Our copycat Chick-fil-A nuggets might even taste better than the real thing! We’ve used Chick-fil-A’s own nutrition information to turn their commercial recipe into something you can easily make at home. These nuggets are marinated and fried, which makes the most juicy, tender chicken with a perfectly crispy coating. Serve with our homemade version of that delicious Chick-fil-A sauce!
Make it a meal with our Air Fryer French Fries and some Chick-fil-A Sauce, of course!
Why My Recipe
- The closest flavor you can get to the restaurant version, all at home.
- Powdered sugar and MSG are the secret ingredients to these nuggets!
- Complete with a recipe for Chick-fil-A Sauce!
I’m sure we give the impression that we make everything at home from scratch, and could never order takeout. While we do enjoy cooking at home, we also absolutely love eating out. Chick-fil-A nuggets are one of our favorite comfort foods, and this recipe doesn’t disappoint! We love taking some of our favorite restaurant meals and recreating them in the kitchen. It saves money and always tastes so much better!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are great for this recipe. Chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Milk or Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, mix 2 cups of milk with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- MSG: A flavor enhancer commonly used in takeout and fast foods. It’s completely safe to use, but feel free to omit.
- Egg: Used for the marinade. Make sure you’re using a large egg.
- All-Purpose Flour: Used as the base for breading the chicken.
- Powdered Sugar: Provides browning and sweetness for that quintessential Chick-fil-A taste.
- Baking Soda: Used to create a crispier breading.
- Peanut Oil: You can easily substitute with vegetable oil if there are allergies, but it will change the flavor.
The Use of MSG
MSG is what will give your nuggets that true Chick-fil-A flavor. MSG can be difficult to find in stores, which is why we often purchase it on Amazon. You can always omit this ingredient if you can’t find it, though it is a flavor enhancer, and you will miss out on just how good this recipe can be! MSG has been used for more than 100 years to season food. It is a common amino acid found naturally in some foods, like tomatoes and Parmesan cheese, and is also found in practically all processed foods, including your favorite restaurants and takeout.
Dipping Sauce
Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce: This sauce is everything you want in a dipping sauce—it’s sweet, tangy, and smoky.
Homemade Ranch: This creamy ranch is made with buttermilk, mayo, lemon, and herbs. It’s so simple, and it is worth it! You won’t want to go back to the store-bought stuff!
Homemade Barbecue Sauce: This barbecue sauce is sweet, smoky, and has a little kick from the red pepper flakes. Some barbecue sauces are too sweet, but with this one, you get just enough tang and spice.
Crazy Good Comeback Sauce: This sauce is like the older sibling to the Chick-fil-A copycat. She’s a little more spicy from the hot sauce, a little smoky, and not as sugar-sweet.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the air fryer for 3-4 minutes at 390-400°F.
Microwave on high in 30-second increments, until armed through.
More chicken nuggets and tenders…
I will admit that I was a little skeptical about this recipe. I shouldn’t have been because these taste just like the real thing. Both my husband and grandson loved them and were very impressed. Your recipes are always perfect!
– Reneé
My kids enjoyed this as much as the real thing. Thank you for sharing!
I feel like I did something wrong but I followed the recipe. The nuggets were very mushy and the batter just tasted like flour. I thought the peanut oil would give it a Chick-fil-A taste but I don’t taste a difference between that and canola. The chicken came out tender and moist but its hard to get past the flour taste.
The flavoring is going to come from the ingredients in the batter. The peanut oil doesn’t bring a difference in flavor. The flour taste should have cooked out with the high heat of the oil. Were you able to check the oil temp and ensure that it was 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit?
I save every recipe you send me,and I make a lot of them.I thank you for sending me your recipes. Keep up with the recipies
Five stars x2, according to my husband. I’ve never eaten at Chick-Filet since they are so very expensive, but he says that the sauce brings them up another level and better than the original. The only thing I did differently was to add about a teaspoon of celery salt to the marinade and salted the chicken before dredging in flour. Thanks for sharing!
They were very very good. I put them right up there with the originals
You can find MSG in almost any American grocery stores’ spice section It’s called “Accent”, and is 100% MSG. Haven’t made the recipe yet, but will soon. I know I rated the recipe, but if anything changes after I make these, I will amend the rating. Thought this may help.
Very good. Didn’t cook with the MSG simply because I didn’t have any on hand (but will be ordering!). I expect it will taste even better next time when I add MSG. I currently live abroad and am missing chick-fil-a so much. This is a good alternative
My 21 yr old son is at Chick-fil-A as often as possible so he is the perfect critic. When I made this recipe he said these nuggets are, “Dead on!”. I was shocked and so thankful! We love Chicfila but don’t have one in our town and not he is making this recipe himself! Thank you so much for your expertise!
I made these tonight and they were a hit! They aren’t exactly like Chick-fil-A because they didn’t melt in your mouth like theirs do. Couple of things I’d do different next time: I’d marinate the chicken longer. Thirty minutes wasn’t enough and I’d definitely use buttermilk or the lemon juice + milk substitute. I might even add a few spices to the dredging mixture, such as marjoram and parsley. This time I used Canola oil. I can’t remember the last time I used peanut oil. Next time I’ll try the peanut oil. I did use the MSG. Had to buy it special because I haven’t used it in years.
I believe chick fil A pressure fries and that is why they are melt in your mouth unlike just frying on the stove. KFC also pressure fries their chicken. With safe devices like an insta pot or a chicken pressure pot you can have nuggets or the sandwich almost identical to what you buy from chikfilA.
Hi Everyone!! Can these be put in the oven or air fryer and if so what degrees and for how long?? Thanks!!❤️❤️❤️