Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce are just as good as the real thing. Enjoy this delicious take-out-fake-out chicken dinner at home!
When you’re gluten free, most fast food restaurants are a hard no.
Except Chick-fil-A coming in clutch with waffle fries and grilled chicken nuggets!
When you’re craving crunch and a taste of traditional chicken nuggets though, you will not believe how delicious and simple copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce are. Skip the drive-thru for this homemade version you can make right at home!
Start by cutting a couple large chicken breasts into bite sized pieces then season with salt and pepper and place them inside a medium-sized bowl or gallon-size Ziplock bag.
To the bag add a marinade consisting of milk (any kind), an egg, and pickle juice.
Yes, pickle juice! I once heard that the key to Chick-fil-A’s signature chicken nugget flavor that it’s injected with pickle juice. Who’s to say if that’s true but either way, the addition of pickle juice to the marinade will impart juiciness and flavor to the chicken nuggets — and that’s definitely not a bad thing!
Let the chicken marinate in the mixture for 2-4 hours in the fridge.
When it’s time to cook the chicken, combine gluten free flour (or all-purpose flour if not gluten free) to another gallon-size Ziplock bag with powdered sugar, salt, and pepper then seal and shake to combine.
Transfer the chicken pieces into the mixture with tongs then seal and shake the bag again to evenly coat the chicken pieces.
Next heat peanut oil, which is what Chick-fil-A uses to fry all their foods, in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. If you don’t have peanut oil, vegetable or canola oil will work great.
Test the oil to see if it’s hot enough by dropping a bit of the flour mixture into the pot. If it sizzles, the oil is ready. It it pops and spatters, the oil is too hot. If it does nothing at all, it’s too cold.
Working in two batches in order to avoid crowding the pan, place the coated chicken pieces into the oil using tongs. Cook until one side is golden brown, 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown.
It depends on how big you cut your chicken, but my 1″ chicken pieces take about 3 minutes on each side.
Remove the chicken to a paper-towel lined plate then continue with the other half.
Serve ’em hot and fresh with a simple homemade honey mustard sauce that’s spoon-drink-worthy. SO GOOD!
I know you can buy Chick-fil-A sauce at the grocery store these days, but my homemade, creamy honey mustard sauce is super simple, and a bit lighter. It’s the perfect pairing.
Dip, devour, and enjoy!
Chick-fil-A Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 1lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3/4 cup milk, any kind
- 1/4 cup dill pickle juice
- 1 egg
- 1-1/4 cups flour, gluten free or all-purpose (dish will not be GF if using AP flour)
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup peanut oil, divided, or canola or vegetable oil
For the Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons honey
Directions
For the Chicken Nuggets:
- In a medium-size mixing bowl or gallon-size Ziplock bag, add the egg, milk, and pickle juice then whisk or squish to combine. Add the chicken pieces then cover or seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
- In another gallon-size Ziplock bag, add the flour, powdered sugar, salt, and pepper then shake to combine. Remove the chicken from the marinade then add to the bag with the dry ingredients and shake to coat the chicken completely.
- Add the oil to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or dutch oven then heat over medium-high heat (6 or 7 out of 10). Test the oil by dropping in a bit of the flour mixture. If it sizzles, the oil is ready, if it pops, lower the temperature a bit, if it does nothing, the oil is too cold.
- Carefully place half the chicken pieces into the oil with tongs. Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Turn the chicken over then cook for 2-3 more minutes. Remove the pieces to a paper-towel lined plate then cook the other half of the chicken.
For the Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
- Stir together the honey mustard dipping sauce ingredients then serve with the hot chicken bites. Can be made up to 5 days ahead of time.
Notes
- Estimated nutrition information includes all the cooking oil.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I just picked up the almond coconut milk and made myself almond joy oatmeal!!! 1/4 cup oats, 1/2 T chia, 1/2 cup UVACM, 1/2 a banana and a teaspoon of cocoa powder. SO SO Good!
Love it – great idea!
Looks yummy!
YAYAY! I love copycat recipes of my favorite restaurant foods. These look fantastic!
Did you mean In N Out Animal Style? Have you ever done a copy cat of that? My husband would FREAK if I made that for him!
Yes, Animal Style :) I worked at INO for quite a while – to make an animal style burger you squirt a swirl of mustard onto the meat patty as soon as you place it on the grill. YUM. Once you turn the patty fold your american cheese 1/5 and place on top, add grilled onions (ANOTHER YUM) and place the top bun on the burger. Once the patty is cooked you garnish the bottom bun with “spread” (secret recipe of mayo, ketchup, mustard and relish), then pickle, then add the tomato and lettuce. Top the lettuce off with another dollop of spread. Enjoy!
Oh my word this makes me so happy! I moved to Maine from Alabama a few years back, where Chick-fil-A was on every corner. The closest one to us now is 90 miles away in MASS (and we took our brood down there last weekend just for lunch b/c we miss it so much!!!)
I, errr, my kids will be so excited for me to make this!
Chickfila is really the only fast food joint I go to – well besides an occasional Subway or Potbelly sandwich. Who knew about the pickle juice? Crazy!
Now if only we can duplicate the waffle fries!! My favorite kind of fry is waffled and the first time I ate at Chick-fil-A I wanted more. My husband will be excited to try this recipe.
The Ore-Ida frozen waffle fries are my fav! Just as good as Chik-Fil-A’s :)
Those are my go-to fast foods too! Somehow they seem more ‘real’ than everything else too, although it’s probably just in my head.
These look gooodd but I am a spicy chicken girl with pepper jack cheese. Yum.
I’m super excited to try this! I used to love their chicken, but I can’t bring myself to eat there anymore after it came out about all their anti-marriage equality donations. This will definitely fill that void!
I won’t buy from them either. It used to be easy, since we didn’t have them, but one just opened very close to my house. This recipe will help me stand by my convictions, I hope. I am not officially “boycotting” them, since it seems they have not carried their personal opinions into their hiring practices. They do have a right to their opinions, as do all of us.
You are the second person to post a copycat version of these this week! As someone who has to travel 2+ hours for the nearest Chick-fil-A, I’m forever grateful :)
We travel nearly two hours too! So sad…
I came home not knowing what to fix for dinner then I read your post, had all the ingredients. I only marinated 30 minutes but it still turned out great!
We got up to 40 degrees today! If it wasn’t so wet and slushy out I would have taken a walk too.
I used to work at Chick-fil-a back in my high school days and I can fully attest to the pickle juice in the marinade! This recipe sounds spot on, can’t wait to try it! I adore honey mustard too so this is a perfect pairing!