Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets (Copycat)
Marinated and fried to a crunchy, crispy golden brown my easy to make copycat Chick-fil-A nuggets is guaranteed to become a family favorite.
Servings: 4
Calories: 327kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch chunks
- ½ cup dill pickle juice
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- vegetable oil for frying (2 inches deep)
Instructions
- Place the chicken chunks, pickle juice and buttermilk into a large zip lock bag and seal the bag.
- Massage the marinade into the chicken pieces, coating all the pieces with the marinade.
- Refrigerate the marinating chicken for 60-90 minutes.
- Add 1 ½ - 2 inches of cooking oil to a large skillet (or Dutch oven), over high heat. Heat until the oil has reached 350 -365 degrees F.
- Add the all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, paprika, table salt, and black pepper to a large bowl. Then Whisk to combine.
- Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, letting the excess drain off. Discard the marinade.
- Coat the chicken pieces with the flour mixture, making sure to completely coat the pieces. Then carefully add them to the hot oil.
- If necessary, cook the chicken nuggets in small batches so the temperature of the oil stays at 350 degrees.Overloading the pan will drop the oil temperature, making the nuggets greasy.
- Fry the chicken nuggets for 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is a deep golden brown, and the internal temperature has reached at least 165 degrees F.
- Carefully remove the Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets from the hot oil and place them on a wire rack (or paper towels) to drain.If cooking in batches, tent them with foil to keep them hot.
- Serve with Chick-fil-A dipping sauce or sauce of your choice.
Notes
What type of frying oil should I use?
The original recipe calls for peanut oil, but I used vegetable oil for frying copycat nuggets. You can use canola oil or your choice of cooking oil to make this recipe. Just make sure the oil has a high smoke point.
Can I make the nuggets in an air fryer?
Follow the recipe up to the cooking instructions, then use the next two steps.
Close the air fryer basket and cook at 360 degrees F. for 12 minutes, flipping halfway. Spray any flour spots when flipping.
After 12 minutes is up, increase the heat to 400 degrees F. and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
After 12 minutes is up, increase the heat to 400 degrees F. and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 907mg | Potassium: 585mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 399IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 3mg