Uber Easy 30-Minute Kool-Aid Chicken Recipe With Sauce

Last Updated on May 14, 2024

This Kool-Aid chicken recipe recreates the famous fair food from Chicken Charles. It’s easy to make, relatively quick, and loaded with fun flavors!

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About Our Delicious Kool-Aid Chicken Sandwich Recipe

Today we will be taking a look at the famous Kool-Aid chicken sandwich originally made by Chicken Charlies. He’s the self-proclaimed “deep-frying king” who is continuously surprising the country with new and unique deep-fried creations.

One such dish that made headlines at the Orange County and San Diego Fair, was the Kool-Aid chicken recipe.

This sandwich was met with mixed emotions. Some claim it’s the best fair food they’ve ever had, while others call it an offensive creation. At the end of the day, the best way to know where you stand with this unique creation is to make it yourself.

So, what exactly does it consist of? Today, we will make a Kool-Aid-flavored chicken tempura batter. You can choose any flavor that you’d like (there really isn’t a wrong answer here).

Then, we will also make a Kool-Aid basting sauce. This sauce will help add more flavor but also make the sandwich juicier.

The sandwich part itself is pretty basic. It’s a simple sandwich or burger bun with pickles. Again, you can choose any pickles you’d like. Personally, we like this Kool-Aid chicken sandwich recipe with sweet and tangy pickles.

Don’t add too many toppings. It’s best to keep it simple. After all, it’s already so incredibly unique, it doesn’t need much more.

So, let’s take a look at how you can make this Kool-Aid chicken recipe from scratch.

What You Need To Make This Kool-Aid Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 2 cups whole milk, room temperature
• 3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Kool-Aid powder (any flavor that you’d like)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 4 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless

Ingredients for the sauce

• 4 tablespoons Kool-Aid powder (same flavor as above)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup water
•  Sea salt flakes, to taste

Ingredients for the sandwich

• 4 hamburger buns, buttered
• Slices pickles, optional

Kool-Aid Chicken Recipe: Equipment

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Plastic or saran wrap
• Rolling pin or meat mallet (tenderizer)
• Deep-fryer or large pot
• Thermometer
• Paper towel
• Saucepan
• Basting brush

Step by step instructions

Step 1: Make the Kool-Aid chicken batter

Preheat the vegetable oil to 360ºF (180ºC).

To start, whisk together the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk and make sure you have a uniform wet mixture. Set it aside.

In a separate large bowl. sift together all of the dry ingredients. Then, gradually whisk it into the wet-ingredient mixture. Keep whisking until you have a lump-free batter. Set it aside to rest.

Step 2: Tenderize the chicken

While your batter is resting, tenderize the chicken breasts. Place the chicken on a hard and flat surface. Then, cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap.

Use a rolling pin or meat mallet to tenderize the meat. It should be about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch in thickness.

Once tenderized, set it aside. Repeat until all of your chicken breasts are tenderized.

Step 3: Coat the chicken and fry it immediately

If all of your elements are ready, you can proceed with cooking the chicken.

To start, dip the chicken breast into the Kool-Aid batter. Make sure it’s coated very well. Then, carefully plunge it into your hot preheated oil. Allow it to fry for about 3-5 minutes. The exact cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of the chicken.

When you’re piece has finished frying, remove it from the oil. Place it on some paper towel to drain any excess oil.

Repeat the steps until all of your chicken breasts are coated and fried.

Step 4: Make the Kool-Aid sauce

Next for this Kool-Aid chicken recipe, we will make the basting sauce. In a saucepan, whisk together the Kool-Aid powder and cornstarch.

Slowly whisk in the water. Then, place the pot over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and leave the sauce to simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove it when it starts to thicken. Season the sauce with salt to your liking.

Step 5: Assemble your Kool-Aid chicken sandwich

Next, brush the fried and rested chicken breasts with your basting sauce. Don’t be shy. This is fair food so you can add a generous amount of sauce.

Stack some sliced pickles at the bottom of the hamburger bun. Then, add your basted Kool-Aid chicken. Finally, top with more pickles if you’d like and the top bun.

Serve your fried Kool-Aid chicken burger immediately while it’s still hot.

Expert Tips And Tricks 

• For a healthier version of this recipe, you can make Kool-Aid baked chicken instead. Coat the chicken with your batter and place it inside a lined baking tray. Leave the chicken to bake for about 20 minutes or so. Test the doneness before removing the chicken from the oven.
• You can use any flavor of Kool-Aid that you’d like. It’s easiest to use the same flavor for the sauce and chicken batter. However, if you are feeling like experimenting with some flavors, go right ahead!
• You can make the chicken Kool-Aid basting sauce in advance. Store it inside the fridge for several days.
• You can also adjust the consistency of the sauce by adding more or less cornstarch. To make it thicker, you will need to add more cornstarch. Make a slurry instead of adding it directly to the sauce. To make the sauce thinner, add more water.

Preparations Times And Servings

Preparation Time	Frying Time	Servings
10 minutes	20 minutes	4

In Conclusion

As you can see, this Kool-Aid chicken recipe is pretty easy and quick to make. You can make the sauce in advance, which will save you even more time. 

Let us know where you stand on this unique sandwich! And, don’t forget to check out some of our other fun recipes too!