UAE · McDonald's UAE · Recipes
McChicken-Style Crispy Chicken Sandwich (Copycat)
A home version of the thin, crispy chicken sandwich format: finely processed chicken pressed into thin patties, coated in a light club-soda batter, fried crisp, and served in a soft bun with mayonnaise and shredded lettuce. The shaped patties need about an hour in the freezer before battering, so plan for that. It has not been kitchen-tested for this site yet, so treat it as a starting point. The home cost below is an estimate per sandwich.
What it costs: restaurant vs home
| Option | Cost |
|---|---|
| Non-VegMcChicken at McDonald's UAE (typical price, from the menu page) | 21 AED |
| This home version, per serving | 9 AED |
| You save | 12 AED (57%) |
Restaurant price is the typical figure from our McDonald's UAE menu data (prices vary by location). Home cost is an estimate for the ingredients listed, per serving.
Ingredients
| Amount | Ingredient | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 900 g | boneless skinless chicken breast, or a mix of breast and thigh | cut into chunks |
| 1 tsp | garlic powder | for the chicken |
| 0.5 tsp | paprika | for the chicken |
| 0.75 tsp | fine salt | for the chicken |
| 1 tsp | white pepper | for the chicken |
| 0.5 tsp | granulated sugar | for the chicken |
| 0.5 tsp | granulated chicken bouillon | for the chicken |
| 1 cup | plain flour | for the batter |
| 0.5 cup | cornstarch | for the batter |
| 1 tsp | garlic powder | for the batter |
| 0.5 tsp | paprika | for the batter |
| 0.75 tsp | fine salt | for the batter |
| 1 tsp | white pepper | for the batter |
| 0.5 tsp | granulated sugar | for the batter |
| 0.5 tsp | granulated chicken bouillon | for the batter |
| 0.5 tsp | black pepper | freshly cracked, for the batter |
| 1 cup | cold club soda | plus a little more as needed |
| n/a | neutral frying oil | about 1 inch deep in the pan |
| 6 | soft white hamburger buns | n/a |
| n/a | butter | for toasting the buns |
| n/a | mayonnaise | to taste |
| n/a | iceberg lettuce | finely shredded |
Method
- Trim the chicken and cut it into chunks, then pulse it in a food processor with the chicken seasonings until it forms a very fine, almost paste-like mixture.
- Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and press each one into a thin, wide patty, wider than the bun, on a parchment lined tray. Freeze for about 1 hour, until firm enough to handle without drooping.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch and batter seasonings together in a wide bowl. Coat each firm patty thoroughly in the dry mixture, including the edges, and return it to the tray.
- Pour the cold club soda into the remaining flour mixture a little at a time and whisk until the batter is fluid like heavy cream, thick enough to coat a spoon but not thick like pancake batter.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet to about 175 degrees C. Dip each patty in the batter, letting the excess drip off, and fry 2 to 3 at a time until golden and crisp on both sides and cooked through to the centre.
- Drain the patties on a wire rack, not on paper towels, so the base stays crisp. Bring the oil back to temperature between batches.
- Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast until lightly golden. Spread mayonnaise on both halves, add a hot patty and a generous pile of shredded lettuce, close the bun and serve straight away.
Tips
- Do not skip processing the chicken finely, that paste-like texture is what makes the patty taste like the sandwich format instead of a regular fried chicken fillet.
- Make the patties wider than the bun, they shrink as they cook.
- Keep the club soda cold and add it gradually, batter thickness matters more than the exact amount.
Recipe credit: adapted in our own words from the tested recipe by Bad Batch Baking. Their McChicken copycat was refined through testing since 2018; it was the reference point for the thin processed patty and the light club-soda batter method here. Our wording and method above are our own. The recipe above is complete as published here; the original is credited only as a reference for readers who want to compare: original tested recipe at Bad Batch Baking.
See the full McDonald's UAE menu & prices The original item: Non-VegMcChicken