Skip to Content

Copycat Popeyes Fried Chicken Recipe

3K Shares

I don’t know if this happens to you, but I’ve tried a lot of fried chicken recipes, and it always comes out tasting sort of bland. I have always been amazed at how store-bought fried chicken is so much more flavorful than homemade.

Copycat Popeyes Fried Chicken Recipe

That was until I tried Popeye’s spicy chicken recipe. This time the breading and chicken were delicious.

The secret is in the hot sauce mixed with eggs to coat the chicken before dredging it in seasoned flour. And the best thing is, popeye’s chicken recipe is not hot or spicy, just really tasty!

How To Make Popeye’s Chicken?

  1. If you have enough time, place your chicken pieces in a big bowl, add the buttermilk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours. You can also marinate them overnight.
  2. Grab two bowls. Into one, place the flour and mix in the black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and mustard powder. You can also use a gallon-sized ziplock bag.
  3. In the other bowl, whisk the eggs with the hot sauce and water.
  4. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk, place it on a cutting board, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge them in the flour mixture.
  5. Now dip them into the egg mixture.  Place them into the flour mixture again until well covered.
  6. Heat the oil in a medium-sized Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the oil starts to shimmer and fry chicken pieces, in batches, until brown.

Copycat Popeyes Fried Chicken Recipe

What Is Popeye’s Spicy Mayo Made Of?

If you’ve been to Popeye’s, chances are you have tasted their spicy mayo. If you want to replicate it at home, mix one cup of mayo with 1 ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of paprika, and ¼ teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and vinegar.

Cooking Tips

  1. Don’t forget to season the chicken with salt and pepper after taking it out of the buttermilk.
  2. If you want to know when the oil is hot enough, drop a bit of flour into the hot oil. If it starts to boil, it’s ready.
  3. Preheat the oven to 275 F and place the pieces of fried chicken in there to keep warm while you fry the rest.
  4. Cut the chicken breasts in half and separate the drumsticks and the thighs if you want to make sure the chicken pieces cook correctly. If you fry pieces that are too big, they might not cook properly.

Looking for other amazing chicken recipes? Marry Me Chicken Recipe, and Creamy Herb Chicken Recipe, are date-worthy meals, and Best Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Recipe does just that, it melts in your mouth!

Copycat Popeyes Fried Chicken Recipe

Copycat Popeyes Fried Chicken Recipe

The secret is in the hot sauce mixed into the batter!
4.17 from 6 votes
Prep Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings 10 pieces
Calories 324 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1- 2 or 2 ½ lb chicken cut up into pieces
  • 1 quart buttermilk optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 eggs beaten
  • 1 cup hot sauce (I used Louisiana hot sauce
  • cup water
  • 3 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 3 teaspoons mustard powder
  • 1 ½ pints of peanut oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • Place chicken in a big bowl. Pour in the buttermilk, give it a quick mix, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. This is optional but very recommended
  • Take the chicken out of the buttermilk, place it on a cutting board, and add salt and pepper to taste. Grab two bowls, in the first bowl, mix the flour with black pepper, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, and mustard powders. In the second one mix the beaten eggs, water, and the hot sauce. Place the chicken pieces into the flour mix until well covered, then put them into the egg mixture.
  • Dunk them into the flour mixture a second time until fully covered.
  • Heat the oil until it starts to shimmer and fry the chicken pieces until brown. Do it in batches so as not to overcrowd the pot

Nutrition

Calories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 27gFat: 6.3g
3K Shares
4.17 from 6 votes (6 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating