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 tried this recipe tonight, it was delicious. I was skeptical about the pickle juice at first then my husband who is a pickle lover told me to do the recipe as it so I did. thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
oops – correction. I went and looked again a their website. Chick-Fil-A doesn’t use Autolyzed Yeast Extract. All their chicken recipes have Monosodium Glutamate. Yep – MSG. Read: Excitoxin’s: the Taste that Kills (Russell Blaylock MD) So sad…but we have your yummy recipe.
Will have to try these. Real Chick-Fil-A uses autolyzed yeast extract (the same issues with toxicity as MSG). So we don’t eat there.. but these obviously are MSG free :- Wish Chick-Fil-A would use your recipe!!
I am a CA transplant currently residing in Boulder, CO – and I’m dying to know: what is Monkey Style @ In-N-Out? We’re headed to CA tomorrow and In-n-Out is for sure part of the itinerary! I am familiar with “Animal Style”, but I like the sounds of this “monkey bizness” you speak of!
(Should I even call myself a Californian??? I feel so ashamed…)
Love your blog!
These sound awesome… I have a step grandmother from the Ukraine and until she was part of our family I had never heard of using anything but meat tenderizer for tenderizing meat(imagine that use) but over there they use more natural, more healthy ingredients. One of the things she taught me is that you can use vinegar as a meat tenderizer. It does the same thing as the store bought stuff but adds a little more flavor to the recipe. So the pickle juice would make total sense as to why the nuggets are so tender. Just thought I would share.
@ranunculus1927 —
1 part Honey mustard, 1 part ranch, 1 part BBQ=Chickfila sauce :)
Would I be able to marinate the chicken over night and then cook the next evening? I was planning to make them tonight, but didn’t realize you had to marinate for 2-4 hours.
Thanks!
You could try mixing up the marinade at night, throw the chicken in in the morning, then cook them that night. The chicken *might* turn rubbery though from the pickling juice!
Made these for a party and they were a huge hit! Awesome recipe and so easy. Thanks!!!
I am actually allergic to something in chick-fil-a chicken that makes me really sick, but I LOVE their sandwhiches so much! I’m a vegitarian now, but I think I can sneak these in sometimes :) THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I don’t particularly like Chick Fil A nuggets but my husband is obsessed with them so I thought I’d try this out. I made them last night and they are so yummy. I marinated them about 10 minutes due to time restraints and used Canola oil b/c I didn’t have peanut oil. These are so much better (to me) than Chick Fil A and my husband said to make enough every week so he can take them for lunch each day. I think it’s a keeper! Also, I didn’t have greek yogurt so he made the dip with mayo. Not as healthy but it was the best honey mustard I’ve ever had. Thanks for the recipe.
any idea what the calorie count would be on these? I have a diabetic in the home and we are counting calories as well.
I’m sorry, I don’t! It’s just too difficult with the oil (how much is absorbed or not) to do it at home with just the resources I can find on the internet. I apologize!
Does anyone know how to make the polynesian sauce? my absolute favorite! I love chick-fil-a but they dont have one where i live right now…always get it when I go home. Thanks!
I tried this recipe tonight, and it turned out great! The nearest Chick-fil-a is about an hour away from me, so this will come in handy when I’m getting that craving :) Thanks for sharing!