You’ll fool everyone with this perfect copycat recipe to make your own Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets at home! They taste just like the real thing at a fraction of the cost!
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Nuggets
If you ask my kids what they want for dinner they’ll tell you one of two things: pizza or Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets. My girls would eat those nuggets every day if I’d let them…and who can blame them? Chick-Fil-A nuggets are delicious!!
Instead of hitting the drive-through, my husband decided to see if he could re-create those famous nuggets at home. He spent months trying different ingredients, coatings, methods, etc. until he came up with a recipe so perfect that you’d never be able to tell the homemade nuggets apart from the real thing! They are THAT good!! Just look at that perfect crispy golden brown breading…yum!
Another thing I love about this recipe is that it is very budget-friendly. One Chick-Fil-A kids meal costs almost $5. We buy the family pack of chicken breasts for $10-12 and it comes with 6-8 breasts. Since you only need 2 breasts to make a whole batch of nuggets, you’re paying about the same to feed the whole family as you would for one fast-food kids meal!
Seriously! With just 2 chicken breasts, you can make enough nuggets to feed the whole family! My kids are big eaters and one batch of nuggets with a couple sides is more than plenty for my three girls. So you’re feeding the whole family for about the same price as ONE kids meal.
These copycat Chick-FIl-A nuggets are a tasty kid-friendly protein, but they also make a fabulous party appetizer! All you need to do is double or triple the recipe to serve a big crowd!
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts — cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup milk — Pretty much any kind of milk will work here. We even use non-dairy milk sometimes!
- 1 egg — beaten
- 1/2 cup flour — all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs — Regular bread crumbs, no flavors added
- 3 Tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Oil for frying — we used peanut oil or avocado oil
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Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Dutch oven or large skillet (deep enough for frying)
- Mixing bowls
- Large freezer bag
- Whisk
- Wire rack
Prep Time: 1 hour (for marinating the chicken in the egg wash)
Cook Time: 2-4 minutes per nugget
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Instructions
- Chop chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and add to a gallon size ziploc bag with milk and egg. Shake to coat the chicken and then refrigerate for 1-3 hours.
- Whisk together dry ingredients in small bowl.
- Take each piece of chicken and allow excess egg mixture to drain back into the bag. Roll the chicken pieces in the flour mixture until fully coated.
- Heat oil (medium to high heat) until hot enough to fry. Fry each piece for 2-4 minutes. You can fry multiple pieces at a time, but you will want to fry in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Strain and dry on a wire rack lined with paper towels (I put a cookie sheet underneath to prevent messes on the counter).
Prep Tips
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. See some of my favorite copycat Chick-Fil-A dipping sauce recipes below!
- When frying, as soon as the nuggets turn a rich golden brown you want to remove them from the oil. They will continue cooking a little longer on the wire cooling rack. If you leave them in the oil until they turn dark brown, you risk over cooking them.
- I’ve seen nugget recipes that include black pepper, but my kids don’t like it and Chick-Fil-A nuggets don’t really have a strong pepper flavor, so we do not use it in our recipe. Feel free to add a sprinkle of black pepper to your cooked nuggets if you like.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. A toaster oven works great for reheating, or you can bake on a baking sheet in the conventional oven at a low temperature until warmed through.
Try These Chick-Fil-A Dipping Sauce Recipes
- 3-Ingredient Chick-Fil-A Polynesian Sauce Recipe
- Homemade Chick-Fil-A Sauce Recipe
- Homemade Honey Mustard Sauce (Chick-Fil-A Copycat Recipe)
- Chick-Fil-A nuggets also taste great with barbecue sauce, yellow mustard, and ketchup!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chick-Fil-A Marinate Their Chicken In Pickle Juice?
Contrary to the popular belief that Chick-Fil-A uses a pickle brine to tenderize and add flavor to their chicken products, that’s not actually the case! According to the Austin American-Statesman, the pickle juice rumor is just that…a rumor…and multiple anonymous employees have confirmed that the company uses a salt-sugar brine instead. You may see copycat recipes with dill pickle juice as the “secret ingredient,” but that’s not actually the way Chick-Fil-A does it.
When my husband was testing out different versions of his copycat nugget recipe, the pickle brine did not make the most authentic tasting chicken. On his own, he settled on a salt-sugar mixture to create his nugget coating, and decided that tastes the most like the real deal. And now it all makes sense!
Does Chick-Fil-A Fry Their Chicken In Peanut Oil?
Yes, Chick-Fil-A uses peanut oil for their fried chicken products, so peanut oil is a great choice for home frying too. Peanut oil is ideal for frying due to its high smoke point, meaning it can maintain high temperatures without smoking. Refined peanut oil also has a neutral flavor, so it won’t change how the chicken tastes, but will cook the insides until juicy and the outsides crispy.
Other oils that can be used for frying chicken nuggets:
- Avocado oil
- Canola oil
- Vegetable oil
- Coconut oil (though this does have a slight coconut flavor)
It is not recommended to use olive oil or sesame oil because they can get too hot too quickly and have a lower smoke point.
Can You Make This Recipe Gluten-Free?
Yes! You can substitute gluten free all purpose flour for the flour in this recipe and it will work well. There may be a slight variance in texture, but I bet that no one would notice if you didn’t tell them!
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Nuggets Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Copycat Chick-Fil-A Nuggets
Equipment
- Large pan for frying
- Gallon size freezer bag
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 3 TB powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Chop chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and add to a gallon size ziploc bag with milk and egg. Shake to coat the chicken and then refrigerate for 1-3 hours.
- Whisk together dry ingredients in small bowl.
- Take each piece of chicken and allow excess egg mixture to drain back into the bag. Roll the chicken pieces in the flour mixture until fully coated.
- Heat oil (medium to high heat) until hot enough to fry. Fry each piece for 2-4 minutes. You can fry multiple pieces at a time, but you will want to fry in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Strain and dry on a wire rack lined with paper towels (I put a cookie sheet underneath to prevent messes on the counter).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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