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You are here: Home / Recipes / Copycat / Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets

Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets

May 8, 2013 by Stephanie@StockpilingMoms 57 Comments

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This copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets Recipe tastes just like the real thing! This #recipe will save you time and money! #CFA #ChickfilA

Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets taste just like the real thing. I am in love with this easy recipe for dinner!  We love to eat at Chick-fil-A but now we won’t have to spend as much money because now we can just eat at home instead.  Chick-fil-A uses Peanut Oil to fry their nuggets.  It is worth the investment if you want them to taste just like the real thing or you can use another oil of choice 🙂

Some readers say that Chick-fil-A brines their nuggets in pickle juice (dill) and some don’t agree.  You can can always give it a try both ways and see what you think.  We do not brine our nuggets and they taste amazing! We have also asked our local Chick-fil-A and they do not brine their nuggets. Many readers have asked and this is the Cast Iron Skillet that we use.

When I make these for lunch or dinner I also make this copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce and Chick-fil-A Lemonade Recipe.

This copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets Recipe tastes just like the real thing! This #recipe will save you time and money! #CFA #ChickfilA

Be sure to “PIN” this great recipe so you will have it when you are ready to make it. Please follow us on Pinterest and enjoy hundreds of recipes, crafts, party planning ideas, gardening, DIY and more.

14 votes

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Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets

Prep 15 mins

Cook 5 mins

Total 20 mins

Author Stephanie@StockpilingMoms

Yield 4

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 lb. skinless and boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • peanut or canola oil for frying

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl whisk milk and egg together.
  2. Place chicken on cutting board and cut into cubed bite size pieces; trim any fat that you may see.
  3. Place the chicken in the milk mixture and toss so that all is coated and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to soak.
  4. In another large bowl combine the dry ingredients listed above and stir
  5. In cast iron skillet or sauce pan (dutch oven) pour in oil so that its at least an inch deep on med/high heat.
  6. Remove the chicken from refrigerator and place about 8 pieces from the milk mixture into the flour mixture.
  7. Make sure all the chicken is coated with the flour and then place into the hot oil.
  8. Cook each side for at least 2-3 minutes or until golden brown (You want to make sure that chicken is no longer pink so you can cut one piece to test it out).
  9. Place the chicken on some paper towels to soak up any oil.
  10. Repeat the same steps with the rest of the chicken and serve.

SPM-Pin-it-here

Copycat Chick-fil-A Recipes:

Chick-fil-A Sauce 

Chick-fil-A Lemonade Recipe

Chick-fil-A Nuggets

Chick-fil-A Polynesian Sauce

Chick-fil-A Chicken Salad

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Filed Under: Copycat, Main Dish, Recipes Tagged With: Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets, Recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Corey @ Tinysidekick

    July 21, 2013 at 6:40 pm

    This recipe is going to make me so popular with the kiddos! pinned!
    Corey from tinysidekick.com

    Reply
    • bradpipal

      March 23, 2016 at 11:43 pm

      Shingles to me…Peanut oil is out..and allergic.

      Reply
      • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

        March 25, 2016 at 3:41 pm

        You can use any oil that you want. 🙂

        Reply
      • gary

        June 25, 2016 at 6:51 pm

        actually highly refined peanut oil has none of the peanut proteins remaining in it and will not affect you. Our son is severely allergic to peanuts and eats chick-fil-a with no problems, and winchell’s doughnuts too even though they cook in peanut oil.

        Reply
  2. Nicky @ Pink Recipe Box

    July 24, 2013 at 3:27 am

    Yummm! I love chicken nuggets but I’ve never tried a recipe like this before. Pinning and can’t wait to give it a go! I’d be thrilled if you’d come on over to Pink Recipe Box and link up at Creative Wednesdays: http://pinkrecipebox.com/creative-wednesdays-with-pink-recipe-box-2/

    Reply
  3. Miz Helen

    July 27, 2013 at 8:19 pm

    Who doen’t love a Chick Fil A Chicken Nugget, these look delicious. Thanks for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope you are having a great weekend!
    Miz Helen

    Reply
  4. Bree {Skinny Mommy}

    July 31, 2013 at 12:38 pm

    My husband and boys can’t get enough of Chick Fil A! I can’t wait to try these!

    Reply
  5. Desirae

    July 31, 2013 at 7:47 pm

    I was excited to make these for dinner tonight but ran out of time. Could you add the 30 minutes in the fridge to the prep time at the top please? Looks like mine will be waiting a full day!

    Reply
  6. Lea

    August 1, 2013 at 10:36 am

    Can I offer a variation? My husband worked at a chickfila in college and told me peanut oil was used for the chicken… Not canola. They had canola for the fries tho.

    Reply
  7. Cmkleiser

    August 6, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    These were very tasty. Will make again for sure.

    Reply
  8. Melissa@StockpilingMoms

    August 7, 2013 at 9:11 am

    We are Chick-fil-A Fanatics and this is a must pin recipe! Love it!

    Reply
  9. La

    August 7, 2013 at 3:00 pm

    I worked at CFA and they do use peanut oil to fry the chicken.

    Reply
  10. CM

    August 12, 2013 at 8:09 pm

    I made these tonight and they were great! I used the peanut oil like Chic-Fil-A does. With the CFA sauce, they tasted just like the real thing. Thanks for posting!

    Reply
  11. Jdw03n

    November 29, 2013 at 8:57 am

    Chick fil a brines their chicken in pickle juice, also. May want to try that in addition.

    Reply
    • J

      December 31, 2013 at 5:17 pm

      the pickle brine is the most important part!

      Reply
    • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

      January 3, 2014 at 9:19 pm

      Great tip! Will update the post with that!

      Reply
  12. Amy

    December 30, 2013 at 1:33 pm

    Chick-Fil-A does not use pickle juice. I don’t know why everyone thinks this. I was a kitchen manager there for 10 years.

    Reply
    • Mike Smith

      December 31, 2013 at 3:15 pm

      Agreed Amy. I made chicken nuggets at Chick Fil A for several years. Chicken went from milk wash (where it didn’t marinate more than a few minutes) directly into the breading mixture. No pickle juice involved.

      Reply
      • J

        December 31, 2013 at 5:21 pm

        where does the chicken come from before it goes into the milk wash? i’ve done the pickle brine and it’s spot on with the chicken flavor from CFA

        Reply
        • BethB

          February 7, 2015 at 6:12 am

          When I worked there, many years ago, there was pickle juice in the brine for the strips, not the nuggets. It definitely wasn’t the only ingredient, and I don’t remember anything else that was in the strip brine. The nuggets, however, are chunks of breast meat cut into bite sized pieces, dunked in the milkwash, then the flour mixture, then into a pressure fryer with peanut oil. This was 18 years ago though, so the pickle juice for the strips may have changed. I will definitely try this recipe at home, Chik-Fil-A always had the best nuggets!

          Reply
  13. Amy

    January 1, 2014 at 12:50 am

    I made these and they taste nothing like chic fila… They were good but bland… When I researched it it’s kissing marinating in pickle juice

    Reply
    • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

      January 3, 2014 at 9:20 pm

      Some say they use a pickle brine and some say not – however these taste just like the real thing to me!

      Reply
  14. Andrea (Quest for Delish)

    January 3, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    I made these tonight. I was bummed that the didn’t turn out like yours. They were not as crispy as yours. I did everything you did but I used Vegetable oil. Maybe if I used peanut oil they would have been crispier. I will say they tasted wonderful. My kids, husband and I scarfed them down.

    Reply
    • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

      January 3, 2014 at 9:25 pm

      You should use peanut or canola oil – did you make sure to drain them well on paper towels? Another idea is to put them in the oven after they fry for a couple of minutes.

      Reply
      • Andrea (Quest for Delish)

        January 4, 2014 at 9:03 pm

        yes I did drain them well on paper towels. I don’t think putting them in the oven would have made them crispier. I think I will try the oil change and see if that helps. I noticed others pins had the same result so maybe it was the temp of the oil. The meat was very juicy and the crust was very tasty. Thanks for replying.

        Reply
    • Jenne

      June 27, 2017 at 8:14 pm

      I use vegetable oil to make chicken nuggets all the time. As well as canola and peanut. I’ve never had any issues with them not being crispy. Maybe your oil wasn’t quite hot enough. I dip a wooden spoon in the heated oil and if it doesn’t bubble a lot immediately it’s not ready.

      Reply
  15. Kathryn

    January 6, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    I worked at Chickfila for awhile. They do not brine their chicken in pickle juice. The chicken is placed in a milk wash then dry mix before being pressure cooked in peanut oil. I can’t tell you everything that goes into the milk wash and dry mix because the recipe isn’t listed in the containers for these items. But the key to Chickfila’s taste is the pressure cooking and the peanut oil.

    Reply
  16. Olivia

    January 11, 2014 at 1:06 pm

    Made these the other night & tasted just like the real thing (besides the one I burned)! Boyfriend loved them as well! Planning to cook it again.

    Reply
  17. Eleanor

    January 15, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    You will get a closure texture if you use breadcrumbs instead of flour. Otherwise you are very close in nailing it. I have come as close as I am going to get and changing to breadcrumbs made quite a difference. Even a blend of breadcrumbs and flour is better.

    Reply
  18. Krissy

    February 5, 2014 at 10:51 pm

    Any chance anyone’s tried this with a gluten free flour ???

    Reply
    • Tandy

      January 13, 2015 at 7:29 pm

      I would like to know the same thing. Anyone tried this with a GF flour ?

      Reply
      • Steph

        January 11, 2016 at 1:09 pm

        Planning on it for next week’s dinner.

        Reply
  19. md Kennedy

    February 18, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    Tomorrow we are having a “bad” food day – fried chicken fingers and butter-fried potatoes. I am going to use your recipe for the chicken – thanks!

    Reply
    • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

      February 20, 2014 at 7:02 pm

      Sounds like a great day 🙂

      Reply
  20. Joann

    February 23, 2014 at 3:55 pm

    I was wandering if you have ever tried “deep frying” these? They look delicious, and can’t wait to make these and the sauce. Love that sauce and I agree with you I could bathe in this also 🙂 :). Thanks so much for posting both recipes (sauce and nuggets).

    Reply
  21. Stephanie

    February 26, 2014 at 6:47 am

    Making these tonight!

    Reply
  22. Brandy

    March 30, 2014 at 10:59 am

    When I worked a CFA, years ago, the grilled chicken and the chicken strips were brined in a mixture of pickle juice, water, and seasoning.

    Reply
  23. MaryJane

    June 4, 2014 at 11:55 pm

    Hubby loves Chick Fil-A nuggets. This will be a must to make for him.

    Reply
  24. Su

    January 6, 2015 at 4:39 am

    These look good and like my kids would all eat them. thx

    Reply
  25. Janet

    January 11, 2015 at 3:02 am

    Do this freeze good?

    Reply
    • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

      January 11, 2015 at 2:38 pm

      We have not tried freezing.

      Reply
  26. Tyler

    February 8, 2015 at 10:35 pm

    I am confused by Step 3. Am I supposed to remove the chicken from the milk mixture and then put it in the fridge or am I marinating the chicken in milk mixture? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

      February 9, 2015 at 12:41 pm

      You are soaking in the milk mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

      Reply
      • Debra

        January 10, 2016 at 11:34 pm

        I, too, find this confusing. Step 6 says ‘Remove the chicken from refrigerator and place about 8 pieces in milk mixture and then into the flour mixture.’ Should this say instead to add those pieces to the flour?

        Reply
        • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

          January 12, 2016 at 10:26 am

          I updated the recipe to make it easier to follow. Thanks!

          Reply
  27. Julie

    February 20, 2015 at 3:47 pm

    Can these be deep fried?

    Reply
    • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

      February 20, 2015 at 4:28 pm

      We haven’t deep fried them. They are not deep fried at CFA they are pressure-cooked in 100% refined peanut oil.

      Reply
  28. Ginnie

    March 13, 2015 at 11:42 pm

    I worked at Chick-fil-A 20 years ago. The grilled chicken and the strips were marinated in pickel juice! The filets and nuggets were soaked in milk wash and then put into flour mixture!

    Reply
  29. Kalani

    May 21, 2015 at 2:56 am

    I made this for dinner tonight and it was well received. It tasted good, but didn’t bring back memories of CFA for me. I didn’t use peanut oil, so maybe this was part of the reason. I believe my oil was too hot and the first batch darkened quickly. The rest of the batches didn’t have the nice golden brown color as yours, although I allowed the oil to cool. Thank you for the recipe. I will try it again in the future with peanut oil and a lower frying temperature.

    Reply
  30. Amanda

    June 16, 2015 at 7:38 pm

    Another suggestion is to put all the dry ingredients in a ziploc baggy and shake them together then you can drop your chicken pieces in and shake away again. Easy clean up after you’re done! 🙂

    Reply
  31. Lisa

    November 5, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    I made these last night and they turned out AMAZING!!! I copied this recipe but added a couple things,

    1) 1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt
    2) 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
    3) 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
    4) double coated the chicken by tossing in flour mixture, back in egg wash, then back in flour mixture for the extra crunch

    I’ve tried other copycat recipes but this has been the closest taste to the actual nuggets. The first time I did pickle juice. Skip that!!! They do not use pickle juice for nuggets, only for the grilled chicken and chicken tenders I believe! Enjoy!!!!

    Reply
  32. DANA BROUSSARD

    September 15, 2017 at 8:04 am

    This was a HUGE hit with my family! My little girl said I should work at Chic-Fil-A!!! LOL

    Reply
  33. Tazzigirl

    December 12, 2017 at 12:56 pm

    I’m trying this tonight! ! Quick question. ..can you freeze them after cooking & if so, how long will they keep in the freezer & how would you reheat from frozen

    Reply
    • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

      December 15, 2017 at 7:22 pm

      We have never tried that but I am sure they can be frozen. Just reheated in the oven on a low temp would be my guess since they are already cooked 🙂

      Reply
  34. Tracy Burkett

    January 13, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    I’m excited to try this. Can you bake these?

    Reply
    • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

      January 14, 2018 at 8:43 pm

      We haven’t tried that but I bet you can.

      Reply
  35. Yadi

    February 15, 2018 at 6:23 pm

    I should have read all the comments before making them with CANOLA oil….. They definitely do NOT taste like CFA however they were edible lol

    Reply

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