[Guest Post] Chick-fil-A Sunday Breakfast

So. 

You live in Texas. 

What is the one thing you want on Sunday that you can never have besides more vodka for your bloody marys? [And yes! Favorite pastimes here in Texas include closing all liquor stores on Sundays...]

Chick-fil-A!

Sunday May 8th was Mother's Day and I thought the perfect surprise for my wife and mother of my 2 year-old son would be to wake up early, put on some cartoons for Henry, brew some strong coffee, and fry some chicken breasts to crispy golden glory to recreate the soon-to-be-classic Egg, Cheese & Bagel sandwich from Chick-fil-A. The coffee was mostly for me because I am a certifiable ass for the rest of the day if I do not meet my daily coffee quota by precisely 7:01 am.

Overall, this was a very good Chick-fil-A copycat. Next time I would make a smaller recipe so any leftovers aren't sentenced to a chewy and flaccid end in the workplace microwave.

Chick-fil-A copycat breakfast sandwich:

(chicken recipe adapted from Urban Cookery)

Dry Ingredients for Chicken:

• 1 Cup Flour 
• 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar 
• 1 Tablespoons Cornstarch 
• 2 tsps Salt 
• 2 tsps Paprika 
• 1 tsp Black Pepper 
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder 
• 2 tsps Dried Basil (I used fresh since our Basil plant was ripe for plundering)

Wet Ingredients for Chicken:

• 1/2 Cup Pickle Juice [keep any extra pickles for funsies] 
• 2 Eggs 
• 1/4 Cup Whole Milk

Meat & Other Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts 
• 6 eggs (2 scrambled eggs per chicken sandwich to put hair on your chest) 
• 3 whole wheat bagels (for those who do not stay true to the sacred recipe or think whole wheat bagels aren't "fun" enough... your favorite bagel or morning carbohydrate will do just fine) 
• American cheese slices
• Vegetable Oil 

The night before, cut your chicken breasts into 4th's (length-ways and width-ways), store chicken in a Ziploc bag of pickle juice in the fridge, and mix the dry ingredients in bowl for overnight storage. I threw extra pickle slices in the marinating bag for good measure. I ended up with 12 fried chicken pieces - which is way more than 2 adults, one toddler, and one hungry dog can eat for a reasonable breakfast.

The morning of, wake up around an hour earlier than normal. Set that coffee maker for autopilot so you can keep those demons subdued with that heavenly nectar of life. Heat a large pot or skillet/wok with oil to about 350 degrees F. I used vegetable oil because that is all I could scavenge from the pantry. Peanut oil would probably give a more authentic taste and I plan on using it the next time.

Pour milk into a large shallow bowl and beat the eggs into the bowl. Pour your dry mixture in a large shallow bowl or plate. Take your chicken out of the bag and drench in the wet mixture, shake off, and plop into the dry mixture, evenly coating all sides. You can shake off any loose dry ingredients and repeat the dredging process for a double coating, but I think the chicken turned out just fine with one coat of batter.

Fry until golden brown on both sides, turning occasionally.  When chicken pieces are deemed done, remove from the oil and place on a sheet of paper towels to soak up any excess grease. Salt and Pepper to taste.

When the last of your chicken pieces begin to fry, scramble your eggs, toast your bagels, unwrap your American cheese slices, and warn your toddler that the morning cartoons are about to be cut short.

Assemble your sandwiches and serve with more hot coffee!