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 made this last week and they were INSANE! I couldn’t believe how close the flavor was. They were so good we’re making them again tonight – thanks so much for sharing!
I made these for my kids last night and I just told them I was making chicken nuggets. I didn’t mention anything about the Chic Fil A part. Well about 3 bites in my oldest yells “Mom these taste just like CFA nuggets!” These are definitely a keeper! Thanks for the great recipe! :o)
Finally, a use/recipe for PICKLE JUICE! I just admitted to my boyfriend the other day that as a kid I used to secretly sip pickle juice the way other kids would sneak mouthfuls of chocolate syrup or whipped cream. I love, love, love the taste of delicious dill pickles, and I always feel like it is such a waste to throw out that awesome juice after the pickles are gone.. Never again! :)
Cait, here’s another use for pickle juice… Macaroni salad!! :) a bit of mayo, bit of pickle juice and a bit of dijon mustard makes the perfect mac salad dressing! :)
Pickle juice with chicken?! Sounds intriguing!
I would like to make the sandwhich for my husband. Do you think this will work with half a chicken breast (instead of bite sized pieces) and cook longer on the pan?
I’m sure it would! Just make sure to pound your chicken breast out a bit so the crust doesn’t burn when having to cook for a longer time.
You’re awesome!
I just made these tonight and both I and the fiance both loved them! Thanks for yet another delicious dinner!
I have not seen coconut almond breeze!!! Where did you find it at? Hy-vee? TJ’s? My green monsters have been needing a little change lately.
Yep – at HyVee in the dairy aisle! :)
I’m definitely going to try this recipe, and everything looks about right to mimic the Chick-Fil-A recipe. I used to work there years ago, and while I can say they do use pickle juice in the marinade, I have to tell you- they don’t marinate the chicken for the nuggets or fried breasts- just the grilled breasts and strips are marinated. If you’ve ever tried the strips, you will notice a taste difference, and here’s why:
The chicken strips are marinated in pickle juice, and then tossed in the seasoned flour, shaken in a basket, and deep fried in peanut oil. The strips do not receive the milk wash. But the nuggets, they are not marinated, but they are tossed into the milk wash, then tossed into the seasoned flour, shaken in a basket, and then deep fried in peanut oil. So, not sure if you care or not, since this recipe seems to be a crowd favorite. But I thought you should know, just for authenticity’s sake. The pickle juice nuggets are becoming an urban legend. :)
Actually they changed their recipe in the last year and a half and the strips are a thousand times better (they used to make me want to puke). I too worked there for about 6 years. I’m so excited for this recipe!!
I will have to give these a try sometime. The look great! We made some I found on Pinterest that were tasty, but nothing like Chick-fil-A’s! Too disappointing.
I made these the other night for my (almost) 2 year old after reading your post and she LOVED them! The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the pan-frying process. It just takes more time than I would like (what can I say, I’m always in a hurry!). Do you think these could be placed on a sheet pan and baked in the oven? I wonder if I’d have to add any extra oil to them on the outside to crisp them up a bit? Thanks for any guidance you can give me! By the way, love your blog — it is one of the few that I actually get really excited about when I see a new posting! Keep up the great work!
So glad you enjoyed! I’m not sure they’d work in the oven, but if you are willing to try, I’d spray them well with non-stick spray before baking!
I just made this today, they were AWESOME!! I used the pickle juice, I saw comments about not using it, trust me USE IT! I let them sit for 2 hours in the fridge. I used about 4 pounds of chicken meat, oooooh they were SOOOO good! Thanks for the recipe!!
Literally just finished eating this… My husband and I thought it was absolutely delicious! Thanks!
I made this tonight for myself and hubby as we were having a lazy Saturday! They were amazing! Not greasy at all! Will definetly be making them again soon (which will be causing less trips to chi-fil-A!)