they sizzled as they went in, but in a minute, I noticed they weren’t sizzling any more and the breading was getting grey and gooey. So I turned up the flame, but, so as not to over cook the meat, only cooked them for another minute or so. and the oil was down to about 250#

    The flavor was great and the meat done nicely. but the breading was a mess. I heated the oil up again and only put in one new piece It started to burn after a minute or so, so I pulled it out.

    I tried the rest of the breaded pieces, but the oil temp would either get too hot and burn the flour, or too cool and fail to crisp up the flour.

    How do I control the oil heat batter?

    BTW are you sure about the 345 – 350-degee oil temp you suggest? It seems a little cool.

    Best,

    Tim

    • Hilah on March 9, 2015 at 8:56 am

      Oh man! Sorry to hear about your troubles, Tim. That’s frustrating as hell.

      I don’t have a sure-fire trick to share, unfortunately. There is so much variance between stove tops and the BTUs they produce, it’s a matter of figuring out your stove (I’m still figuring out our new stove and I keep burning things because its “low” is hotter than the medium on my old crappy stove).

      Try this: Heat the oil over medium or medium-high heat. Once you put a couple pieces of chicken in there, stick around and check the temperature again right away. Increase the heat on the burner if it’s dropped below 340 and check it again in 30 seconds. Decrease if it’s higher than 360. It will probably just take another trial for you to get the feel of your stovetop and how quickly it heats. Ooh, also, try letting your breaded chicken sit out for 15-30 minutes before you start frying. If you’re breading it straight from the fridge and it’s super cold when you put it in the oil that could be lowering the temp really fast.

      • tim on March 13, 2015 at 11:54 am

        So last night, I fired up my small, 7″, cast iron pan–just about big enough to hold one chicken serving. I heated the peanut oil up to just above 350, threw in the chicken and checked the temp every 30 seconds and adjusted it every time. It worked pretty well, though not perfectly.

        I’m still envious of the uniformly thick-looking, crunchy, brown, bubbly breading the restaurants, and you, get though.

        I guess the bottom line is careful, constant flame adjustment. It’s gonna be harder with a big pan and 3-4 chunks of bird. But as Patrick Henry said: “The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.”

        I bet he never thought it could apply to fried chicken.

        Any further suggestions (about frying) are welcome.

        Tim

        • Hilah on March 15, 2015 at 8:25 am

          I’m glad you had a small victory!

          • Keith on March 15, 2015 at 11:43 am

            Hi Tim,
            “Well there’s your problem!” I have been following this thread and I had a hunch. A 7″ skillet just doesn’t hold enough oil to keep the temperature stable. You will be chasing the thermometer until the chickens come home. It is a thermal mass thing.
            Next time use the largest skillet you have and more oil and your results should be better.
            Good luck and keep us posted.
            Keith



          • Tim on March 15, 2015 at 1:45 pm

            Hilah: Ugh!

            Keith: I only went with the 7″ pan on this experiment, so I could control the oil temp more easily. All other times I used a common, 12″ pan or a 5″ deep, 12″ diameter iron “Chicken Fryer.” I can change the smaller amount of oil in the 7″ pan much more quickly than I can a Fryerful of oil. I basically found that I need to take the oil temp more often than I had been. Deep–or sort-of-deep–frying is not something you can let happen on its own.

            After all, who cooks one chicken breast at a time? One breast is no good. You want two. Three is not right, but four would be better.

            Five or more would probably be hard to handle.

            Vigilance.



      • Frances on September 29, 2020 at 7:01 am

        Thank you so much for this recipe!

        No one in my family likes pickles and when I made this the first time we could taste the pickle flavor. I must have done something wrong or maybe I used the wrong brand. Anyway, I found a brine my family loves. I thought I would share for others who don’t like pickles. I would like to give credit where credit is due but I can’t remember where I found it. The recipe is as follows:
        1 quart warm water
        3 tbsp kosher salt
        2 tbsp + 2tsp sugar
        3 tbsp soy sauce
        1 tbsp olive oil

        My family loves it!

        Because of all your rave reviews I do want to try the pickle juice again but I could use a few more tips before I do. Perhaps, what brand to use?

        Thanks, again!

  214. Ken Dye on March 9, 2015 at 11:06 am

    I made these last night and have to tell you they are spot on. I have a copycat recipe doubter in the house who is always “Not Even Close” but last right it was “WOW” that’s just like being there! Thanks for sharing

  215. Corinna on May 17, 2015 at 2:51 pm

    I just wanted to let you know that I found this a few years ago and my family LOVES it! I have used already thin cut chicken breasts, pounded chicken breasts, purchased pickles and juice, home canned pickles/juice, olive brine,

  216. Amy on October 22, 2015 at 8:41 pm

    You know, that’s so funny…I was looking for the recipe today and figured that I would call it Chick-Fil-Gay, too! Great minds. And, I adore you for actually supporting your friends by not going to Chick-Fil-A. I, too, haven’t gone to a Chick-Fil-A since the controversy. I will be bookmarking your page.

  217. Amy on October 22, 2015 at 8:45 pm

    Question for people who believe that it tastes spot on…Do you normally eat pickles on your sandwich? When I used to go there, I always had them remove the pickle bc I don’t like to taste it on my sandwich. So, I’m wondering if you guys are being reminded of the pickle flavor from the actual pickle on the bun bc I’d really rather not use pickle juice in this recipe. Yuck. 🙂

    • Hilah on October 23, 2015 at 9:25 am

      Hi Amy!
      The pickle brine doesn’t make the chicken taste like pickles, it just infuses it with saltiness and goodly-ness 🙂 I am pretty sure you won’t be turned off by the final product.

  218. Bill !!! on November 12, 2015 at 3:32 pm

    well it is Thursday!! and I had defrosted chicken that needed beating!!

  219. Susan on December 17, 2015 at 7:08 pm

    I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but really look forward to it. I’m also new to your website, and this is the first post I’ve read. What prompted me to write was the fact that you actually reply to people who make comments and ask questions, even years after the post. It drives me crazy that the majority of blogs, youtube channels, etc., that I’ve read don’t take the time to actually engage with their readers, especially once the post has aged a few months. I read through a lot of the comments and was so happy to see the number that you replied to, which was the majority, and even YEARS after this article was posted. I think that shows a wonderful commitment to your readers and deserved to be complimented on!! I look forward to exploring your site! Merry Christmas!!

    • Hilah on December 17, 2015 at 7:40 pm

      Thanks so much for noticing, Susan! 🙂 I do try to answer every question that comes through on the website. YouTube is much harder to keep track of, especially on old videos, so this is always the best place to reach me with questions.
      Merry Christmas!

  220. KaliMa on January 2, 2016 at 1:29 am

    I ADORE this recipe! I do add a small pinch of corn starch to my dry ingredients if Im going to oven bake instead of frying and choose a jalapeño brine or hard cider. My favorite toppings are a chipotle crema with cheddar & pepperjack, bacon, extra bacon????and fresh pico. As for all the controversy…I know Americans have their right to be ignorant, act stupid and be hateful in the name of their religion. *shrug* Have at it…Ive been a soldier’s daughter, a soldier AND a soldier’s wife. I choose not to eat at this establishment because they’re absurdly expensive. Happy eating y’all! Don’t let hate give you indigestion. Food is meant to be enjoyed, savored and shared. Love & Light






  221. AH on March 18, 2016 at 1:16 pm

    I am an atheist, bisexual and major fan of being able to say whatever you want–even if I disagree with it. Ideas–even the ones that make you mad–are only dangerous to people who cannot stand being challenged. The same freedom that lets Christians own businesses, also let’s you walk out of those businesses just because they are run by Christians. If that’s the route you want to take, go for it, but please don’t pretend you are more “enlightened, accepting” than those who walk out of businesses just because their owners won’t deny their Muslim beliefs or homosexual lifestyle. You just happen to be trendier.

    While I still gladly hand over my dough for a CFA Spicy Chicken sandwich (they clearly aren’t feeling the pinch of being “punished”), it will also be nice to have a copycat recipe on hand when I don’t want to spend as much as they charge.

    • Hilah on March 19, 2016 at 2:15 pm

      No one is walking out because the restaurant is owned by Christians. People boycott CFA because they have donated over a million dollars to “family values” organizations which promote things like conversion therapy. It is about a lot more than Dan Cathy’s personal opinion.

  222. Karl on July 11, 2016 at 12:02 am

    hi Hilah!

    I just made this after wanting to for so long, and it came out so tasty!! I’m so happy I know how to make crispy chicken now lol. My family & friends all don’t know how to make crispy chicken..I feel cool 8D
    The crispy outer layer seemed to slide off of the chicken breast easily though, do you know what might be causing that? I fried it in grapeseed oil for about 3 minutes on each side/until it got brown, and I used almond milk instead of regular since that’s all I had on me (I don’t drink regular milk anymore). I also didn’t wait for the chicken to cool down after frying, just ate them pretty much fresh off the pan. Thanks : )

    • Karl on July 11, 2016 at 12:15 am

      OK now I see after reading the comments (should have done that first lol). Maybe the oil wasn’t quite hot enough when I first put the chicken in the pan; it wasn’t bubbling yet, it was on medium heat. But after 1 minute I turned the heat to high and left it on high the entire time.






      • Hilah on July 11, 2016 at 7:15 am

        Hi Karl!
        I’m so happy you liked the chicken! 🙂 Something else that helps a lot when making any kind of breaded fried thing is to coat the meat in the breading and then let it sit for 10 minutes to really get stuck on there (you can also cover a plate with plastic wrap and lay the breaded chicken on that and refrigerate an hour). Thanks for commenting!

  223. Sharron Denice on July 25, 2016 at 12:32 pm

    Actually much better than chick-fil-a AWESOME!!! Im sold!! Thannnnnk you!!!!! <3






  224. Grant on October 1, 2016 at 4:10 pm

    Ah, the elusive breading problem…

    I’m on a quest to find the sure fire way to solve the breading problem.

    I’m using a 12′ cast iron and heating the oil to 375-400 degrees so that that it will reduce to 350 once the chicken has been added. Additionally, I let the chicken sit once breaded for about 30 minutes until the flour mixture looked like it soaked into the chicken entirely. Initially, I thought the problem was the milk and egg yolks, so I tried using only egg whites because they adhere better to the flour. This didn’t work. The egg+milk mixture is identical to the egg white mixture.

    I am on my third attempt and I’m betting that the problem lies with the pickle juice brine. I think that the acidity of the brine is keeping the egg mixture from adhering properly to the chicken itself. Therefore, after an hour of pickle juice brine, I’m going to pat dry and then start the dredging process. I saw a comment above that said they patted the chicken dry and the end result included properly breaded chicken so I think I’m on the right track.

    I’ll check in next week once I make this again.

    Also, this recipe is fantastic. Super simple and incredibly similar to the original, it’s amazing. Just need to get this breading stuck to the chicken and we will be good to go!






    • Hilah on October 2, 2016 at 3:49 pm

      Thanks, Grant! Also try a light dredge in flour first, then egg, then flour again.

      • Grant on October 8, 2016 at 4:08 am

        Made the chicken again last night. I used a regular brine instead of the pickle juice. Patted dry and dredged in egg whites and flour. A definite improvement on the breading!

        The only thing, brining in the pickle juice for an hour makes a huge difference in the taste. The pickle juice is what gives it that authentic chic fil a taste. It just didn’t taste the same with the regular salt brine.

        This next time, I’m going to brine in pickle juice, pat dry the chicken with paper towels, lightly dredge in flour, then lightly beaten egg whites, then flour again. Thanks for the tip Hilah!






  225. Mary on January 7, 2017 at 1:33 pm

    Great video! Here’s an interesting read. They do have a heart and good chicken! http://time.com/4368002/orlando-shooting-chick-fil-a-sundays/

  226. Tashina Schimming on August 14, 2017 at 9:35 am

    I am in LOVE with Chick fil a, so when I discovered this recipe, I was super stoked! Sooooo simple to prepare and amazingly delicious! I made mine spiiiiicy and added pepper jack cheese, lettuce and tomato and OMG, YUUUUUM! Thank you!






    • Hilah on August 15, 2017 at 6:16 am

      Hooray! Pepperjack cheese is a great idea, Tashina!

  227. carmen e on August 22, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    I just made this for dinner and my picky son raved about how delicious it was he stated that it’s better than chick fil a, I used Pepper jack cheese on mine and it was awesome. Thanks for this recipe I will definitely be making it again ?

    • Hilah on August 23, 2017 at 7:10 am

      Great to hear, Carmen! 🙂

  228. Shelby on October 9, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    I made these for dinner tonight and they were awesome! We added Gouda cheese on ours. Just a note for anyone having trouble with the coating sticking like I was..thankfully my husband worked as a fry cook at Captain Ds while he was in college so he could give me some pointers. We actually found the best results when we dipped the chicken in the flour first, then egg then back in flour!! And finding the perfect temp on the stove for the frying took a little bit too. But after we got that down, omg these are amazing!! Thanks Hilah 🙂

    • Hilah on October 9, 2017 at 6:00 pm

      Great to hear, Shelby! Thanks for sharing your frying tips 🙂

  229. Theresa Kaz on April 10, 2018 at 9:08 am

    Anyone have any experience using this recipe but grilling? Thanks!






    • Hilah on April 10, 2018 at 9:24 am

      Hey Theresa,
      This would be great on a grill (without the breading of course). The brine will keep it really juicy.

  230. Dianne M on July 4, 2018 at 6:43 pm

    Thank you so much for this! I’ve made it twice now and it’s great, really legit. I recommend this to anyone wanting to recreate Chick-fil-a’s chicken






    • Hilah on July 5, 2018 at 10:19 am

      Hooray! Thank you for the nice comment, Dianne 🙂

  231. Ray on August 2, 2018 at 2:17 pm

    Also, if you’d like it a little crispier, you can add some rice flour to the batter mix, it comes out really good, a little different, but just as tasty.

    • Hilah on August 3, 2018 at 7:30 am

      Great tip, Ray!

  232. Mark on October 14, 2018 at 11:10 am

    Would sauerkraut juice work as well as pickle juice?

    • Hilah on October 14, 2018 at 7:04 pm

      Yes! I think that would be good, Mark!

  233. Joel Hill on October 30, 2018 at 5:00 pm

    I tried making this tonight and I should have used a better pan and I think I had my oil too hot as the breading did not adhere to the chicken much. I will try and make again one of these days.






  234. Fay Burton on December 2, 2018 at 12:29 pm

    I love the recipe. I let mine hang out in the refrigerator about 30 minutes before frying it in 350 degree F peanut oil. It was perfect. Thanks. I think it is actually better than what I have had at Chick-fil-a.






  235. M. Rich on January 6, 2019 at 10:20 am

    Amaze-balls!!! I’ve had success with another recipe for the CFA Chick-n Minis which involved an overnight milk/egg marinade for chicken tenders, so I wasn’t sure how the pickle juice quick soak for breasts would compare – Easier with only 1 ingredient, quicker, and super tasty!! Hubby who has never been wowed by CFA is still talking about these Chick-fil-gay sandwiches days later. Thanks, Hilah!






  236. Shanna Valliere on January 15, 2019 at 11:12 am

    How much would I measure for 8 chicken breasts?






    • Hilah on January 15, 2019 at 11:35 am

      I’m not sure, Shanna, but I would start with multiplying the other ingredients by 4 (1 c pickle juice, 4 eggs, 1 c milk, 2 c flour) except the spices, maybe increase by 6.

  237. Erika on February 12, 2019 at 3:35 pm

    This recipe is delish!!!!! I was skeptical but figured I’d give it a shot bc it seemed easy. Omg…..so happy I made this!! I told my family we are having this every night!!! Hahahah!! Now to make their waffle fries! ?






  238. Shannon Durell on March 19, 2019 at 5:04 am

    So so bomb! My entire family raved about these and my husband asked why I took so long to make them. These will be added to the menu rotation! Thank you!






  239. Lenny on March 20, 2019 at 11:39 pm

    Mmm looks good! I currently live in a train car, but as soon as I get an apartment I’ll be sure to try this out! Thanks!m, Hilah! Looks tasty!






  240. Anna on April 19, 2019 at 5:13 pm

    My CFA-loving teen sons said it’s just like CFA, only better! Thank you so much!!! 🙂






  241. bjlclr on April 26, 2019 at 9:03 am

    Just made this. Tastes just like. CFA. So moist. Thanks !






  242. V on June 3, 2019 at 5:08 am

    Hello! I’m SO excited to try this recipe. I’m going to attempt it in an air fryer – any tips?
    And would this recipe (spice amount) give the same results if I did nuggets?
    Thank you!

    • Hilah on June 3, 2019 at 12:33 pm

      Hey V! I haven’t used an air fryer personally so I might suggest using this brine and then finding another air fryer fried chicken breast recipe to guide you on the battering and cooking process. And as long as the weight of the chicken is the same, the spices, etc should be good for nuggets, too.

    • Bill Mc on August 8, 2019 at 8:43 pm

      I made it with an air fryer tonight with good results. The standard chicken temp (at least according to Ninja), 390F. I cooked for about 20 minutes turning over midway. Confirmed with meat thermometer that it was done.

      Buttered the bun and “toasted” on a flat griddle.

      Followed the recipe above, using a salt and sugar brine for 30 minutes instead of pickle juice. For cooking, sprayed with olive oil on both sides. Sprayed again when turning over.

      Delicious.

      • Hilah on August 9, 2019 at 2:07 pm

        Thanks for the air fryer tips, Bill!

  243. Joanne M D'Agostino on June 4, 2019 at 3:39 pm

    Just made this, it is EXACTLY like chick-fil-a. We moved recently to a podunk l’il town and there isn’t a chick-fil-a for miles and miles. Definitely scratches an itch 😉 Many thanks for sharing it!

  244. D on June 20, 2019 at 1:08 pm

    Is there a way to make this recipe by baking or grilling?

    • Hilah on June 21, 2019 at 12:46 pm

      You could use the same marinade and then grill the chicken breasts without the batter. I don’t know how this batter recipe would bake, though.

  245. Bill Mc on August 8, 2019 at 8:23 pm

    Made this tonight with an air fryer. Turned out pretty good. Was about 20 mins on 390 deg, turned half way.

    Will be doing this again. Need to add more spice heat next time. Very happy with the results. Fighting real hard to not go eat the second one right now.

  246. Brad Y on October 15, 2019 at 5:37 am

    I made the spicier version of this and used chicken thighs last….the husband LOVED it!! Thanks for this recipe






  247. JK on October 21, 2019 at 12:25 pm

    Hi Hilah, thank you so much for posting this! I made it yesterday, but I made it into nuggets because I was out of gluten free bread. I have allergies to both wheat and dairy so I had to make some modifications. I used gluten free flour and just left out the milk and used water instead. I forgot to add extra salt, which you need to do for whatever reason when you use gluten free flour, so I will do that next time. I also didn’t have the right pickles, so I feel like it could have helped if I did. Even though I didn’t get it quite right, both my roommate and I LOVED the recipe, and I will be making this often once I get my air fryer. What pickles do you recommend? Thanks!






    • Hilah on October 22, 2019 at 6:02 pm

      Hi JK!
      I like any kind of dill pickles with this recipe. From cheap “hamburger dill chips” up to fancy Claussen pickles, if it says dill on the label, I like it.

  248. Brianna LaPoint on January 9, 2020 at 6:03 pm

    Well, there isnt a chic filet anywhere near Maine. Im glad that enough time has passed that a certain religion is now looked upon with great disdain. Well, thank you for this copycat recipe, as the nearest chic filet isnt even in this state!






  249. Erika Sullivan on February 14, 2020 at 9:28 am

    I share this recipe with EVERYONE!!! This is the best copycat Chick-fil-A sandwich recipe EVER!






  250. Skye on April 17, 2020 at 4:43 pm

    Excellent recipe thanks so much!!

    1/2 pickle 1/2 jalapeño brine gives it a slight spicy kick!






  251. Thomas Dennis on May 9, 2020 at 2:52 pm

    Kudos to Chick-fil-a for standing firm in what their beliefs are. You may not agree with their stance, but to me it’s refreshing for an organization to be unwaivering in their beliefs and not just cave into societal pressure of what should be accepted. Of course I’m about to get roasted on here for saying this, but we all have the right to share our beliefs and stand up in what we believe in. You definitely have the right to not agree and not support something too, so it goes both ways. Nice work on the recipe. Thank you for sharing.






  252. Joe on May 21, 2020 at 8:38 pm

    Hi Hilah 🙂
    Never had the original sandwich. The company’s un-Christ-like character proceeded their cooking reputation. Always have been a fan of a fried chicken sandwich &, if I have a say, with dill pickles. Finally got around to making your recipe tonight & it came out fantastic! Crispy, juicy & perfectly flavorful. Can’t wait to impress my family next get-together 😀 😀
    Thank you so much.






  253. Sunnie on July 6, 2020 at 5:42 pm

    Great marinade! You can cut the chicken with a fork. Marinated for 30 minutes and used breadcrumbs. Browned in a pan and finished off in the oven for 15 minutes. My pickiest eater came back for 3rds! Thank you for this recipe!






  254. Mary Brannon on July 7, 2020 at 3:36 pm

    Yummy! Our family loved it






  255. Cla on August 15, 2020 at 7:18 pm

    We are in crises. I recovered from this virus!.. I found this sight to make a sandwich. Knock it off. I don’t want to scroll thru rants. Just review the recipe.. Aug 13 2020 be safe.

  256. Shannon on August 23, 2020 at 7:12 pm

    Hilah, I wish I googled your recipe long before now.
    I followed your recipe and I have to say, my husband and I have a new go to for chicken.
    I’ll buy chicken breasts and just wing a recipe every now and then….same ol thing.
    The pickle juice marinate is a definite key that no one should omit. Lol
    It was amazing! My husband ate 2 sammiches! Which is extremely rare ?
    Thank you for sharing ?






  257. Kate on September 22, 2020 at 5:20 pm

    BEST recipe, ever! Took a pack of chicken tenderloins, cut them in half, marinated in pickle juice and buttermilk for a few hours, used milk, eggs, and buttermilk to dip, followed your flour recipe, sooooooo good! Thank you!






  258. Rick on September 28, 2020 at 8:49 am

    Thanks so much for sharing this recipe I actually live in Canada and fortunately or unfortunately we don’t have Chick-fil-A here as they are gay man I appreciate your support to the community and will be making this recipe tonight.
    Cheers….






  259. Caleb on October 22, 2020 at 7:38 pm

    Yep, better than CFA, this blee my mind a bit. Its not hard to make either.






  260. Raym on October 31, 2020 at 2:10 am

    Excellent recipe! You might wanna spell check the title of the article though. Says “CHICK-FIL-GAY”.

  261. Brad on November 1, 2020 at 1:20 pm

    Nailed it Hilah! Damn you are easy on the eyes! Love the way that shirt looks on you. You are a natural beauty for sure.






  262. Ryan Rayman on November 2, 2020 at 3:28 pm

    Chicken was tender, but no chick fil a though. I tried the spicy version and you have to kick it up a notch on the spice if u like spicy






  263. Dustin on November 29, 2020 at 8:55 pm

    I absolutely loved this recipe, it tasted exactly like my favorite place. My wife and teenager couldnt believe i made it taste like theirs, thank you soo much .






  264. Dustin on November 29, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    These were totally delicious! I split the two chicken breasts into 10 small pieces to make sliders, and they came out perfectly.






  265. Allie on January 23, 2021 at 4:20 pm

    This was delicious! I made the recipe with chicken thighs and it came out just perfect. I’m GF so I subbed the flour with rice flour and you couldn’t even taste the difference. I also made a garlic aioli to go with it and it was mouth watering.






  266. Jackson on April 13, 2021 at 7:26 am

    The pickle juice is the secret! Also, what’s the reason behind “Chick-fil-gay”?






  267. Alishka on March 10, 2022 at 6:41 pm

    This Chick-Fil-Gay Sandwich seems so delicious and amazing , will love to try this amazing one . Will definitely gonna try unique one . Thanks for sharing with us .






  268. Cindy on May 22, 2022 at 2:49 pm

    We made this today and it was delicious! Last week we made bread and butter pickles which made me think about looking for this recipe.
    It was amazing! We made a batch of regular and a batch of spicy in the air fryer. For some reason I did the flour mixture as recommended except did half of the called for flour and made up the rest with bread crumbs. The chicken was wonderful, but we all liked the spicy a bit more than the restaurant version. We put them on toasted King’s Hawaiian rolls which was delish. Your recipe is amazing, thank you!!!






    • Hilah on June 1, 2022 at 11:21 am

      Thanks, Cindy! So glad you enjoyed your homemade CFA 🙂

  269. Jeff on August 4, 2022 at 11:52 am

    This recipe is spot on as written. Thank you very much for sharing! My wife and I absolutely love it. Tender, juicy and flavorful. Pickle juice marinade is key. I like to add a scant amount of egg/milk mixture to the flour mixture before I coat them. This will produce crunchy bits of deliciousness as the chicken fries in the oil. Amazing. Thank you again!!






  270. Waleed on August 28, 2022 at 12:28 am

    I make it its great!
    thanks Hilah

  271. Nolan B on November 5, 2022 at 2:51 pm

    This is my go-to recipe for homemade CFA! Everyone is impressed with it. I use a jar of hamburger dill chip juice for the brine and I make extra coating. I then dip the pickle chips in the coating and have fried pickles on the side. So yummy!






    • Hilah on November 15, 2022 at 7:26 pm

      ooh, YUM! I love fried pickles

  272. Jackie D on April 9, 2023 at 8:47 am

    This was so good! We do not really go to chick fil a, but I am pretty damn sure that this was WAY better than chick-fil-a could ever be. Thank you!






  273. Amelia on June 6, 2023 at 2:47 am

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  274. Dee on June 28, 2023 at 9:29 pm

    Texture was good but tasted nothing like Chick Fil A. I was really disappointed after the fabulous rating. It is easy to do but tilts we a kind of bland chicken sandwich with a nice crust on chicken!

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