Chick-fil-A’s lightly breaded morsels of golden chicken breast take the top spot for people’s favorite fast food nuggets. However many folks, myself included, have abstained from going to Chick-fil-A due to the company’s public stances on a variety of political issues—most notably their
long history of donating to and supporting anti-LGBTQ charities and platforms. This copycat recipe allows you the joys of eating incredible chicken nuggets without having to step foot into a restaurant—and you’ll save a couple of bucks too.
Now, let’s talk recipe. I’ve heard rumors that the fast food chain marinates their chicken in pickle brine, but after further digging I don’t think that’s actually the case. For due diligence, I tested both un-brined and pickled-brined chicken and, though it isn’t the actual Chick-fil-A method, the pickle brine made the nuggets far juicer and more flavorful. It’s an extra step you can leave out, but I think it’s what makes this recipe even better than the real thing.
I also discovered that their chicken has added sugar, and once I noticed that I couldn’t get that sweetness out of my mind. So I added some powdered sugar to the breading. I know that this may sound weird but I think it’s an integral part of mimicking that slightly sweet flavor.
Dip them in our copycat Chick-fil-A sauce, ranch, ketchup or even directly in some honey and you’ll never need to go Chick-fil-A again.
Ingredients
For The Chik-Fil-A Sauce
- 1/4 c.barbecue sauce
- 3 tbsp.mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp.Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp.yellow mustard
- 2 tsp.honey
For The Nuggets
- 3large chicken breasts, chopped into irregular bite-size pieces
- 1 1/2 c.pickle juice
- 4garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- large eggs
- 1/2 c.whole milk
- 1 1/2 c.all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp.powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp.paprika
- 1 tbsp.garlic powder
Directions
-
For The Chick-fil-A Sauce
- Step 1In a small bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, mayo, dijon, yellow mustard and honey. Set aside.
-
For The Nuggets
- Step 1To a large plastic bag, add chicken pieces, pickle brine, garlic cloves, a big pinch of salt, and 8 to 10 grinds of black pepper. Massage marinade over the chicken so that it is totally distributed. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 6.
- Step 2When chicken is nearly finished marinating, add enough oil to fill a large, heavy-bottom pot about halfway. Place pot over medium high heat and let oil come up to 350º.
- Step 3While the oil is preheating, create the wet and dry dredge. In a medium bowl whisk together 2 eggs and milk then season with salt and pepper. In another medium bowl whisk together flour, powdered sugar, paprika, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the egg mixture over the flour then, using your hands or a fork, distribute it through the flour to create little clumps and crumbs. This will create little crunchy bits on the chicken. Set both bowls aside until ready for frying.
- Step 4Remove chicken from the plastic bag and discard marinade. Pat chicken totally dry and season thoroughly with salt and pepper. Working in 2 to 3 batches, coat chicken pieces in egg mixture. Toss chicken in spiced flour mixture until fully covered. Shake Nuggets lightly to dislodge any loose flower or breading, then drop them in oil.
- Step 5Using tongs or a spider, separate the nuggets once they’ve been added to the oil. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until the nuggets are golden brown and cooked through. Move finished nuggets to a paper towel lined plate to drain then season with salt. (Do not start dredging and breading the next batch until the prior batch has totally finished.)
- Step 6Serve immediately with Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce and other dipping sauces.
