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.
Could you make a large batch of these and freeze them?
Hmmm, I actually have no idea, but I would *think* you could?? Let me know if you give it a try!
As someone who worked at Chick-fil-a in high school, I can attest to this being totally dead on. You HAVE to use peanut oil to fry them though – that’s one of the secrets.
My husband loves the spicy chicken at chick-fil-a, what would you add for it to be similar to the spicy version?? Thanks!
Maybe some cayenne pepper in the mix!
Just made these tonight for the kids, 18, 15 and 13. Marinated the chicken in the fridge while we were at the lake for a couple of hours. Came home and fried them up. So yummy. Tasted so so so good with honey!!! The kids are all so full they are miserable. I will put this in my rotation and will be making these to freeze for the kids to heat up in the microwave for snacks as well. Don’t know if il ever buy frozen Tyson nuggets again!! Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you so much for this post! Now all I need is to find the recipe for their BBQ sauce! This will be a regular reoccurance in our household! I had to blog about my experience on my website. I did link back to you for the recipe though…I need to give credit to those who deserve it.
I am SOOOO excited about this! I had to stop eating at Chik-Fil-A because everything has MSG in it. You are the answer to my prayers!
I just saw this as I was browsing Pinterest, and I cant wait to make these for my daughter! She LOVES chick-fil-a! We don’t go often as my other daughter is allergic to peanuts, and they fry everything in peanut oil. :( I will just use veg oil here at home. The reason I commented was to share my recipe for the “chick-fil-a sauce.” My little one insists I make it at home with any nugget I fix for her! I have no idea what they really use,, but what I whip together sure tastes like the same thing. She devours it! I mix mayo, mustard, and BBQ sauce (I use KC Masterpiece original) and stir til combined. Sorry I don’t have measurements as I always just eyeball it. With these two paired, we won’t have any reason to visit there again! Thanks for the recipe….
oh Katie I need the measurements pahleaseeeeeeeeee lol I just posted I need to figure out the BBQ sauce recipe.
If this works………I love you! LOL! :)
My husband was skeptical the minute I cracked open the pickle jar, but my family LOVED this dish! My 11 year old made me promise to make it again, and my 20 month old double fisted chicken bites for the majority of dinner. Great recipe, thank you!
I want to try these ASAP. However, I only use organic coconut oil for frying–much better for you! You can google Benefits of Coconut Oil to find out why.
Wow, these look so delish, I must try these and soon!
i worked at a chick-fil-a until about a month ago and we were like and express so we didnt have everything on the normal menu, just nuggets,strips,breaded and grill chicken sandwiches, fries, salad, slaw and lemonade, our chick came in bags and the strips and grill were already marinated, the grill chicken went straight to our grill machine but the strips along with the nuggest and regular chicken breasts were just dipped in the milk wash and then in the seasoned flour and fried in the peanut oil.. i cant attest to how or what they were marinated in before or what is in the flour mixture but this sounds like a hit…
Could you also substitute potato flour or tapioca flour for this? Thanks!
I’ve never tried, but I would think it’d work!