Chick-fil-A Nuggets
You can skip the drive-thru with this recipe for copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets. Enjoy everyone’s favorite fast-food chicken nuggets at home!
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the nuggets
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup dill pickle juice
- 1 sleeve Ritz Townhouse crackers
- 1 ½ cups plain breadcrumbs
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- peanut oil for frying
For the sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
Instructions
For the Nuggets
- In a large bowl, combine the milk and pickle juice. Add the chicken pieces and ensure they are completely covered with the milk mixture. Place the bowl in the fridge to allow the chicken to marinate for 1-3 hours.
- When ready to cook the chicken, place the crackers into the bowl of a food processor and crush them into fine pieces.
- In a large bowl, mix the cracker crumbs with the breadcrumbs, powdered sugar, flour, salt, paprika, and pepper.
- Add peanut oil to a deep frying pan, dutch oven, or deep fryer. Be sure to add enough oil to cover the nuggets. Heat the oil to 350°F-360°F.
- Dredge the chicken pieces in the breading mixture one by one.
- When the oil is hot enough, drop in the nuggets into the oil in batches and fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Remove the nuggets to a paper towel-lined platter or baking sheet to drain. Repeat the process until all of the chicken is cooked.
- Serve with sauce.
Chick Fil A Sauce Directions
- In a medium bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make it easier to coat your chicken pieces by adding the breading to a large zip-top bag and then adding the chicken pieces. Seal the top and give the bag a shake to coat the pieces.
- Any buttery cracker will work in the breading.
- No food processor? No problem! You can also crush them up in a zip-top bag - you just want to make sure they are fine crumbs.
- For a true Chick-fil-A taste, you need to use dill pickle juice - not bread and butter pickles or hot pickles, just regular dill pickles.
- I know it sounds a little odd to add powdered sugar - but do not skip it! It is what gives these nuggets their signature taste.
- You can also use chicken tenderloins in this recipe. Either cut them into nuggets or use them as chicken strips.
- You can refrigerate the leftover chicken for up to 3 days and reheat them. I like to use the air fryer.
- You can keep the sauce in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- For a true copycat dinner, serve this with waffle fries!
Nutrition
Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 1579mg | Potassium: 476mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 397IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 2mg
