DIY: Top Fast Food Sandwiches

In a stroke of marketing genius, Popeyes launched their new fried chicken sandwich to a bevy of anxious customers who wanted nothing more than to get their hands on the sandwich. The hype around the sandwich was so large that it sold out almost immediately all over the country in various Popeyes locations. People were fighting for places in line so as to make sure that they do not miss out on their chance to say that they got their hands on the desired sammy. There were also those who caused Twitter battles and others that went as far as filing lawsuits to get their hands on the sandwich. 

Since not everyone was able to try the famous Popeyes item, we decided to hunt down the secret recipes for the most popular sandwiches so that we could make our own versions of the nation’s favorites. Now who would we be if we did not share this wealth of culinary knowledge with the world? You now hold the secret recipes to the best chicken sandwiches in the country, from Wendy’s and In-N-Out, to Burger King and McDonald’s. These companies hold their recipes near and dear since if you could make them at home you would probably not bother to go to them, but we think you would still go since it is faster and easier to have them prepare the sandwich, but here are the secret recipes anyway, you deserve to know!

Often imitated, but never duplicated, Chick-fil-A’s hand-crafted Original Chicken Sandwich is the ultimate classic and stands the test of time. People everywhere love it and the restaurant has not changed their recipe since its start. Restaurants still use the same recipe that Chick-fil-A Founder Truett Cathy created more than 50 years ago, and it is still as in-demand as ever.

Ingredients:

• 4 hamburger buns, split
• 1 head green leaf lettuce, leaves separated
• 1 beefsteak tomato, sliced
• 20 dill pickle slices
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  
• 1 cup dill pickle juice
• 1 1/2 cups milk, divided
• 1 cup peanut oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:  Place a chicken breast on a cutting board. With your hand flat on top of it, carefully slice the chicken in half horizontally. Trim excess fat as needed. In a large shallow baking dish, combine chicken, pickle juice and 1/2 cup milk; marinate for at least 30 minutes. Drain well. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In another large shallow baking dish, whisk together remaining 1 cup milk and egg. Stir in chicken to coat and drain excess milk mixture. In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken, flour and confectioners’ sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve chicken immediately on burger buns with green leaf lettuce, tomato and pickles.

The McDonald’s Big Mac is the icon of the brands food. It was the on the very first McDonald’s menu and has been kept the same throughout its long history as the sandwich that has been feeding Americans since 1955. Making your own at home is not as hard as you may think.

Ingredients:

• 1 sesame seed hamburger bun
• half of an additional hamburger bun
• 1/4 pound ground beef
• salt
• ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp thousand island dressing or Big Mac Special Sauce
• 1 tsp finely diced onion
• 1/2 cup chopped iceberg lettuce
• 1 slice American cheese
• 2-3 dill pickle slices

Directions:  With a serrated knife, cut the top off the extra bun half, leaving about 3/4 inch thick slice. This will be the middle bun of your sandwich. Place the three buns on a hot pan or griddle, face down, and toast them to a light brown. Set aside, but keep the pan hot. Divide the ground beef in half and press into two thin patties slightly larger than the bun. Cook the patties in the hot pan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Salt and pepper lightly. Build the burger in the following stacking order for from the bottom up: bootm bun half of special sauce half of onion half of lettuce American cheese beef patty middle bun remainder of special sauce remainder of onion remainder of lettuce pickle slices beef patty top bun

Much like McDonald’s Big Mac, Burger King’s Whopper is its signature sandwich. It has been on the menu since Burger King opened its doors and is not going anywhere anytime soon. The juicy sandwich hit the spot when you are hungry and do not want to spend a lot of money.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh ground beef chuck
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices yellow American cheese
• 4 sesame seed hamburger buns
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced from pole to pole
• 16 crinkle-cut dill pickles, such as Vlasic
• 8 slices ripe beefsteak tomato

Directions:  Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. While grill preheats, divide ground beef into 4 even balls. Press them into thin, even patties about 1/2 inch wider than the diameter of the buns. Season patties generously with salt and pepper and place directly over hot side of grill. Cover and cook until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes. Rotate patties 90 degrees and continue cooking until well-charred on first side and juices are beginning to bubble up through the top of the patties, about 2 minutes longer. Carefully flip patties and top each with a slice of American cheese. Immediately transfer the patties to the coolest part of the grill. Toast burger buns over direct heat until nicely browned. Transfer buns to a serving platter. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of mayonnaise and 1/2 tablespoon ketchup on each bottom and top bun. Layer lettuce, onions, pickles, and tomato on top of each bottom bun. Return burger patties to the hot side of the grill for 30 seconds to reheat, then place on top of bottom buns. Close sandwiches with top buns and serve immediately.

In addition to their fried chicken, KFC is known for their fried chicken sandwich! This savory treat is a best-seller on the menu and is a pop of delicious in every bite. Making this one at home is pretty easy, and here is all you need to do:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 3 eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup water
• Duke’s mayonnaise (full-fat version)
• 48 pickle slices (optional)
• 12 Old fashioned dinner rolls
• oil for frying (enough for 3-4 inches in the frying pot)
• 4 chicken breasts

Directions:  Prepare chicken breasts by cutting into 3″ pieces (mimicking the size of your rolls) and pounding with a mallet or rolling pin to ensure even cooking and tenderness. Set aside. Heat the oil (in a fry-safe pot) to 400* (medium-high to high). Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a pan lined with parchment paper or foil. In a deep dish or plastic bag, combine the flour and all seasonings. In a bowl, add the eggs and water together and beat well. Toss the chicken pieces in the flour, then into to egg mixture, and back into the flour mixture. Repeat with all remaining pieces of chicken. Flash fry the chicken, a bunch of pieces at a time, for about 2 minutes. Make sure to move them around to prevent sticking. Remove the chicken, place onto a stack of paper towels and rest while you repeat with remaining chicken. When all chicken is fried, place onto the baking sheet lined with parchment or foil and bake for about 15 minutes, or until internal chicken temp reaches 165. While the chicken is baking, prepare the sandwiches. Slightly toast both sides on the bun in a skillet on medium, spray with nonstick spray. When buns are cooled slightly, liberally add mayo to each side of the rolls, place four pickle slices (optional) on each bottom half. When the chicken is done, place a piece of warm chicken on each sandwich and enjoy!

Arby’s classic roast beef sandwich is thinly sliced and piled on top of a toasted sesame seed bun. As you can see, the bun to roast beef ratio is what makes this sammy a true winner here. Making this at home can make you the family favorite!

Ingredients:

• 1 hamburger bun with sesame seeds
• 3 ounces ultra thinly sliced roast beef

Directions:  Add 2 inches of want to a saucepan and heat until almost boiling. Heat separate skillet on a different burner over medium-high heat. Lightly toast inside of hamburger bun in the skillet until it is just starting to brown, then remove bun from skillet. Separating each slice of roast beef, so they are not sticking together, briefly dunk meat in hot water until cooked through and warmed. Approximately 10 seconds. Assemble your sandwich by placing the warmed beef on the bun and place in the microwave on high for 11 seconds. Serve at your leisure

Jack in the Box’s Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger looks delicious and tastes it too! Making this at home is way easier than we ever thought it would be, so we will be in the kitchen if you need us.

Ingredients:

• 1 sesame seed hamburger bun
• 1/5 pound ground beef
• Pinch salt
• 2 tsp mayonnaise
• 2 tomato slices
• 1 large lettuce leaf
• 2 dill pickle slices
• 1 tbsp chopped onion
• 1 tsp ketchup

Directions:  Preheat a saute pan over medium heat. Lightly toast both halves o the hamburger bun, face down. Set aside. Form the ground beef into a thin patty slightly larger than the hamburger bun. Cook the patty in the hot pan for 2-3 minutes per side. Lightly salt. Build the burger in the following stacking order from the bottom up:

• bottom bun
• 1 tsp mayonnaise
• beef patty
• tomatoes
• lettuce leaf
• pickles
• onion
• 1 tsp mayonnaise
• ketchup
• top bun

Since the world is talking about this sandwich so much, we had to get our hands on the recipe so we can make our own version instead of just wishing there were any left at Popeyes. Follow along to make your own!

Ingredients:

For the chicken marinade

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon EACH paprika garlic powder, black pepper, salt

For Breading

• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup corn starch
• 1 tablespoon EACH paprika garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper (for spicy)
• 1 teaspoon EACH salt & pepper

Spicy Mayo

• ½ cup mayo
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon paprika or cajun or taco seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

TO ASSEMBLE

• 4 medium-sized brioche buns
• Mayonnaise
• Sliced pickles
• 3-4 cups canola oil for frying

Directions:
To Marinate chicken Pound chicken breasts in between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise to make 2 small pieces of chicken about the same size as the bun (see video below). In a large bowl, buttermilk, paprika, garlic powder, salt & black pepper. Add the chicken to the mix and place in the fridge to marinate up to 24 hours or use right away. To Cook chicken Heat oil in a large heavy-duty skillet or pot on medium temperature or until the temperature reaches 350F. In a medium shallow bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, and spices. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the buttermilk batter into the flour mixture and mix it through with a fork. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken the flour mixture and press flour on the top chicken to form a thick crust. Transfer chicken to hot oil and fry for 3-5 minutes per side or until the outside is crispy and golden and the internal temperature reaches 165F. To Assemble Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan and toast buns face down until golden and crisp. Whisk all the ingredients for the mayo in a small bowl and spread a generous layer of mayo on each bun. Top with pickles and chicken. Enjoy hot! 

Five Guys burgers are so incredibly delicious! The grilled flavor is just perfect and is the perfect amount of meat on each burger that you are sure to be satiated. We found you a do-it-yourself version of the burger!

Ingredients:

• 80/20 chuck, about ¼ pound
• 90/10 sirloin, about ¼ pound
• 2 sesame seed buns
• 4 slices Kraft American cheese, deli-style
• ketchup
• mustard
• hot sauce
• mayonnaise
• 2 cooking areas (one for buns, one for meat)
• non-grease parchment paper
• cookie sheet
• food scale
• aluminum foil

Directions: Mix even proportions of chuck and sirloin. Make 4 meatballs, weighing 3.3 ounces each. Flatten balls between nonstick parchment paper. On different grills, simultaneously start cooking burgers on medium-high and toasting buns on medium-low. At 30 seconds in, flip and flatten burgers. When buns are lightly toasted, remove from heat. Coat top bun with a generous helping of hot sauce and mayo. Coat bottom bun with 3 rings of ketchup and 2 rings of mustard. About 2 minutes after the first flip, flip burgers again and flatten to your liking. Flip again 2 minutes later, flattening again. Top each patty with 1 slice cheese. Put 2 patties together cheese to cheese, and place stack between buns. Wrap burger in aluminum foil. Keep wrapped for at least 1 minute, then unwrap and enjoy.

If you have not had a Carl’s Jr. burger then you need to either go get one, or make your own thanks to us finding the recipe for one! Be the hit at the next BBQ and bring everything you need to make these for your nearest and dearest.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 pound ground beef
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 large sesame seed bun
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp mustard
• 2 tsp ketchup
• 2 slices American cheese
• 3-4 bread and butter pickle slices
• Leaf of iceberg lettuce
• 2 large tomato slices
• 4-5 red onion rings

Directions: 
Preheat a barbecue or indoor grill to medium heat. Form the ground beef into a patty with a slightly larger diameter than the sesame seed bun. Grill the burger for 3-4 minutes per side, or until done. Be sure to lightly salt and pepper each side of the patty. While the patty grills, brown the faces of the bun in a hot skillet over medium heat. After the buns have browned, spread about 1 1/2 tsp of mayonnaise on the face of the top bun half, as well as on the bottom bun half. Spread 1 tsp of mustard on the fact of the top bun half, followed by 2 tbsp of ketchup. Arrange 3-4 bread and butter pickle slices on the bottom bun half. Arrange the lettuce leaf on the pickles, followed by the tomato slices and red onion. When the beef is cooked, arrange 2 slices of American cheese on the patty, let it melt a bit, then place the top bun half on the cheese and scoop up the whole thing with a spatula and place it on the bottom half of the burger. 

Anyone who has been in California knows that In-N-Out is practically the cult classic of fast food burgers. Their double-double is what they are most known for, as well as it being a very cheap yet delicious option when you need a quick fix. We got the recipe so you can make it at home whenever you want!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 2 soft hamburger buns
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 dill pickles chips
• 2 quarter-inch-thick slices ripe tomato
• 2 leaves fresh iceberg lettuce
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 4 slices deli-cut American Cheese

Directions: 
Form meat into four 2 ounce patties, thin and slightly larger than the size of your bun. They are meant to be 1/4 inch thick. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, tossing and stirring occasionally until onions are well browned, about 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Once onions begin to sizzle heavily and appear dry, add 1 tablespoon water to skillet and stir. Continue cooking until water evaporates and onions start sizzling again. Repeat process, adding 1 tablespoon of water with each iteration until onions are meltingly soft and dark brown, about 3 times total. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside while leaving any residual butter in the pan. To make the burger and animal fry topping: Add mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, sugar, and vinegar to a small bowl and stir to combine. Place closed buns in preheated oven for 2 minutes until slightly darker and just the slightest bit crispy. Using the butter left behind by the onions, press the buns into the pan and toast for a few seconds until crispy. If there is no butter left in the pan, add 1/2 a tablespoon or so to the pan. Season the patties with salt and pepper. Preheat pan on high and add the patties to the pan. Cook without moving until well browned and crusty on the first side, about 2 1/2 minutes. While they are cooking, spread about a tablespoon of mustard to the raw side. Flip and cook the mustard side as well, another minute. Add the sauce to each half of the bun. From the bottom up: Add four pickles, then one slice of tomato and lettuce. Top each meat patty with a slice of cheese and half the caramelized onions. Stack two patties together and add on top of the lettuce. Top with top bun.

The original sliders of America right here! These babies are so good that they have their own movie. The sliders come in sets of 3 or more and are the only square beef patty on the market, setting itself apart from other brands. Want to make your own sliders at home? Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 oz Lipton onion soup mix (1 packet)
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 20 Dinner Rolls (Sara Lee Classic, or the really soft small-sized dinner rolls from the bakery, sliced in half
• 20 cheese slices Kraft or Velveeta cheese slices work great

Directions:  In a large bowl mix the ground beef, Lipton onion soup mix, peanut butter, and milk. Spread the meat mixture on a cookie sheet. Use a rolling pin to roll over the meat to smooth it out. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. The meat will shrink. Take it out of the oven and put the diced onions all around the edges, this will give the meat a great flavor. Bake for 15 more minutes, remove from oven, then spoon the onions from the edges all over the top of the meat and layer with cheese slices. Bake another 7-10 minutes (until cheese is melted). Remove from oven and add the tops of the rolls (the bottom part of the rolls will just sit on the counter) and place back in the oven for about 5 more minutes. Take it out of the oven. Slice the meat with a pizza cutter and pick up the slider/top bun with a spatula and set it on the bottom bun.