The Bojangles biscuit is a fluffy and soft biscuit that can be served for breakfast with bacon, cheese, and eggs. It makes for a proper meal with some fried chicken and thick gravy, or is a delicious dessert with added sweet frosting. This recipe is easy to replicate at home and requires a few simple ingredients.
Bojangles, founded in 1977, is a popular American fast food restaurant chain specializing in southeastern American food. Today, the restaurant chain has over 750 locations across the US.
The buttermilk biscuit is a staple dish at Bojangles. The traditional version of the biscuit comes with fried Cajun-seasoned chicken. The restaurant prides itself on making all its biscuits from scratch in all chains. Since as many as two-thirds of the menu items have biscuits in them, the staff bakes fresh biscuits every 20 minutes.
This recipe replicates the biscuit from Bojangles:
| Difficulty level | Easy |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 15 minutes |
| Total time | 25 minutes |
| Serving size | 1 biscuit |
| Course | Breakfast, lunch |
| Calories per serving | ~300 kcal |
Ingredients
For 12 biscuits, prepare the following ingredients:
- 3 cups self-rising flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
- Butter for brushing
Most of the ingredients needed for making a replica of the Bojangles biscuit are available to buy in any grocery store. It’s best to use self-rising flour for this recipe to achieve the softness and fluffiness of the biscuit and make it as similar as possible to the original Bojangles recipe. Unlike all-purpose flour, self-rising flour contains salt and a rising agent which will make the biscuit rise better.
To maximize the fluffiness of the biscuit, use 2 additional teaspoons of baking powder. Self-rising flour already contains some baking powder, and while it is enough for sponge cakes and cupcakes, it isn’t sufficient for the Bojangles biscuit.
Use powdered sugar instead of regular sugar for better incorporation into the dough. The Bojangles biscuit is not sweet, so the sugar is only added to balance out the flavors.
Shortening is used in the recipe to create more fluffiness. This ingredient made with vegetable oil creates air pockets in the dough when cooking, allowing for a lighter texture. You can find shortening in the baking aisle of any grocery store.
The Bojangles biscuit is a buttermilk biscuit, so buttermilk is one of the key ingredients in this recipe. The buttermilk adds a special buttery aroma to the biscuit as well as a softer texture.
Butter is needed in this recipe for brushing the biscuit. Don’t use butter for greasing the baking paper before putting the biscuits in the oven because it’ll burn at high temperatures. Instead, use melted butter to brush the biscuit after it’s cooked to recreate the perfect buttery taste of the original Bojangles.
How to Make Bojangles Biscuits (Step-by-Step)
Making the dough
- Start by preheating your oven to 450°F. Take a tray and cover it with baking paper. To make sure the biscuits don’t stick to the tray and burn, grease it with some shortening
- In a large bowl, combine self-rising flour, powdered sugar, and baking powder
- Cut shortening into smaller pieces and put them into the dry mixture. Using a large wooden spoon, mix shortening into the dry ingredients until a crumbly texture is achieved
- Make a hole in the middle of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Stir the mixture gently until everything is incorporated and the dough resembles cottage cheese
- Allow the mixture to set for 5-10 minutes
- Knead the dough with your hands once or twice until smooth. Over-kneading the dough will result in tough biscuits that lack fluffiness
Shaping and baking the biscuits
- Take the dough out of the bowl and place on a surface that is generously covered in flour. A surface the size of a kitchen table or countertop can be dusted with 2 tablespoons of the same flour used in the recipe
- Sprinkle more flour on top of the dough, then roll it out into a ¾-inch thick square
- Use a round cookie cutter to cut out 12 biscuits of the same size
- Place the biscuits on the baking tray, leaving at least 2 inches between them
- Once the oven is hot, place the biscuits inside and bake for 12 minutes
- Take out the biscuits when they turn golden brown
- Melt some butter and brush the biscuits while they’re still hot to add the classic buttery taste and smell
Serving
It’s best to serve the Bojangles biscuits while they’re still warm, just like the restaurant chain does. The biscuits are great on their own, or can also be served for breakfast with some fried eggs and bacon or breakfast sausage.
Or, serve them in a traditional way — with fried chicken breast and gravy (see also ‘15 Bone-In Chicken Breast Recipes‘). For this, cut the biscuit in half and place the fried chicken in between like a sandwich.
Or, make your biscuit into a delicious, simple dessert by covering it with some icing sugar, sprinkling with some cinnamon, and adding colorful berries on top.
Copycat Bojangles Biscuits Tips
Experiment with these useful tips to achieve the best Bojangles biscuit results at home.
- Use cold ingredients. This will help create the desired shape of the biscuit and make the dough less sticky and easier to roll out. If the ingredients were sitting on the countertop of your kitchen for too long and are at room temperature, take some time to chill them in the fridge
- Don’t overwork the dough. Minimal kneading will lead to the perfect, light biscuits served at Bojangles. At the Bojangles restaurant, biscuit dough is gently mixed by hand and then folded a few times on a floured counter before rolling out. When kneading, stop as soon as the dough becomes smooth. Smooth dough means that no more kneading is required
- Make sure you have the right amount of flour sprinkled on the surface and on the dough. The dough will need sufficient flour in order to roll out without sticking, but not too much, so as to avoid a dry, tough biscuit
Storing the biscuit
The dough can be stored in the freezer for several months. To bake frozen dough, follow the above baking temperature and time without thawing first.
Serving the biscuit
The Bojangles biscuit is best served warm. At the restaurant chain, fresh biscuits are made every 20 minutes to make sure they’re served warm and fresh. It’s ideal to serve the biscuits a few minutes after they’ve been removed from the oven.
Make a dessert version of the Bojangles biscuit by adding blueberries to the dough before baking.
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Latif Jamani
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