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
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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!