Bacon Swiss Crispy Chicken Sandwich

If you love crispy chicken sandwiches -- and especially if you don't live in the West -- you'll want to try out this clone of the tasty Carl's Jr. creation. The recipe makes four of the addicting chicken sandwiches from the California-based chain, but will also come in handy for making a delicious homemade ranch dressing. Try using some lean turkey bacon, fat-free Swiss cheese and fat-free mayonnaise if you feel like cutting back on the fat. Then you can eat two.

Ranch Dressing:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
dash dill weed
dash garlic
dash ground black pepper
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

6-8 cups vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 chicken breast fillets
4 sesame seed hamburger buns
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices
Kraft Swiss cheese Singles
8 slices bacon, cooked

1. Preheat 6-8 cups of oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.

2. To prepare the ranch dressing, combine all of the ingredients except the water and gelatin in small bowl. Mix the water with the gelatin in a small cup until all of the gelatin is dissolved. Add this gelatin solution to the other ingredients and stir. Cover and chill the dressing until it's needed.

3. Beat the egg and then combine with 1 cup water in a small, shallow bowl. Stir.

4. Combine the flour, salt, onion powder and garlic powder in another shallow bowl.

5. Pound each of the breast fillets with a mallet until about 1/4-inch thick. Trim each breast fillet until it is round.

6. Working with one fillet at a time, first coat each fillet with the flour, then dredge it in the egg & water mixture. Coat the chicken once again in the flour and set it aside until all of the fillets have been breaded.

7. Fry the chicken fillets for 8-12 minutes or until light brown and crispy.

8. As chicken is frying, prepare each sandwich by grilling the face of the hamburger buns on a hot skillet over medium heat. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the ranch dressing on the face of the top and bottom buns.

9. On the bottom bun, stack a leaf of lettuce and a tomato slice.

10. When the chicken is done frying, remove the fillets from the fryers and drain them on paper towels or a rack for a couple of minutes.

11. Stack one fillet onto the bottom of the sandwich (onto the tomato), then stack a slice of the Swiss cheese onto the chicken.

12. Arrange the bacon, crosswise, on top of the Swiss cheese, then top off the sandwich with the top bun. Repeat the stacking process for each of the remaining sandwiches.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

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Crispy Chicken Sandwich

We'll use elements of the previous recipe to whip up one of the other Carl's Jr. crispy chicken sandwiches. This one is a fried chicken breast sandwich with lettuce and tomato, and slathered with a clone of Carl's tasty ranch dressing. Use the recipes together and you can easily serve up two different sandwich clones with little extra effort.

Ranch Dressing
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/16 teaspoon dill weed
dash garlic powder
dash ground black pepper
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

6-8 cups vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 chicken breast fillets
4 sesame seed hamburger buns
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices

1. Preheat 6-8 cups of oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.

2. To prepare the ranch dressing, combine all of the ingredients except the water and gelatin in small bowl. Mix the water with the gelatin in a small cup until all of the gelatin is dissolved. Add this gelatin solution to the other ingredients and stir. Cover and chill the dressing until it's needed.

3. Beat the egg and then combine it with 1 cup water in a small, shallow bowl. Stir.

4. Combine the flour, salt, onion powder and garlic powder in another shallow bowl.

5. Pound each of the breast fillets with a mallet until about 1/4-inch thick. Trim each breast fillet until it is round.

6. Working with one fillet at a time, first coat each fillet with the flour, then dredge it in the egg & water mixture. Coat the chicken once again in the flour and set it aside until all of the fillets have been breaded.

7. Fry the chicken fillets for 8-12 minutes or until light brown and crispy.

8. As chicken is frying, prepare each sandwich by grilling the face of the hamburger buns on a hot skillet over medium heat. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the ranch dressing on the face of the top and bottom buns.

9. On the bottom bun, stack a leaf of lettuce and a tomato slice.

10. When the chicken is done frying, remove the fillets from the fryers and drain on paper towels or a rack for a couple of minutes.

11. Stack one fillet onto the bottom of the sandwich (onto the tomato), then top it off with the top bun. Repeat the stacking process for each of the sandwiches.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

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