This Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich is a perfect copycat made healthier with the Air Fryer – you can make it in the oven or skillet, too!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken cutlets – slice chicken breasts in half or use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead.
- Buttermilk – if you don’t have any buttermilk, mix together 1 cup of milk or 1 tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar.
- Tabasco or hot pepper sauce – use your favourite hot sauce or leave this out altogether.
- Breadcrumbs – cornmeal would be a good substitute here.
- Crushed cornflakes – use panko breadcrumbs or another kind of crunchy cereal like rice cereal instead.
- Paprika – if you don’t have any paprika, double up on the cayenne.
- Cayenne – paprika or chili powder would be the best substitutes here.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Cooking spray – use any cooking spray of your choice.
To serve
- Hamburger buns – you can also make this sandwich low-carb by using lettuce wraps instead of buns.
- Leaf lettuce – use any leafy green of your choice like iceberg or romaine lettuce.
- Tomatoes – swap out for another topping of your choice or leave this out altogether.
- Light mayo – feel free to swap out the mayo for your favourite condiment like BBQ sauce or ranch.
How to make Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich
- Soak the chicken in buttermilk and tabasco.
- Mix together the breadcrumbs, cornflakes, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.
- Coat the chicken.
- Add to the preheated Air Fryer.
- Cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve on buns with your favourite toppings!
Oven and skillet instructions
If you don't have an Air Fryer, you can still make this recipe pretty easily in a skillet on the stovetop or on a sheet pan in the oven.
Regardless of which cooking method you use, you'll still want to follow the instructions in the recipe card for making the marinade mixture and coating the chicken pieces.
The only difference in the instructions will be for the actual cooking of the chicken.
Cooking the chicken in a skillet
- Start by adding 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to a hot skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken pieces in a single layer.
- Fry for 5 minutes, then flip the patties over and cook for another 5 minutes.
Cooking the chicken in the oven
- Preheat the oven to 450° Fahrenheit.
- Place the coated chicken onto a greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping the patties over after 5 minutes if desired (this will allow both sides to become crispy).
Frequently Asked Questions
According to the restaurant's website, there are 500 calories in the spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy's. When you make the sandwiches yourself, you have more control over the ingredients. As a result, you can cut the calories as much as you'd like. Using the ingredients shown in the recipe card below, my version of the chicken sandwich has 405 calories.
This sandwich is definitely spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. If you want the sandwich to be less spicy, cut down on the amount of tabasco sauce you soak the chicken in.
You can add pretty much whatever you want to your chicken sandwich! More yummy topping ideas include cheese, bacon, avocado slices, chili, pickled jalapeno, pico de gallo, BBQ sauce and ranch.
Storing and reheating
These sandwiches are outrageously good, so unless you intentionally make a large batch, it’s doubtful that you’ll have leftovers. If you do, either transfer the patties to an airtight container a Ziploc bag and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
The best way to reheat breaded chicken patties like these is on a baking sheet in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and bake them for 15-20 minutes until warmed through. You can also reheat them in the Air Fryer, but the chicken may lose some of its juiciness.
Technically, you can also reheat the leftovers in a microwave, but honestly, the microwave tends to give the chicken a rubbery texture.
Freezing the chicken
The cooked chicken patties freeze beautifully, so feel free to make a double batch for some easy meal prep! Once frozen, they’ll last in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Make sure the patties have cooled before you transfer them to freezer-safe Ziploc bags. To make sure the patties don’t stick together, place a layer of wax paper or parchment between each patty.
Let them defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat as normal! You can also try reheating them directly from frozen in the oven or the Air Fryer.
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More restaurant copycat recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing the leftover chicken.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp Tabasco or hot pepper sauce
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- Cooking spray
To serve and toppings
- 4 hamburger buns
- Leaf lettuce
- Tomatoes, sliced
- Light mayo about 1/2 tbsp per burger
Instructions
Air fryer method
- Preheat Airfryer for 10 minutes on 400 F. In a large bowl, soak chicken in buttermilk and tabasco hot sauce for 5 min. Mix breadcrumbs, crushed cornflakes, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt & pepper together in a Ziploc bag or large bowl. Drain buttermilk from chicken pieces, then add chicken to breadcrumb mixture then toss well to coat. Remove covered chicken pieces from bag, drench in buttermilk mixture one more time, then add back to bag and toss to coat.
- Add chicken to Airfryer once it's done preheating, adding chicken pieces in a single layer and spraying with cooking spray. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve on toasted burger buns with lettuce, tomato and a bit of mayo – enjoy!
Skillet method
- In a large bowl, soak chicken in buttermilk and tabasco hot sauce for 5 min. Mix breadcrumbs, crushed cornflakes, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt & pepper together in a Ziploc bag or large bowl. Drain buttermilk from chicken pieces, then add chicken to breadcrumb mixture then toss well to coat. Remove covered chicken pieces from bag, drench in buttermilk mixture one more time, then add back to bag and toss to coat.
- Heat 2 tbsp canola oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken pieces in a single layer. Fry for 5 min, then flip and cook another 5 min. Serve on toasted burger buns with lettuce, tomato and a bit of mayo – enjoy!
Oven method
- Preheat oven to 450 F. In a large bowl, soak chicken in buttermilk and tabasco hot sauce for 5 min. Mix breadcrumbs, crushed cornflakes, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt & pepper together in a Ziploc bag or large bowl. Drain buttermilk from chicken pieces, then add chicken to breadcrumb mixture then toss well to coat. Remove covered chicken pieces from bag, drench in buttermilk mixture one more time, then add back to bag and toss to coat.
- Add chicken to a parchment-lined baking sheet, then spray with cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Serve on toasted burger buns with lettuce, tomato and a bit of mayo – enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Benn says
This was fantastic, I’m thrilled that there is a copycat version of this now as it was one of my guilty pleasures. I used the oven baked method and it was still so good! I’ve been debating getting an air fryer but now I will so I can try this recipe out again!