Skip the drive through and make these copycat Chick Fil A Chicken Nuggets at home, paired with my famous Chick Fil A Sauce copycat of course!
My kids go absolutely crazy for these tender lil nuggets and so do I!
Nothing brings more smiles than a plate of hot chicken nuggets. These juicy and tender little bites are perfectly seasoned and deep fried to a golden brown and superbly crisp coating.
Chick Fil A Chicken Nuggets Copycat Recipe
It’s “my pleasure” to bring this ridiculously delicious chicken nugget recipe to you today.
We’re working with chicken breasts, marinating them in a quick pickle juice and milk mixture, then coating with a simple breadcrumb mixture before plunging into some hot oil.
YUM!
Ingredients Needed:
Here’s the basic list of ingredient you’ll need in order to make these chicken nuggets. As always, you can find the full printable recipe located below in the recipe card.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- Dill Pickle Juice – just drain from the jar
- Milk
- All Purpose Flour
- Breadcrumbs
- Garlic Powder
- Paprika
- Salt & Pepper
- Powdered Sugar – gives the chicken the perfect amount of sweetness
- Baking Powder
- Oil – for a classic chick fil a nugget, use Peanut Oil.
How To Make JUICY Chicken Nuggets
The trick to making JUICY chicken nuggets is all in the brining of the chicken, similar to my Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.
Pickle juice and milk combine like a traditional buttermilk marinade to break down the tough chicken and create a juicy interior.
You don’t want to let it marinate for too long though… just 20 to 30 minutes is all you need.
While your chicken pieces are marinating, mix together the special blend of seasonings and breadcrumbs to coat the chicken.
Drain the chicken and coat each piece of chicken in the simple mixture before deep frying in hot oil.
Why Powdered Sugar?
I know it might sound crazy, but the little bit of sugar that goes into the seasoning blend gives the chicken a delicious, yet subtle sweetness that pairs perfectly with the paprika, garlic powder and pepper.
Similar to how I add brown sugar to my Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast, it tenderizes and makes all the difference!
How To Fry Chicken Nuggets
In order to give these chicken nuggets that iconic Chick Fil A taste and perfect golden brown color, we’re going to fry them in hot peanut oil.
I have a small fryer that can keep the oil at a consistent temperature, which I love to use for this type of recipe.
However, you can also use a heavy bottomed pot on the stove top and use an oil thermometer to keep track of the temperature.
- The temperature of the oil should be 350 degrees F.
- Don’t overcrowd the pot with chicken, as this will drop the temperature of the oil.
- Work in batches and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the nuggets are a deep golden brown.
- Remove fried chicken to a wire cooling rack NOT a paper towel.
How To Freeze and Reheat Chicken Nuggets
This recipe calls for a whopping 3 pounds of chicken, which makes for a LOT of chicken nuggets.
I make these in big batches so I can freeze and reheat throughout the week for quick and easy lunches and dinners.
How To Freeze:
Once your chicken nuggets are cooled to room temperature, place them in a freezer safe bag and pop in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How To Reheat:
You can toss the frozen chicken straight into the oven or air fryer to crisp back up.
- OVEN: Bake in a single layer at 375 degrees F. for 15 minutes, until heated through and crisp.
- AIR FRYER: Toss in the air fryer at 375 degrees F. for 8 to 12 minutes, shaking halfway through, until heated through and crisp.
Chicken Nugget Dipping Sauces
Of course you can’t have chicken nuggets without an assortment of dipping sauces. Here are a few of our favorites…
- Copycat Chick Fil A Sauce
- Ketchup
- BBQ Sauce
- Ranch Dressing
I also love to toss these easy chicken nuggets in my Homestyle Mashed Potato Bowls, Chicken Bacon Ranch Potato Salad, or in wraps or salads!
More Crispy Chicken Recipes To Try:
Craving more crispy chicken? I’ve got you covered with these simple and easy recipes…
- Air Fryer Bang Bang Chicken
- Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Tenders
- Crispy Oven Backed Chicken Wings
- KFC Crispy Fried Chicken Recipe
I can’t wait for you to give these delicious Chick-fil-a chicken nuggets a try! You’re sure to enjoy them!
Chicken Nuggets Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
- 1 cup dill pickle juice
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- peanut oil*, for frying (at least 1" deep)
Instructions
- Start by placing your chicken in a large zip close bag and adding in the pickle juice and milk. Smoosh around to get all the chicken coated and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes.Meanwhile heat at least an inch deep of oil to 350 degrees F.
- Combine the flour, breadcrumbs, powdered sugar, garlic powder, paprika, baking powder, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Drain the marinade from the chicken and discard. Dip each piece of chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, coating completely, and then carefully add to the fryer.Cook in small batches so you do not decrease the temperature of the oil.
- Fry for 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is a deep golden brown, then place chicken on a wire cooling rack to cool slightly. Keep cooking until all chicken is done. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE THE RECIPE:
One Skillet Mexican Beef and Rice
Mary Ann Rego
These are so good! This is better than chick fil a because I can marinate the chicken for hours to get a stronger pickle taste. I flatten the chicken breasts to make chicken sandwiches. We like to fry the breasts in flattened patties for sandwiches because we can cook it longer to get it crunchier. The only other thing I do differently is use corn oil, add double the amount of black pepper and double the amount of powdered sugar. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!!!
Caitlin Campbell
I don’t see where the baking powder comes into play. I see it listed as an ingredient but the directions don’t say when to use it. Let’s hope it’s with the mixture of all the dry ingredients. 🙂
Nicole Mallory
Fantastic. Just made this and it is the closest recipe I found to Chick fil a. Quick question though, can you marinate the chicken longer than 30 minutes? I want more of the marinade flavor but I don’t know how well chicken holds up in pickle juice. Overall, very tasty and this will be my go-to when I’m craving Chick fil a, but don’t want to spend the money and want a healthier version 🙂
Mary Ann Rego
Yes, I marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours. I love the pickle taste.
catmom
10/10. Easy, quick to throw together, and the battering process doesn’t turn my kitchen into a mess. This has quickly become a household staple, and one I can easily make on a week night.
Kathy
I had a rough start, since I have very little experience frying. But the grandkids love chicken nuggets so…
I fried the first batch at 250 and stupidly wondered why they were taking so long to cook. Figured it out on the third batch. Some of them were lighter in color than they should be, some darker. But they were all very tasty! Not quite Chick fil a, but pretty darn close! It’s a recipe I will definitely try again. Thanks!
Teresa Lomar
Made the recipe exactly as listed. They were very tasty but the pickle juice marinade was still present at the backend when eating the nuggets. Only 2/4 of my family liked that the other two, who don’t generally like pickles, thought the nuggets tasted weird. The texture and taste are not like chick-fil-a at all but still very tasty in their own right.
Heather Larsen
I made these for my grandkids and they were awesome. So yummy!
Mar
Loved this! It was surprisingly quick to prepare and I had all the ingredients in my kitchen. My kids ate it all!! Can’t wait to try to make a bigger batch next time to freeze.
Laura
This sounds delish! I’m trying to cook this right now & I’m only wondering where the baking soda comes in? I see it as an ingredient but not listed in the recipe. Do I need the baking soda? Thanks in advance!
Terri White
The nuggets were so good, I did the same thing using chicken breast strips. OMG fantastic! My next cooking extravaganza will be the KFC Chicken!
Candice Smith
This was absolutely fantastic! The fam devoured all of them!! My only change was I air fried the bites instead of deep fry. I have a smaller air fryer. I sprayed the basket with cooking spray. Put in a single layer of bites and then sprayed the tops with cooking spray until nothing looked dry. Cooked at 350 for 3 minutes, flipped (sprayed that side) and then another 3 minutes because I worry about chicken doneness, LOL. We also used your copy cat chick fil a sauce and was impressed. The closet location to use is 45 mins so our family is very happy we can have these at home. Thank you, thank you!
Caitlin
They definitely do not taste like Chick-fil-A but they are good. Probably too much garlic powder for me.
Terri White
I just made these and the copy cat sauce. Everything was amazing! Unforeseen circumstances caused me to leave the nuggets in the brine for 2 days but it still turned out just fine. Tender, juicy and great flavor. Thank you for sharing!!