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Short-Order Kitchen

McChicken-Style Sandwiches, Baked

By Wes Ellis1 min read
A crispy breaded chicken sandwich with shredded lettuce and mayo on a soft bun.
Recipe card
Servings
5 to 6
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
14 to 16 minutes
Method
Oven
Heat
400°F
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to ingredients & directions ↓

Part 6 of the thread Drive-thru copycats, lightened up

THE SHORT VERSION4 points
  • Ground chicken, mustard and spices, formed into thin, bun-sized patties.
  • Coat in blended cornflakes, spray, bake at 400°F.
  • 14 to 16 minutes, flipping halfway, to 165°F inside.
  • Makes 5 or 6 sandwiches, and the patties reheat well.
THE RECIPE · MCCHICKEN-STYLE SANDWICHES, BAKED

Ingredients

Patties

Coating

To serve

You'll need

  • Large bowl
  • Blender or food processor
  • Shallow dish
  • Baking sheet lined with parchment or foil
  • Spatula

Directions

Patties

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet and spray it lightly.
  2. Mix the chicken with the mustard and the patty spices. Mix just until combined.
  3. Divide into 5 or 6 portions and press into thin patties about the size of the buns.
  4. Blend the cornflakes with the coating onion powder and paprika into coarse crumbs. Tip into a shallow dish.
  5. Press each patty into the crumbs on both sides and set it on the sheet.

Bake

  1. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray.
  2. Bake 14 to 16 minutes, flipping halfway, until they hit 165°F inside and the coating is golden.
  3. For extra crunch, broil on high for the last 1 to 2 minutes. Watch them the whole time.

Build

  1. Bottom bun, patty, a tablespoon of light mayo, a handful of lettuce, top bun. Serve right away.
Notes Cooked patties keep up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat them in the oven, toaster oven or air fryer and build the sandwiches fresh. Roughly 427 calories and 40 g protein per serving, give or take.

wesellis.com/blog/baked-mcchicken-copycat/

The drive-thru sandwich is a thin, peppery patty, a lot of shredded lettuce and a swipe of mayo. It's simple, which is exactly why it's easy to copy. Ground chicken and a bowl of cornflakes get you most of the way.

Blend the cornflakes

Crushing cornflakes by hand gives you big shards and dust. A few pulses in a blender gives you even, coarse crumbs that cover the whole patty and brown evenly. The onion powder and paprika go in with them, so the coating has flavor of its own instead of just crunch.

Tip

Keep the patties thin. A thick one needs longer in the oven, and by the time the middle is done the coating has gone from golden to dark.

Don't overwork the meat

Ground chicken is soft and sticky, and it tightens up fast if you knead it. Stir the spices in until they're just combined, then shape. Damp hands help a lot.

This is the patty cousin of the Popeyes-Style Chicken Tenders, which get their crust from a yogurt marinade and seasoned flour instead. For reheating leftover patties so they stay crisp, the Air Fryer Cheat Sheet is handy.

Warning

The broiler step is optional for a reason. Cornflakes go from golden to burnt in well under a minute.

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