Meal No. 4086: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

Among the rare dinner treats that I'd had on my mind for a while to make was copycat Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. That's what happened Saturday of last week. Pounded chicken breast gets a pickle brine soak before a timely dip into a milk-and-egg wet coat; then a dredge in well-spiced flour sets up those chicken pieces for a brief rack rest and then into the hot oil they go for a frying till done. A proper serving size is two of these sandwiches, slathered with Duke's mayo, side-piled with Sun Chips, and pickles for those who are so inclined.

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"Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking. [Published June 2012]

Copycat J. Alexander's Carrot Cake

It seems to me that the only J. Alexander’s Restaurant I’ve ever encountered was up in Winchester, VA, and I might have eaten there two or three times. But I do not recall getting to try its featured carrot cake, so having a copycat recipe for it is due not to compulsion but to coincidence. Might I nonetheless be glad for how well it served to guide my dessert-making for four of us last Thursday night? Absolutely. While I’ve no plans to abandon the much-loved three-layer version that dear friends (who at the time lived in Winchester!) recommended years and years ago, this sheet cake take will be perfect for a re-make.

Bradley took some back home to Boone to share with his family, and apparently his younger son Russell thinks Daddy needs to visit Dr. Ray-Ray again soon and come home with more of that carrot cake.

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Based on "Copycat J. Alexander's Carrot Cake," from Jamie Lothridge of MyBakingAddiction.com. [Updated 19 April 2019 / 28 March 2024]

Meal No. 1812: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

Dinner this past Thursday night brought me back to a recipe that's been MIA at the Roediger House since 2015: Hilah Johnson's marvelous copycat version of Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. I love that I can make mine with no pickles (or removed pickles leaving green yuckiness soaked into the bun).

And when Jen Martin visited at lunchtime that day, she came bearing this wonderful strawberry pie that she'd made, which served as an awesome dessert after the chicken sandwiches!

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"Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking.

Meal No. 4125: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

Dateline Wed 10 June: It was a welcome Wednesday signaling Amy's weekly visit and we sat down at dinnertime to the generally rare offering of copycat Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. It's the sort of thing I can throw together incredibly quickly, which was helpful that night because there was quite a bout of afternoon pool-playing, much to my delight. The fried chicken fillets were pretty perfect, and the brioche buns were slathered with almost enough Duke's mayonnaise. It's the long stretches in between the times I make these that sanctioned my doubling up on 'em. Now I can complain even more about weigh-ins. And did I mention that we finihed the evening with a fresh round of chocolate chip cookie sundaes?

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"Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking. [Published June 2012]

Meal No. 1069: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

Monday night at the Roediger House was a chance to return to this delicious concoction, which I'd not made in over a year: copycat Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwiches. Probably not very good for me, but they are mighty good to me.

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"Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking.

Meal No. 2031: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

Tuesday was the second night in a row that I depended on a tasty recipe from Hilah Johnson to guide my meal prep, and it was a return to copycat versions of a standard Chick-Fil-A sandwich. Just like with the previous night's tacos, two is too many but I refused to be deterred. Man-o-man, these are awfully good!

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"Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking.

Meal No. 3166: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

Today is the 10th anniversary of Mookie's arrival at the Roediger House, after he spent a number of years out in Portland before coming back home to Midway. We like to think that the Roediger House has managed to give a little joy in return for all the fun and frolic that he's brought to us, especially since his wife Kristen caught his eye at some shindig here somewhere along the way. Mookie's very first meal here was my second attempt at making copycat Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, so to celebrate the anniversary that's what I made last Saturday night. (Side note: first time making these since the big weight-loss push that began in 2018!)

After dinner, and a few rounds of pool between Mookie and me, we all settled in for The Great Muppet Caper movie from 1981. Partway through, I pulled from the beer cooler a batch of lemon pudding I'd already made and offered those to the receptive crew in the man cave.

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"Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking. [Published June 2012]

"Homemade Lemon Pudding," from Lynn Walls of Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. [Originally published 2011 / Updated 31 January 2022]

Meal No. 2964: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

For the first time since February 2018, last Saturday night I made copycat Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. Boy howdy, they are a treat. And a bit of a production. And a heckuva mess to then clean up. It is such a rarity now, so I went ahead and ate a second one without giving it a second thought.

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"Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking.

Copycat J. Alexander's Carrot Cake

When UNC buddy Chris was here for an evening visit on Saturday a week ago, dessert was included to help make the reunion complete. On that occasion, I tackled the sheetcake version of carrot cake that's proven to be pretty exceptional: a copycat of J. Alexander's. I've made this several times now and it almost always gets rave reviews. Its sugar content certainly does not hurt its popularity but overall it's also a really delicious, warmly-spiced, fluffy and moist concoction. And cream cheese frosting never hurts, eh?

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Based on "Copycat J. Alexander's Carrot Cake," from Jamie Lothridge of MyBakingAddiction.com. [Updated 19 April 2019 / 20 April 2026]

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf

The delightful lunch visit with UNCSA film production student Luke last Sunday had a sweet finish: a copycat of the famous Starbucks lemon loaf. It baked up soft and plush, with a well-tempered lemon flavor, and we each enjoyed a sizable hunk for our dessert.

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"The Best Lemon Loaf (Better-Than-Starbucks Copycat)," from Averie Sunshine of AverieCooks.com. [Published 15 March 2019 / Updated 16 May 2023]

Meal No. 3903: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

For the first time in almost three years, it was time for some tasty fried chicken sandwiches last Saturday night. The most excellent Mookie, whose first time at the house in 2012 was marked with this very menu, was on hand for the occasion. Soaked first in pickle juice, then dipped in egg and milk, followed by a nicely-spiced flour coating, the flattened chicken breast portions go into hot oil for just a short fry. The brioche buns, slathered with Duke's mayo, and no pickles for me, are receptive beds for these tasty filets. The buns may have been a bit large compared to the chicken, depending on which piece one might have grabbed, but it was still a tasty fried chicken sandwich.

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"Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking. [Published June 2012]

Meal No. 551: Copycat Chick-Fil-A

I'd never heard of Hilah or her fun, short cooking videos until these last few days. She's been getting a lot of mentions in various articles and blogs and such because she crafted a darned good imitation of the famous signature fried chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A. (Hard not to love the chicken, but I just can't patronize that business.)

She nailed it, methinks. I gave it a try tonight and did what I don't think has ever occurred before: I ate a whole second chic-fil-a sandwich.

Toasted, buttered bun, some Duke's mayo, and lots of tender, juicy, flavorful chicken. One more bonus: I can make it without the pickles that for some reason Chick-Fil-A insists is indispensable to the sandwich.

Thanks, Hilah!

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"Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking.

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf Cake

All it took was about half a container of sour cream that was just about to expire to weaken my resolve and plunge me into loaf cake making. Specifically, it was a lemon loaf cake that is supposed to conjure what Starbucks is noted for, with its sharp sweet tang and it's drizzly lemon glaze. That was an unexpected Sunday morning endeavor over the weekend, perhaps a small act of quiet rebellion about the return of a grey and chilly day, where my simmering anger at the somber atmosphere was insufficient for elevating my body temperature. But hey: fine slices of lemon loaf cake were an easer of the foul attitude burden.

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"The Best Lemon Loaf (Better-Than-Starbucks Copycat)," from Averie Sunshine of AverieCooks.com. [Published 15 March 2019 / Updated 16 May 2023]

Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake & Chocolate Frosty Ice Cream

As May wrapped up, the Roediger House found itself in a celebratory mood with all of its favorite locals on hand for a movie-watching extravaganza that lasted all day, as noted in yesterday's blog post. We did also indulge in dessert later that evening, featuring a new and an old recipe. On its maiden voyage here was vanilla Texas sheet cake, inspired in part because of how much we all liked the recent lemon version I'd made. It also proved to be a winner, in a warmer vanilla bean-boosted way. And as revealed in the photo above, there was also ice cream, a return to the simple churning chest freezer version of a chocolate Wendy's Frosty ice cream (first made in 2012 and based on a long ago Southern Living blog post). Best served when it's got its icy features and mouthfeel, I thought it achieved a strong chocolate punch, perhaps helping it to be acceptable enough for the gang.

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"Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake," from Karli Bitner of Cooking with Karli. [Published 11 March 2026]

The recipe for a copycat Wendy's Chocolate Frosty was originally discovered in a discussion thread on the discontinued Southern Living blogs, posted by user Patricia Elizabeth (Pat) Martin (pbj1118), proud alumnus (Class of 1969) of Isaac Litton High School in Nashville, TN. (Recipe accessed September 2005.) Similar recipe is available at The House of Elyn Ryn: "Wendy's Chocolate Frosty: An Easy Copycat of a Classic Treat," from Rynn Hennings. [Published 11 August 2022]

Homemade Chocolate Milk based on guidance from "Homemade Chocolate Frosty," from Tieghan Girard of Half-Baked Harvest. [Updated 04 August 2025]

Flavor boosted with homemade chocolate syrup, from a batch based on "Hershey's Chocolate Syrup," from Stephanie Manley of CopyKat.com. [Published 25 August 2020 / Updated 15 September 2021]

Meal No. 4151: Chick-Fil-A Dupe Sandwiches

Dateline: Thu 09 July. Not a common dish here but I’ve happily made it for the third time in the last several weeks: copycat Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. Always better than the mushed mess that I only encounter if it gets ordered when I am working or presenting (otherwise, I avoid Chick-Fil-A because of the social stances of the company), this latest occasion was based on an alternative recipe that popped up on my Instagram feed.

After clean-up, with a hankering for something sweet to wrap up the night, I threw together a batch of lemon sugar cookies. They were awesome.

Dateline: Fri 10 July. There were three substantial fried chicken breasts remaining from that copycat endeavor from the evening before. A recent Costco run offered the bounty of glorious green hearts of Romaine ready to be chopped up, and I’d also prepped a fresh batch of creamy Caesar dressing. That’s how we came to make Meal No. 4152: Caesar Salads with Chick-Fil-A-Style Chicken Breasts diced and laid atop.

As I recently noted, I’ve got quite a backlog of blog entries in the queue, which is what led me to start adding “Dateline” notices at the start of each post. On the day we had these chicken Caesar salads, that morning’s check of the RoHo blog was the documentation of what we had 12 meals ago. Come August, I’ll be hitting the road again for work and my obsessive tendency to post something daily will be backfilled with these saved musings whilst I’m away.

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"Chick-Fil-A Dupe Sandwiches," from Drew Reilly of Dish with Drew. First spotted on Instagram. [Published 25 June 2026]

"Lemon Sugar Cookies," from Melissa Stadler of ModernHoney.com. [Published 21 March 2016 / Updated 06 September 2018]

Based on "Easy Lemon Caesar Salad Dressing," by Kim Hardesty of lowcarbmaven.com.

Meal No. 577: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

After working all day next door in Guilford County, I wanted to keep it simple tonight for the small gathering of folks at dinnertime. I decided to give the copycat Chick-Fil-A sandwiches another go, and they did not disappoint. Gosh, these homemade versions are delicious. And yes, again, I ate two of them.

Credit for the recipe goes to Hilah Johnson of hilahcooking.com.

Meal No. 2220: Chicken Breast Nuggets over Caesar Salad

Much of Thursday was rainy and gusty as the remnants of Hurricane Michael passed over the northwest Piedmont of North Carolina. Once again, I had to put out buckets and tubs to catch the drips from the ceiling at the upstairs porch door, but there was no serious damage here and not even a flickering of the lights. Lots of other folks were not so fortunate.

But the rains eased on out of the area by late afternoon and, when dinnertime rolled around, I figured it was time for a fried nuggets version of the Chick-Fil-A copycat sandwiches I've been making for several years, to be put atop another Caesar-dressed Italian salad. I even went so far as to make homemade cheesy-garlicky croutons that were sort of amazing all by themselves. Side note: I think this was the first deep-fried food I've had since late spring—and it apparently had no negative impact on my next-morning weigh-in, thank goodness!

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"Croutons," by Marg CaymanDesigns on GeniusKitchen.com.

Chicken Nuggets based in part on "Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking.

Meal No. 780: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

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"Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking.

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf

As we headed into the conclusion of a delightful latest visit with one another, my UNC buddy Kelly and I partook of a simple dessert offering: lemon loaf cake, in the style of what one might get at Starbucks. Freshly baked, properly lemoned, and sufficiently tamed so as not to be cloyingly sweet, this was a suitable palate pleaser to wrap up this latest terrific evening together.

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"The Best Lemon Loaf (Better-Than-Starbucks Copycat)," from Averie Sunshine of AverieCooks.com. [Published 15 March 2019 / Updated 16 May 2023]

Copycat Starbucks Banana Bread

A window of opportunity last Friday morning coincided with ripened bananas on the countertop, and from the oven late morning emerged a warm and delicious loaf of Starbucks-style banana bread. With the last of my second cup of coffee to go with it, the snack was a well-regarded triumph of small and limited proportions.

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"Starbucks Copycat Banana Nut Bread," from Liz of LifeLoveLiz.com. [Published 25 March 2015]