Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets
Just like Chick-Fil-A, but it tastes 10000x better! And the homemade honey mustard is out of this world!
I have always been somewhat of a late adopter in almost all aspects of life. I was one of the last people on earth to start wearing converse “chucks”. Or make the switch to skinny jeans. I was also very late on the iPhone adoption. And now I’m one of the last people to finally try Chick-fil-A.
The funny thing is, we didn’t even mean to go there. I was craving pancakes so we made our way to a popular waffle house just to find out that there was a 30-min wait on a Tuesday afternoon. So we drove back to our house and on the way home, we passed a Chick-Fil-A when Jason looked at me and said, “It’s time. We have to try this place at some point.”
So we pull up to the drive-thru and ordered 2 chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets and all of their dipping sauces. And boy, was I in for a treat. It was ah-mazing. All of it. The sandwich. The nuggets. Oh, the nuggets. We almost went back because there wasn’t enough nuggets to go around!
But as amazing as that was, I couldn’t help but recreate this at home. I was a bit skeptical because I was unsure if the homemade version could actually top the original but surely enough, it tasted a million times better. Not to mention the epic homemade honey mustard sauce. I’m not even a mustard fan but this – this I could slurp, drink, and gulp down in my sleep. And once you dip those crisp nuggets, you’ll never want to go to Chick-fil-A again!
Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup dill pickle juice
- 1 ½ cups milk, divided
- 1 cup peanut oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the honey mustard
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- To make the honey mustard, whisk together mayonnaise, honey, mustards and lemon juice in a small bowl; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, pickle juice and 1/2 cup milk; marinate for at least 30 minutes. Drain well.
- Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1 cup milk and egg. Stir in chicken and gently toss to combine; drain excess milk mixture.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken, flour and confectioners' sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve immediately with honey mustard.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Please come up with a recipe for hot honey mustard sauce. Thank you very much
Looks easy. I cant wait to try it.
Hello Chungah I m big fun of your recipes thank you so much! I m was wondering if I can make them ahead and freeze them and bake some when we crave them. If is possible how is the best way to do it. Thank you for your time
The chicken nuggets were very easy to make. I made them gluten and dairy free by using king Arthur gf flour and a non dairy milk. Delicious!
Excellent and easy!
My grown adults ask for this recipe at least once a month. I use Famous Dave’s Sweet ‘n Spicy Pickle juice and add about a table spoon of Emeril’s Essence to the floor mix. FYI both of my kids go to your website for recipe ideas and are never disappointed.
cant wait to try tonite!! thank you!!
have a great weekend!!
Can’t wait to try these, but I have a question. Is the 1 tablespoon of mustard you use a dry mustard or a
hot dog style mustard? I apologize for my ignorance.
Good going girl, both sandwich and nuggets were wonderful, keep up the great work.
Delicious!! I’ve only had Chick fil a once, the place is always lined up to get in and it’s very expensive for my budget. I think it’s overrated. So, regardless of what Chick fil A tastes like, this is a great recipe!! In the keeper box it goes! I made strips instead of nuggets so I had a lot of leftover flour. So next time I make it, that will be halved so I don’t waste so much. The only thing I had to change was peanut oil for Crisco. Patties would be great for a sandwich! Why go to Chick filA when you can make great, fresh chicken at home! Thanks for this! I think I’ll be searching more of your recipes!!
I made and loved this recipe. I didn’t have any plain dill pickles in the house (not a fan) BUT I DID have some polish garlic dill pickles 🙂 AH-mazing. I also like to add a little (like a tbs) of corn starch to the flour dredge (makes them a tiny bit crispier) As for the honey mustard dipping sauce? Outstanding. I just made a triple batch as I picked up some turkey and swiss cold cuts and I’m planning on using this batch on my sandwich and will be sending the leftover sauce home with my daughter who loved it as well
The cornstarch is a technique of Asian restaurants use to make any battered coating crispier.
My 6 year old declared “this is the best meal I think I ever had; it tastes just like Chick-fil-A”.
No he didn’t.
I had Chick-fil-A nuggets for the first time last month and loved them. I searched online and decided to tryout this recipe. I found this recipe to be bland. The honey mustard sauce was nice and made with the plain Greek yogurt. However, I don’t cook anything in oil, nor deep fry. Which is why I have a deep fryer. I tried these in that but it was a failure and took forever. I switched over to a skillet and olive oil. After all was said and done I felt the nuggets had zero flavor. I added more salt & pepper, tried garlic salt, nothing helped.
Thanks for the honey mustard recipe. I guess our search continues for the Chick-fil-A one though.
Let me preface by saying I’ve never had Chick-fil-A before. But this recipe was AMAZING. In a rush I actually missed step #4 (oops!), and we did this in the deep fryer @ 350 instead of on the stovetop. They came out beautifully light and crispy, and the flavor was delicious! My whole family loved it, my kids gobbled it up, and are asking when we’ll make it again. I also made the sauce – none of us are generally fans of honey mustard, but to my surprise, every single one of us loved it with the chicken, and there was none leftover (and I doubled it) lol. Everything I’ve made from your site has been a hit in our home, so I had no doubt this wouldn’t disappoint, but I was pleasantly surprised at HOW good these actually were! Thanks for another great recipe, Chungah!!
we made these with the juice from jalapeno slices instead of pickle juice. came out great! used the leftover nuggets in a chicken caesar wrap the next day
Any suggestions to use the Air fryer to cook?
btw they were great. Never eaten at a CoF restaurant..but we loved these.
Out of Dejon..so used Heinz Caroline mustard BBq sause with the mayo.. it was great.
Ugh I want air fryer recipe toooooo! It’s amazing but would love not to pan fry
The. Only. Thing. At. Chick-fil-A. That. Is. Marinated. In. Pickle. Juice. Is. The. STRIPS!!! The nuggets and the filets are NEVER marinated!!!
I plan to making this.
Oh good grief. Try the recipe or don’t. Your comment is unnecessary.
This recipe was amazing. The chicken was crispy and had a little twang from the pickle juice. My wife absolutely hates pickles, and loved these nuggets. The sauce was also great and very close to actual Chick Fil A sauce. I’d highly recommend this recipe and will be using it again.
My WHOLE family LOVED these! I have had bad luck with frying chicken in the past and was hesitant to try this, but it turned out to be easy and delicious! They are almost the same as Chick-Fil-A! I found a copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce on another website and it complemented these perfectly! Thanks for posting this recipe!
Chick-Fil-A Sauce
https://buildyourbite.com/copycat-chick-fil-a-sauce-recipe/
Soooo delicious! Almost better than Chick Fil A! 10/10 would make again. The honey mustard sauce was great too.
I haven’t yet made this, but how crispy would the chicken be if I used rice flour? Or would the all purpose flour still be preferred?
Thank you.
Pam
Just made these with safflower seed oil and added super fine breadcrumbs to the flour mixture. They came ou great.
So easy …so tasty…can’t stop eating them as they come out.
I would like to bake these chicken nuggets —- At what temperature and for how long . Would I need to grease a cookie sheet.
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! Good luck! 🙂
Recipe was good but why didn’t my nuggets brown?
I had the same problem
Any suggestions to substitute confectioner sugar?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I didn’t have any pickle juice so I used rice wine vinegar and dill. Still came out amazing. Very close to the real thing
So so good!! Thank you!!
My family loves this recipe! My kids have learned to cook and make the honey mustard sauce without assistance. I personally don’t like the chicken without the sauce! I highly recommend this recipe!
Tip*. I found that after putting the chicken into the bag for the coating, I took each batch out of the flour and into a mesh strainer and shook off the excess flour. This trick is helpful in keeping the oil clean from the flour burning.
What is the max I can marinate these for? Thank you in advance! I cant wait to try these!!
Angelina, I would not marinate these for longer than overnight.
Great recipes. Can yous find a similar but close recipie for chic fa la Ranch avocado lime salad dressing great.
Why peanut oil? Can another oil be used & still get same flavor?
Yes, you can certainly substitute another oil but I find that peanut oil is truly best.
Would this recipe work with my newest, favorite kitchen gadget? (Air Fryer)
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Is there a bakable (healthier version
You can certainly try to bake these but unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
you never said what to do with stpe #5
Step #5: In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken, flour and confectioners’ sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Yes, you can make these using “pickle juice” from home-canned pickles. Even “cleaner” with even less additives.
We used your recipe for the nuggets and Chick-fil-A sauce last night and loved it! Thank you so much for sharing.
Had these for supper last night and they were so good, had to fight hubby for the last few! I used Pillsbury gluten free flour blend instead of regular flour, vegetable oil and 2% milk and it worked great! I’m not a fan of honey mustard but made it for hubby, he liked it. I will try to find a recipe for Chick-fil-a sauce, I love that stuff!! I haven’t had a chicken nugget for so long due to wheat allergies so this was a great treat! I double dipped in the egg and flour to have extra crust but I think it was too much, won’t do that next time and will add some garlic powder and as Donna said above, threw in some pickles to fry also! Thank you so much Donna for the great idea, I have been wanting fried pickles forever but didn’t want to go to the mess and hassle for a few pickles so your idea is perfect!! Thank you Chungah for a great recipe! I took a picture to share but see that is not possible so will just say that they looked almost like the real thing, just a little lighter as gf flour doesn’t brown as well as wheat flour. This will become a regular along with so many other of your amazing recipes!
Out. Of. This. World. These are even better than chick fil a. I threw some of the pickles from the jar in with the chicken to marinade and all the way through and those came out awesome too. Best part… today is Sunday! I don’t think I can go back to chick fil a.
That is too funny. We seem to only crave our favorite restaurants on Sunday that are not open! Cooking home cheaper I know, but it’s Sunday and disc golf day! Lol
Do you have to use peanut oil ? If you use another oil will it drastically change the flavor ?
Yes, you can use another oil.
Marinating should be longer than 30 minutes but the max should be overnight. You don’t want pickled favored chicken nuggets. 4 or 5 hours is long enough.
This is a great starter copy cat recipe but are a little bland if follow the recipe. For more flavor add poultry seasoning and season-salt to both the marinade and flour. Omit the salt if using season-salt! Overall this is a VERY good recipe!!!
Your responses to people’s questions/comments…
From 1/31/16: Grace, how long did you marinate the chicken? It should not have been longer than 30 minutes.
From 2/19/16: Nope, overnight should be fine.
So should I marinate them overnight, or for 30 minutes? I love CFA nuggets, but have really been trying to cut out eating out lately. Looking forward to making these soon! Thanks!
It should not be longer than 30 minutes. Thanks for checking!
These came out bland and tasting of nothing but pickle taste nothing like chick fil a
I hope this isn’t a repeat question and I tried to read all the responses… but can you tell me if that nutritional info is just the chicken or does the dipping sauce count as well? Trying to log for WW. They are amazing btw! Thanks for sharing!
The nutritional information is for both! 🙂
Does it have to be all purpose flour
Yes.
I made these nuggets and they are delicious with the honey mustard sauce my 2 year old just wanted the all sauce, thanks
Do you think this recipe and method would work with bone-in chicken (legs)? We LOVED the flavor in this recipe, but now I have some legs I need to cook and was hoping this might work for those too. thanks
Yes, absolutely.
First off.. This is one of the few blogs i trust with recipes 🙂 My only question though is.. Do i have to fry with peanut oil, can i just use canola oil ? I’m hoping it won’t be much of a different outcome. seeing as i am in a country which peanut oil isn’t available
Yes, canola oil will work just fine.
I could eat at Chick-Fil-A for every meal. Seriously. After reading pretty much all of the comments here I did see one mention, “Chick-Fil-A Sauce”. If y’all think that Honey Mustard is good, try the “sauce”. You’ll never want mustard again. 🙂 If y’all want a copycat recipe for the “sauce”, go to “houseofyumm.com”, she has an awesome recipe. Keep up the great work Chungah!
Made a double batch Saturday and we loved them! My husband kept saying the best he had and love the sauce. Thank you! Tonight I am making your Korean beef bowl as we enjoyed it a lot!
So good. I will be making this again!
thank you for bringing this marvel of gourmet fast food home!
I would add… when they are DONE frying, dry the nuggets in a paper towel, and then TOSS them in a bowl with a couple extra pinches of powdered sugar, and a sprinkle of salt. THIS really puts them over the top and into the realm of unmistakable replicas.
How long can I marinate the chicken? Would overnight be too much?
It should not be longer than 30 minutes.
I made these several times recently but substituted the dill pickle juice with sweet pickle juice. From what I understand the purpose of the marinade is to tenderize the chicken. I also found it to be important not to have the oil too high or they cook too fast and the chicken does not get done and they get too brown, so I had to turn the heat down to avoid that but once I got the perfect temperature they were awesome and taste just like the chain but way cheaper and you can have them on Sundays!
I made these tonight and was unimpressed, but i think i may have done something wrong. they had a super strong pickle taste, and it wasn’t bad, but I probably won’t make it the same way again. Any idea what I may have done wrong to make it taste a lot like pickle?
Grace, how long did you marinate the chicken? It should not have been longer than 30 minutes.
We made these once, and we love most of your recipes, but the pickle juice really ruined it for me. It was GROSS. I hate pickles, and the maybe once a year we go to Chick-fil-a, and I don’t taste the pickle juice at all. This one was not a winner in my book. I would never try this recipe again. Most of the other recipes, however we really like.
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well. But I really appreciate your honesty and feedback.
Cass, try soaking the breasts, before you cut them, in a brine…1 tablespoon of salt in 1 cup of water per breast using. Let sit for at least 30 minutes up to 4 hours. Then cut them up into nugget sized pieces. I would season them with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder and even some paprika. These are my go to for chicken seasoning. The brine makes the chicken so moist. It’s amazing what soaking in a good salt solution will do for chicken breast. And what is pickle juice is not a salt solution?
I think you’ve done it!! You guys can argue all day about whether or not the Restaurant soaks their chicken in dill pickle juice. But at some point, the marinade that their chicken spends time in has had dill pickle juice added to it, whether it was at the facility or before it arrived at the facility. I can taste it. I have always tasted it; I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I would come SO CLOSE! And then,…. nothing! Until I read Chungah’s recipe. Then it all made perfect sense. Of course! I have been tasting dill pickle juice. It’s perfect!! I love it. I have been trying to make Rex chicken, and old local favorite that closed it’s doors in 1999. But I am spoiled now and have to make this instead. How yummy it truly is. I will not make any one else’s guesswork recipe. I can do that myself. Thank you Chungah for your pallet.
What do you think if I subbed the whole milk with 2% buttermilk?
That sounds like a great idea!
I am in India on vacation, and my little cousin has a slight eating disorder. I made these once, adding some onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and chile flakes, and he LOVED these! Now every day, when we ask him what he wants for lunch, it’s “Kiran auntie’s chicken nuggets” XD!! Thanks so much for this recipe!
I have a peanut allergy, and can’t eat at chick-fil-a…is there another type of oil that I could use to cook these? I’d love to try them!
Best,
Anne
Anne, you can use vegetable oil instead.
Yay! Was just going to ask the same thing! Would canola oil also work?
Yes!
Hi, stupid question….when you list mustard, is that a specific one? French’s type, gulden’s, or another? thanks!
You can use any type of classic yellow mustard of your choice.
Always loved chick fil-a and then found out why I felt bad after I ate there, LOTS of MSG in their chicken. Can’t eat there anymore, so this is great! I can make my own!
As a side I had cucumber salad with the onions and tomato’s cut up in apple cider, water and spices ! Amish macaroni salad too and it was good ! Made a dip sauce with what I had,mayo,ketchup,garlic powder, cumin,drip of lemon juice, worcestershire sauce and ground red pepper!! Try it !
My 5 and 2 year old boy are eating these as fast as I can fry and cool them. The oldest declared he’s never eating “nasty McDonald’s nuggets” again. This is a hit in our house
I’m so happy to hear that! Your 5 year old has good taste 🙂
im so glad I found your recipe! I was looking for something to make at the last minute and although I haven’t had CFA nuggets (they just came to our area and I’ve only gone once) I had everything needed so it was a go. They were so good! And I love the sauce.
I did want to share the two things I did slightly different. 1) I poured off some of the milk/pickle juice and added an egg to it for the wash. This saved me a bit of milk and also reinforced that hint of tartness. I also “double dipped” my nuggets… Putting them in the flour, the wash, then back in the flour. This gave them a super crunchy coating.
Thanks again!
This was great! Just what I needed as I am moving and trying to use up odds and ends in the fridge…like pickle juice, chicken breasts and confectioners sugar. I also happen to love Chik-fil-a! I used buttermilk in the pickle marinade (for about 1h15min) and fried in coconut oil as that’s what I had on hand. Added some paprika, S&P to flour mix but will add cayenne next time based off comments. Very easy and tastes spot on – thank you!
Do you think there is any problem if I use almond milk?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer this with certainty. Please use your best judgment.
These are awesome! I’ve made them twice already and will continue making these frequently! I did mine gluten-free and they turned out perfectly. I used Glutino GF all purpose flour. Thank you for all the fantastic recipes. I cook and pin your recipes more than anyone else on pinterest, and they always turn out great!
I’m planning on making this tonight, but I wanted to know how important is the peanut oil? Can I fry in vegetable oil or olive, maybe coconut?
I highly recommend using peanut oil – it has a high smoke point and neutral taste, and it is also low in saturated fat, making it healthier than frying with other types of oils. You can read more about it here and here.
Just made these for dinner and they are amazing! I mean yum. Crispy and juicy and yum. Variations I made: no Dijon in the sauce (didn’t have any) and still amazing. I only marinated for 30 mins. Will try to extend that next time. I added plenty of salt and pepper and needed to cook on each side for about 4-5 mins in the oil to get a good brown color. Will be making again for sure.
Yes they are extremely good…i used gluten free panko breadcrumbs from udis. The pickle juice sets the chicken off and the confectioners sugar is how they get it just slightly sweet… amazing recipe and now i have gf nuggets that are my all time favorite. Thank you!
what happens if i make these with vegetable oil instead??
Kim, here is a great article on deep-frying with peanut oil vs. other oils.
My kids and I made these the other night. I fried them in coconut oil to try and make it a bit healthier. We all devoured them. I would suggest doubling the sauce recipe per 2 chicken breast. The only thing missing from the real chick fil a recipe is all the msg. Thanks for sharing!
I am a HUGE Chick-Fil-A addict! I’ve had this recipe pinned for years and finally decided to give it a go last night… And OH MY GOSH!!! They were delicious!!! Could easily pass for the real deal! I posted a picture and everyone thought I had just put Chick-Fil-A on a plate! I’m obsessed with this recipe! Now I can have Chick-Fil-A on Sunday’s! 🙂
My kids loved the honey mustard dipping sauce. How long do you think it would keep in the fridge? Thanks for the great recipe.
The sauce should keep for at least a couple of days in the fridge.
I made these last night for my kids and they loved it! I I subbed the pickle juice for vinegar cuz i didn’t have any. I also added garlic powder to the flour mix. Will be making them again this weekend cuz the kids loved it so much! They said it had a hush puppy essence to it. Thanks for a great recipe!
When I put the milk into the chicken and pickle juice mixture, it curdled… Gross. Anyone else have this happen?!?!
That really shouldn’t be happening. Perhaps your milk spoiled?
I can’t wait to try these! We love Chick-fil-A, but we don’t have one close. I don’t suppose you have a copy cat for their Chick-fil-A sauce recipe?? It’s our favorite.
Unfortunately I do not have a copycat sauce recipe at this time.
In heaven! We are an extremely healthy family, I just attempted these without flour and egg, substituted confectionate sugar with regular sugar. I grilled them on the stove and tossed them in a salad for my husband and myself, for my son he had with veggies. These are pretty darn close thanks for the recipe, cannot wait to try with stevia!
Kid tested and approved at my house. Next time I’ll add a bit more season. Other than that these were great.
I tried these and they turned out delicious! What do you do with the dill pickles after you use the juice from them?
We save the pickles for burger night!
I LOVED THIS RECIPE!!! It was soooo delicious! I made it for my family and they LOVED it too! We dipped it in Fry Sauce BTW! I substituted the pickle juice for vinegar and I love it! Thanks for the awesome recipe! Yummy! I love the creative side here!
<3 Brie
I tried chick fil a a year ago and LOVED it! You should do copy cat waffle fries, and the sauces! YOu are soooo creative! Is there anyway I could take pickle juice out and use lemon or lime?
Sincerely,
Brie
Brie, ou can certainly try substituting lemon or lime juice but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. Using a substitution may also result in a mediocre outcome.
What sides did u guys make with this?
Corn nuggets? Mac not cheese? I don’t really wanna do french fries
Sounds good! Have a favorite recipe for fries?
Not really – I love them all!
These are so good! What would go good with them?!
We loved them with french fries!
Ok do u have a recipe?
I have a few recipes that you can check out here: https://damndelicious.net/recipe-index/side-dish/.
My family loves Chick-Fil-A chicken breast sandwiches and the nuggets. I saw this recipe and decided to try it for supper last night. The kids thought it would be fun to do a side by side testing with some actual Chick-Fil-A nuggets so they picked some up on the way home from school. While the ones we made using your recipe were good they didn’t taste like the nuggets from Chick-Fil-A. The pickle juice/milk marination seemed spot on but your recipe is missing out on some seasoning. The Chick-Fil-A nuggets clearly had some additional spices, etc. happening. So the kids did some googling and found a site that listed the the seasonings (from Chick-Fil-A). It seems that the missing ingredients in the breading mixture are: MSG, cayenne, and paprika. Our family will have to give it a try again and add some of the missing ingredients (luckily, no one in our family is sensitive to MSG). Thanks!
I just made this recipe last week, went to look for the recipe today and noticed no milk/pickle juice brine. That was my favorite part of the recipe. I thought I was going crazy rereading this recipe over and over, couldn’t find the brine part. Wish I could remember the ratio
Martha, the ratio is 1 cup dill pickle juice and 1/2 cup milk.
Okay, I think I’m going crazy…but didn’t your recipe used to have a pickle juice/milk marinade?? I made this once before with your old recipe and it was amazing – tasted just like Chick-fil-a! But the nuggets tasted different this time when I made them last night. Is there any way I could get the prior recipe you had posted before? Thanks so much!
I love your blog – so many great recipes!
Lyn, yes, after further recipe testing, I have updated the recipe. The only difference is the milk + pickle marinade overnight.
Okay, thanks! And can you please tell me what the measurements were for the milk & pickle juice? I can’t remember, and didn’t print off the old recipe. Thank you!
Lyn, I am a little fuzzy on the measurements but I believe it was 1/2 cup milk and 1 cup dill pickle juice.
I just made these this weekend and they were so delicious! I don’t have Chick Fil A in Canada so this was such a treat! And the honey mustard sauce was amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
As a prior long term employee of CFA I can say they do not marinate their nuggets (the fried ones). The strips were marinated though and that included pickle juice. The nuggets are chicken, milk/egg wash, coating and fried in peanut oil (CFA uses a pressure fryer for their chicken…). But I imagine the pickle juice mimics flavors added to the coating.
The chicken mini rolls are yeast rolls with a little yeast rolls with honey butter/oil spread brushed on top.
CFA is still one of my fave places to eat… Even after working there for 8+ years.
I can not wait to give this recipe a shot!!! The picture looks spot on! I hope they taste as delicious as they look.
This looks like an excellent recipe for my picky grandson. He has a peanut allergy and I was wondering if you could suggest a substitute for the peanut oil.
Vegetable oil would be a great substitute.
Question, the chicken is raw starting out right? And cooking them for only 2-3 min in the oil will cook the chicken all the way?
Yes, that’s exactly right! But it’s important that your oil is properly heated or the chicken will not be completely cooked through in this time frame.
About how long do you let the oil heat up before cooking the chicken. I know it’s over med/high heat, but how long do you let it heat up?
I’d say anywhere from 2-5 minutes – it just really depends on your heat source.
Just finished dinner, and it turned out AWESOME!!!! Thanks for answering my question so fast, and the super yummy recipe. It was a big hit at my house, both my 7 and 5 year old girls loved them. And my 1 year old boy wanted to drink the sauce lol
What kind of mayo did you use for the mustard sauce? I find the different brands make for a different taste. Hellmans? Miracle whip? Kraft mayo? Thanks!
I prefer to use Hellmans.
I found this recipe via Pinterest looking for a quick way to make something for my son with chicken since I’m making korma for the hubs and me… Waaah,I don’t have pickle juice and won’t be able to get any tonight… so far I’ve only made the cheater beef bowl from your site (which I found via facebook), but I can already tell this is going to be a blog I’m visiting again and again.
Thanks Chungah! This recipe is awesome! I did noticed, however, that you changed the sauce recipe awhile back. It used to be exactly like the Honey Roasted BBQ/Chick Fil A sauce at chick fil a. Now it is more like a honey mustard. Could you please give us the original Honey Roasted BBQ/Chick fil a sauce recipe again? Thank you soooo much!
Gerald, I actually have not modified the sauce recipe since this post has been published. Perhaps you have me confused with another recipe?
So… you marinate the chicken in pickle juice AND milk???
That’s exactly right!
Thanks for the fast response! Wanted to double check. Used 1.5 c. Milk and 1.5 c. Pickle juice to marinate. Marinating as I type 😉 then for egg mix, use 1.5 c. Milk as well?
(Apparently I need to work on my reading comprehension)
Jacqueline, it is best to read through the recipe at least twice as to not miss anything. By looking at the recipe again, you’ll see that the recipe indicates using 1/2 cup milk for the marinade and 1 cup milk for the egg mixture.
Tried these last night and they turned out amazing. Loved it. Will check our the other recipes on this site.
Thanks 🙂
Ok. You are a genius! Literally, I am like a goddess to my two little boys right now. Not to mention that my husband’s jaw is still on the floor. We all can not believe how great these taste!! I want everyone to know that I found this recipe at 6:25pm and didn’t have the time to marinate the chicken but 15 mins had them prepared along with my sides by 7pm and it still is amazing. I, like some other responders, added onion powder and a little Tony’s seasoning. It was perfect. You go girl!!! You are the shizzznit!
Tried these tonight!! Made them into chicken tenders and soaked them in pickle juice over night. The chicken had a strong taste of pickles and the flour mixture came off the chicken when I was frying it. Do you need to pat the chicken dry from the pickle juice or is it suppose to have a pickle taste?
The pickle taste should be very subtle. What kind of pickle juice did you use? As for the flour mixture coming off, I worry that your chicken pieces were not coated thoroughly enough.
I am addicted to your website!! I pretty much don’t bother looking anywhere else,when is time for dinner I just open your site 😉
I am making these tonight but have to omit the peanut oil as my son is deadly allergic 🙁 I hope the flavour doesn’t change much with regular oil.
Thanks again for yet another amazing recipe!!
Your photos are gorgeous! Thanks for linking back to me, you’re amazing. I love everything you make 🙂
Oh.
My.
Gahhh!!!!!!
I cannot contain my excitement right now! I adore CFA! I’ll be saving so much money if I can satisfy my addiction at home. You’re the best, Chungah! Can’t wait to make these!!!!
Where can you purchase dill pickle juice?
You can purchase a can of dill pickles and use the juice from there.
So glad to have this copycat recipe (although you forgot the pickle juice!) so I can use a substitute oil. My daughter is severely peanut allergic, and she reacted to Chick-Fil-A nuggets, even though CFA claims that highly-refined peanut oil is safe. So now I can make them at home by substituting coconut oil!
Why is it people always say you forgot something or whatever but really they just don’t read the dang recipie. SHE DID NOT FORGET THE PICKLE JUICE PEOPLE! Everyone’s a critic and can’t read. I LOVE YOUR RECIPIES! Thank you very much.
Glad someone else noticed.
What can I use if I don’t have any Dijon mustard?
Tara, you can try using regular mustard but the flavors just won’t be the same without Dijon!
These should be called MSG free chik fil a nuggets ! Long ago I would eat them until I got migraines from them – now to try these ! Can’t wait!
My daughter has peanut and tree nut allergies. Will canola oil work instead of peanut oil?
Yes, canola oil will work just fine.
The bread on the breakfast minis taste just like a yeast roll with a teeny bit of honey on top. I buy sister Schubert rolls and they taste almost identical to me minus the sweetness on top.
Could i substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Yes, absolutely!
OMG! Thank you for the recipe. One question-does it matter what kind of milk? Whole, 1%, 2%?
Thanks again 🙂
Rebecca, it is best to use whole milk.
would you happen to have the recipe for the bread they put the chicken minis on?
No, unfortunately, I do not have that recipe at this time.
I want to make these, but I would like to bake them (I’m trying to avoid fried foods). Would I have to alter the recipe?
No, the recipe does not have to be altered except for the addition of baking time.
Okay, thanks! 🙂
I made these last night and they were a huge hit! I made them as chicken strips and double coated the chicken – delicious! Will be a repeat recipe, for sure!
Hey! I LOVED this recipe! I added some brown sugar to the flour/sugar combo, and it was SO good! You need to try it!
what kind of mustard for the sauce? yellow or dark spicy?
Yellow mustard would be best.
I made these for dinner tonight and they were a hit! We loved them! This is the 3rd recipe of yours that I have made and we have loved them all. So glad I found you! 🙂
if you let the chicken sit in salt water for about 6 hours(feels like forever) the chicken hes the same texture and juiciness of the chicken at chik fil a. Also works for sandwiches
What can I use to replace the milk?
You can certainly substitute something else for the milk but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
I didn’t have milk when I made these so I left it out of the marinade and used coconut milk when I cooked them. Worked just fine! They are delicious!
Hi, I discovered your site through Pinterest, and I must say I’m very impressed with how many of your recipes are made from ingredients on hand. My kids love Chick-Fil-A, so I will definitely be trying this. Quick question – have you experimented with making a full chicken breast (like a Chick-Fil-A sandwich)? I’m trying to gauge the frying time. Thanks so much for this site!
I actually haven’t tried the Chick-fil-A sandwich but it is on my bucket list to make!
Not sure if anyone posted this already, but I didnt see it as I skimmed. A little secret from a former Chickfila employee… They marinate their chicken in pickle juice. If you have a jar of pickles at home and little extra time to let the chicken soak, give it a shot. I promise it will make them even better, if thats possible 🙂
I’ve heard that and this might be a crazy question but is it dill juice or sweet? Your response is appreciated, just not trying to have a mess on my hands. Thanks
They use dill pickle juice. When I worked there the pickle juice along with a premixed season packet was for their grilled chicken. They did not use it for the original chicken sandwich or nuggets.
I haven’t see any answer on this as I, too, wonder if it’s sweet pickle juice or not.
I do not recommend using sweet pickle juice.
I gave my children the choice of chicken Parmesan and spaghetti or these chicken nuggets for dinner tonight. They picked these nuggets. We’ve only been to a chick fil a once and were unimpressed, but hoping that these will be delicious. I’d rather the kids gave real chicken nuggets than the processed stuff.
JOI : ChicFilA nuggets are not processed. They are whole, cut chunks of white (breast) meat chicken , breaded. just like this recipe. That is one reason they are the best fast food chicken out there. Try them again, if you are sure you tried them at a Chic Fil A the first time///they are NOT processed. McDonalds, Wendy’s and most other fast food restaurants DO serve processed nuggets, but Chik Fil A is not one of them!
Yes true true and true.
You may want to take a look at Chik-Fil-A’s ingredients. They put lots of unnecessary chemicals in their chicken. (MSG and yellow#5 to name a couple.) I was very disappointed when I found out and I haven’t eaten there in years. It does explain where some of my migraines came from though.
I just made these and they were fantastic! I did add about a teaspoon or two of paprika into the flour mixture to up the seasoning.
I tried these tonight using almond milk. They were pretty good, I will make them again and be more generous with the salt and pepper. I don’t think I added enough because without dipping sauce mine turned out just a little bland. I paired it with easy baked red potatoes and applesauce. Thanks for the recipe! I’m optimistic I’ll get it just right for my family 🙂
Yes, you’d be surprised as to how a little bit of salt and pepper go a long way!
Love the recipe! Have you figured out how they make their cheese sauce? It’s very addictive! So smooth and light!
Can you fry them in peanut oil instead?
Yes, absolutely!
Tried these tonight. Huge success. The perfect nuggets! Thanks!
I know you pan fried these, but would a deep fryer work? We recently got one as a wedding gift and love to find reasons to use it!
Thanks for the recipe! Plan to make this tomorrow night. I am sure the husband will just love it!
Yes, absolutely!
Chick-fi-a does not exist in my part of the world. But, this sounds easy and delicious and I love honey mustard dipping sauce. I will be trying these when I have company during Labor day weekend. Thank you for the recipe.
What are your thoughts on baking the nuggets instead of frying? I don’t really like to fry and if I do it’s not in that much oil. Love your website by the way. Thanks.
I highly recommend frying these. You just won’t get that amazing crispness by baking!
I would love to get my son away from the store bought nuggets. They are one of his go-to foods when he really does not like what I am making for dinner. But if I have too many things going on at once something that is cooking will end up going to waste. If I think it is bad I will not force or guilt anybody else to eat it. Here is my actual question: Can I make these nuggets ahead of time, freeze them, then reheat? Providing the end results are just as good as when they were first made. Have a great day!
I do not recommend freezing. It is best to serve these immediately to really enjoy the crispness of these nuggets.
I made these not too long ago and dipped them in peanut oil then baked them! I flipped them a couple of times and watched them, but they were about as good as fried (I tried frying also). Is also much cleaner!
I am interested in baking them as well. How did you do it?
I could seriously kiss you right now!! These were DELICIOUS and the honey mustard was spot on. I made these and the cheddar bay biscuits since they’re both favorites of the family. Perfect 🙂
Do you salt and pepper the chicken after taking it from de liquids or do you put the salt and pepper in with the flour and sugar?
Thanks
You can add the salt and pepper along with the flour and sugar.
Oh, I ADORE Chick-fil-a! It’s probably the restaurant I miss the most since we’ve moved to Hawaii. I’m so excited that you’ve created a recipe to make their nuggets at home, and homemade honey mustard to boot! Your pictures have made my cravings kick in big time!
I live in Australia now and miss ChickFilA so much. I really, really try not to fry stuff but I can see this recipe in my future! I’ve tried several of your recipes and love them! Thanks!
WOW – these look and sound amazing! A must make. My hubby would devour these. Hope you are doing well!!!
do you think you can freeze these?
I do not recommend freezing.
I’ve frozen other prepared chicken nuggets (haven’t had a chance to try this recipe yet!) and the trick is to put them straight from the freezer into an oven at about 375 degrees, just like you would with store-bought prepared chicken nuggets. You loose a tiny bit in moistness, but the upside is that you can make a big batch and keep them on hand for when you need a quick meal. When freezing, let them cool completely, freeze in a single layer spread out, then put them in a bag or box for longer storage.
Just tried these at home and it was absolutely delicious, way better than Chick-fil-A! Also, love the honey mustard recipe. Thank you!
I just found your site and am addicted!! Damn Delicious is a great name! I have a request for those of us who have little culinary imagination. Could you possible suggest sides with some of your recipes. You may do this already and I have yet to see these, but I want to make the nuggets, but don’t want to do fries. Keep the wonderful recipes and photos coming! Your hard work is appreciated by this foodie!
I’m so happy to hear about your “addiction” Dawn! As for side dishes, I generally do not include suggestions along with my recipes as that is really based on personal preference. As for these nuggets – we didn’t even serve them with a side – we just gobbled them up!
Tried this recipe today. You nailed it! Once again you have made me a culinary genius in the eyes of my family!!!! Keep them coming
Chung-Ah, I just had chick-fil-a chicken nuggets earlier today and now I have got to try them at home! I love them dunked heavily in honey mustard. Yours look amazing!
You would love this, Sally!
Looks delicious! Would corn starch work instead of flour? Mostly for those who can’t have wheat. If not any good substitute suggestions?
Cornstarch will have a slightly different texture than flour but it should work just fine with your dietary restrictions.
You could use coconut flour for a gluten free recipe.
Coconut flour doesn’t work well with this recipe, in my experience. They get gummy.
You can use tapioca flour for GF.
I found tapioca flour to also make it gummy… I would use a blended gluten free flour… works wonders..
These look really good. So you mix the egg and milk together and toss in the chicken, then you put the chicken in the flour mixture? I’m a little confused.
Yes, that’s right. The chicken needs to have some binding (milk+egg) for the flour mixture to stick. Does that make sense?
Ooooh I believe you! Those badboys look out of this world! Especially with the dipping sauce, yum! x
No seasonings on the chicken at all ? Are you sure you didn’t forget something ? Let us know. I’d like to try this.
As indicated in the recipe, the chicken is seasoned with salt, pepper and little bit of powdered sugar.
How long and at what temp do you cook the chicken? Sorry if I missed it.
Chris, this is actually listed in the instructions.
i have made this and next time will defiantly add more seasoning to the flour mixture, found it a bit bland but other then that was ok & sauce was wonderful Will defiantly make again with a few changes
You go with your bad self laurel.LOL
There is deFINITEly and deFIANTly.
Very different meanings. You’re either going through a rebellious phase or your phone’s autocorrect isn’t doing you any favors.
It says salt and pepper to taste, so if it was bland, that’s on you, is it not? lol.
Chick fil A marinates their chicken in pickle juice!
No, they decidedly do not marinate their chicken in pickle juice
Yes they do!!!
I was going to comment that she forgot the pickle juice step too. You’ve got to marinate the chicken in the pickle brine at least 4 hours. I do mine overnight. The result is amazing.
They marinate the strips in pickle juice, the nuggets in milk.
i worked at chick fil a and they most definitely do not marinade their chicken in pickle juice. they do put two pickles on their chicken sandwiches, fyi.
I added garlic powder, paprika, and a bit of cayenne pepper along with the salt & pepper… They tasted great!
Nugget head you made me laugh out loud.
I used to love going to chic fil a but found out I was wheat intolerant and sadly had to say goodbye to my favorite fast food. So with this recipe I can have them again. So….thank you thank you thank you.
FYI–Chick-fil-a sells grilled nuggets now and has grilled sandwiches and chicken salads–they are very gf friendly, so you can still enjoy them!
My daughter has celiac & I make these for her at home with the fish fry breading. Very tasty!
I’m confused. The ingredients calls for flour Did you see something I didn’t? What do you use instead of flour? Thank you.
The flour is just for texture. Since it isn’t used for any chemical components of cooking in this recipe, you can substitute virtually any gluten free “flour”.
Ditto the response on any gf flour. If you are looking for a great alternative to regular flour, I LOVE Better Batter! And their seasoned flour blend is to die for and are perfect on these nuggets! Betterbatter.org
I have never tried Chick-Fil-A ever. I will try it there sometime and I will try this recipe. Thanks!
this is basically heaven in a meal.. i can only imagine how good these would have tasted – love the honey mustard sauce too. i am so hungry for chicken nuggest right now!
I don’t eat chicken but I would gladly smear and smother that honey mustard on everything I possibly could! These look SO authentic, seriously! I know people would love them!
I love these close up shots! They look amazing! I was actually just eating at chick-fil-a last week and really liked it – I rarely eat fast food (we’ll say in n out doesn’t count in that though :), but their nuggets are delish and I wanted to try making them at home. Now I can with this recipe, I’ve gotta try it!