Copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Nuggets are super flavorful and tasty chicken nuggets just like Chick-fil-A! A recipe the whole family loves!
CRISPY, TENDER AND HOMEMADE
I have a firm rule on here that I never say anything tastes exactly like a particular food from my favorite restaurants. But I do love to try to re-create some of my restaurant/fast food favorites at home. It’s a fun pastime for me that started many years ago. After a lot of trial and error, I can usually get flavors very close to my favorite meals, but never exactly the same taste (hopefully better!)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Definitely try to use buttermilk here. It really tenderizes the chicken. If you have time, marinate the chicken in the buttermilk, egg and pickle juice mixture for as long as possible.
You’ll want to use dill pickle juice with this. The bread and butter pickle juice is just a bit too sweet.
Want a recipe for this that doesn’t require frying in oil? Try making my AIR FRYER COPYCAT CHICK-FIL-A NUGGETS recipe.
After you have fried the nuggets, allow them to cool. I prefer to flash freeze fried chicken nuggets so they don’t stick together. Place nuggets on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer for about an hour. Then put them in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
The best way is to do so with an air fryer. Reheat them at 400F degrees for about 10 minutes, shaking the basket once during cooking. You can reheat them in the microwave for about 2 minutes but the breading won’t be as crisp so it’s not recommended.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- buttermilk
- pickle juice
- large egg
- all-purpose flour
- powdered sugar
- corn starch
- salt and pepper
- vegetable or peanut oil
HOW TO MAKE CHICK-FIL-A CHICKEN NUGGETS:
My chicken breasts were on the large side so I only used 2 this time. Cube chicken breasts into bite size pieces (trimming away any excess skin that might be hanging on.) In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg and pickle juice.
Place cubed chicken into the bowl. If you have time, cover it and let it hang out in the refrigerator for a few hours. This helps to make the chicken a bit more moist and tender.
When ready to cook, start preheating oil in your fryer or deep pot to 375F degrees. In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine flour, sugar, corn starch, salt & pepper. Give it a good shake to combine ingredients.
Add in cubed chicken, small batches at a time, to the flour mixture. Seal and shake until chicken is coated.
In small batches, place chicken into fryer and cook until golden brown (and internal temperature is 165F degrees.) About 4-6 minutes.
Remove and drain on paper towels
Continue with above steps until all your chicken is cooked. Served here with my favorite homemade HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Nuggets (+Video)
Ingredients
- 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup pickle juice
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 1/2 teaspoons table salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- vegetable or peanut oil
Instructions
- Cube chicken breasts into bite size pieces, trimming away any excess skin.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, pickle juice and egg.
- Place cubed chicken into milk/egg mixture. Cover it and let it hang out in the refrigerator for about an hour (overnight is even better if time allows.)
- When ready to cook, start preheating oil in your fryer or deep pot to 375F degrees.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, salt & pepper.
- Give it a good shake to combine ingredients.
- Add in cubed chicken, small batches at a time, to the flour mixture.
- Seal and shake until chicken is coated.
- In small batches, place chicken into fryer.
- Cook until golden brown. About 4-6 minutes. Internal temperature of chicken should be 165f degrees.
- Remove and drain on paper towels. Continue with above steps until all your chicken is cooked.
- Serve with waffle fries and HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE.
Video
Notes
- Definitely try to use buttermilk here. It really tenderizes the chicken. If you have time, marinate the chicken in the buttermilk, egg and pickle juice mixture for as long as possible. But you can use regular milk if that is all you have.
- You’ll want to use dill pickle juice with this. The bread and butter pickle juice is just a bit too sweet.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: March 2012
Updated & republished: February 2021
Those chicken nuggets were delicious. Nice and tender just like chic fa la.
can I add a little baking powder to puff them up some?
You can certainly try! 🙂 Let me know how it goes for you!