Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—these copycat Chick-fil-A nuggets bring the fast-food favorite straight to your kitchen!
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Nuggets
If you’ve ever craved Chick-fil-A nuggets on a Sunday (or just didn’t feel like making the drive), you’re in the right place!
These homemade copycat nuggets are crispy, juicy, and packed with that signature flavor you love. The secret? A quick marinade, a perfectly seasoned coating, and a little trick to get that golden, crunchy texture.
Best of all, you can make them anytime. No long lines, no closed signs, just delicious nuggets whenever the craving strikes. Get ready to fry up the best homemade nuggets you’ve ever had!
Kitchen Tools
Ingredients:
- Batter
- 6 chicken tenderloins, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup dill pickle juice
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
How to Make Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets
Place the cut chicken pieces in a bowl with the pickle juice. Cover with plastic wrap, and let the brine make the chicken tender in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
Add the milk and egg to a mixing bowl, whisking until combined. After the chicken has marinated for an hour, remove it from the pickle juice and transfer it to the milk mixture bowl.
Add the flour, powdered sugar, paprika, pepper, and salt to a large ziploc bag. Seal and mix the dry ingredients together until evenly distributed.
Prepare a frying pan with oil and heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place each chicken piece coated in the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Seal the bag again and shake up the chicken, coating each piece fully with flour.
Once the oil is hot, shake off each chicken piece of excess coating and place it in the frying pan.
Cook for 10 minutes until the outside of the chicken has become a golden brown color.
Remove from the frying pan and let the excess oil drip off on a paper towel-covered plate.
Serve while still warm with a side of waffle fries and your favorite dipping sauce for the ultimate homemade feast.
Try this recipe, and let us know if it becomes a new family favorite!
Chick-Fil-A Nuggets
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Author: Recipe Idea Shop
Equipment
- Frying Pan
- Ziplock Bag
Ingredients
- batter
- 6 chicken tenderloins cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup dill pickle juice
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place cut chicken pieces into a bowl with pickle juice. Cover with plastic wrap and let this brine in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
- In a mixing bowl, add milk and egg, whisking together until combined. Let the chicken marinate for an hour. Remove from the pickle juice and transfer in the milk mixture bowl.
- In a large ziploc bag, add flour, powdered sugar, paprika, pepper and salt. Seal and mix these dry ingredients together until evenly distributed.
- Prepare a frying pan with oil and heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place each chicken piece coated in the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Seal the bag again and shake up the chicken, coating each piece fully with flour.
- Once the oil is hot, shake off each chicken piece of excess coating, and place into the frying pan.
- Cook for 10 minutes, until the outside of the chicken turns golden brown.
- Remove from the frying pan and let the excess oil drip off on a paper towel covered plate.
- Serve while still warm with fries and your desired sauce.
Kathy acquired the blog, Recipe Idea Shop in 2024. She was raised on a farm in Arkansas where having a big garden and good food to eat was the norm. She shares recipes for homemade comfort food and new trending dishes.
Kathy began her blogging journey in 2011 when she founded PetticoatJunktion.com, a home décor blog focused on repurposing and upcycling furniture, and thrift store finds.
