Chick fil a chicken nuggets are a delicious and popular fast food item that’s sure to satisfy your cravings. Made with high-quality ingredients and cooked to perfection, these nuggets are a great choice for anyone looking for a quick and tasty meal. With a variety of ordering options and customization choices, Chick fil a chicken nuggets are a versatile option that can fit into any meal or occasion. This recipe is the nearly identical to Chick fil a chicken nuggets!
I have worked on this recipe so many times that I almost gave up on it. But, I got it VERY close this time. I’m happy with this copycat Chick fil A recipe!
I like to dip them in my homemade Chick fil a chicken nuggets.
The Brine
One of the things that I found to important is the brine. I tried it with a brine and without a brine and noticed that the brine created a similar flavor and juiciness to Chick fil A. I’ve heard that they don’t brine their chicken inside of the restaurants, but I’m pretty sure that the chicken is brined in the factory. Chick fil a chicken nuggets are made with 100% whole breast meat, seasoned with a blend of spices and breaded with a gluten-free coating.
A lot of recipes seem to use pickle juice as the brine. I tried using pickle juice and it just didn’t seem quite right – it was missing something. This brine worked much better and is the same one that I use for pork chops.
The brine is simple: water, salt, and sugar. That’s it! Just mix all of the ingredients into cold water until dissolved. You can also dissolve the ingredients into warm water, but you will need to cool it down before adding the chicken. Brine for 4-6 hours. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!
Type of Chicken
This recipe calls for chicken breasts, which is the same cut of chicken that Chick fil A uses for their sandwiches. After brining, cut the chicken into nugget sized pieces.
Breading the Chicken
Double dredge each piece. The wet dip is simply milk and eggs.
First, dredge into seasoned flour, then the wet dip, then back into the flour.
Next, press the flour into the chicken to keep the breading from falling off.
Use a strainer to shake off the excess flour and to add texture to the nuggets.
Tip: add a couple of tablespoons of milk/eggs into the flour and then mix with a fork. This will give the nuggets texture.
Frying the Chicken
I have fried using a skillet and a deep fryer and found that the deep fryer is better for chicken sandwiches. If you don’t have a deep fryer you can use a dutch oven or even a large saucepan.
When ordering, you can customize your nuggets by requesting specific sauces. Chick fil A offers a variety of dipping sauces, including their famous Chick fil A Sauce, Polynesian Sauce, and Honey Mustard Sauce, among others. You can also order your nuggets grilled instead of fried if you’re looking for a healthier option.
Chicken Sandwich
This recipe also works for making the Chick fil A chicken sandwich.
PrintChick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Brine: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
Ingredients
For brine:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 cups water
1/4 cup salt
2 tbs sugar
For dredge:
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp MSG (Accent)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix salt, sugar and water until dissolved.
- Add chicken and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
- Remove chicken from brine.
- In a bowl, beat milk and eggs.
- In another bowl, mix flour, seasonings and baking powder. Be sure to combine well.
- Dredge each piece into flour, then milk/eggs, then back into flour. Use a strainer to get rid of excess flour and to add texture to the nuggets.
- Deep fry until chicken is done(about 5 minutes).
- Serve with homemade Chick-fil-A sauce.
Keywords: chick-fil-a chicken nuggets