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My homemade Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Nuggets are easy to make at home and at a fraction of the cost! After marinating, these moist and delicious air fryer chicken nuggets are ready in less than 15 minutes. Wait till you see how easy and amazingly crispy these nuggets are-perfection!
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Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets
My family and I love coming up with copycat Chick-fil-A recipes. I make their chicken noodle soup and chicken tortilla soup from scratch all of the time, so we all thought it was about time to make homemade Chick-fil-A nuggets, too!
I made my Chick-fil-A nuggets in the air fryer along with my own Chick-fil-A sauce, and that turned out to be the perfect choice. They are so easy to make, the flavor is incredible, and they're deliciously tender. You can't get any better than these homemade chicken nuggets, trust me!
They're budget-friendly and so simple, and because you're making them from scratch, you can customize them to how you like. You can even make them gluten-free. Try making these copycat Chick-fil-A nuggets at home just once, and I promise you'll be hooked!
Made this recipe and they turned out delicious! Only marinated the chicken for 30 minutes, not overnight. The sauce was yummy too. Almost better than the real thing!!
R. Melise
Chick-fil-A Copycat Nuggets Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: You'll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Dill Pickle Juice: Trust me, this is the key to flavor-matching Chick-fil-A nuggets!
- Seasoning: I use a mix of salt, black pepper, and paprika to season the chicken nuggets. It's simple, but classic.
- Breading: All-purpose flour, powdered sugar, eggs, and milk are needed for coating the chicken nuggets. Yes, powdered sugar! It adds so much to the taste!
- Olive Oil Spray: You'll need this for your air fryer basket. Avoid using a cooking spray with additives - those can break down the non-stick coating of your air fryer.
This recipe is one of my favorites to pack for school lunches. See more of my School Lunch Ideas. They're perfect for picky eaters!
How to Make Chick-fil-A Nuggets
Air Fryer Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into bite-size chicken pieces and add milk and pickle juice to a bowl. Mix well in the milk mixture then cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight to ensure the chicken is well-marinated.
- Once the chicken is done marinating, whisk two eggs and add to the bowl with the chicken. Mix well.
- Preheat your air fryer to 375°F.
- Prepare the flour mixture by combining flour, powdered sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika in a zip-lock bag.
- Spoon half of your chicken into the zip-lock bag using a slotted spoon. Shake well until the chicken is fully coated. Using a separate, dry-slotted spoon, remove the coated chicken and place it to the side. Repeat with the second half of the chicken until all chicken is fully coated.
- Spray the air fryer tray with olive oil and place the chicken inside. Lightly spray the chicken with oil after placing it. Note: it is important not to overcrowd the nuggets. You can air fry them in batches.
- Air fry for 5-6 minutes until the chicken is golden brown and crispy.
- Serve with Chick-fil-A Sauce, and enjoy!
You can follow my step-by-step instructions for Chick-fil-A-Sauce.
Am I ever glad I tried this recipe living in Canada I have never tasted Chick-fil-A but I thought it probably is good. What an interesting flavor combination thank you!
Amy on Pinterest
Traditional Oven Instructions
- Follow all of the steps to prepare the nuggets.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then spray with cooking spray.
- Place the nuggets on the baking sheet, then spray them with cooking spray.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crispy, flipping once.
Expert Tips
- It is important not to overcrowd the nuggets. You can air fry them in batches to give them lots of breathing room to get crispy.
- For more tips on cooking the best chicken recipes, check out my Chicken Temperature Chart, complete with a cooking guide!
Isabel's Air Fryer
It's amazing what you can cook with an air fryer! I love mine and highly recommend it. It even has a steaming function to re-hydrate stale bread!
photo courtesy of Our Place
Perfect Homemade Chick-fil-A Nuggets
The secret to making the perfect homemade Chick-fil-A nuggets is marinating the chicken and mixing the flour with powdered sugar and seasonings.
I marinate my nuggets in milk and pickle juice for at least 30 minutes and sometimes overnight to soak the flavor and moisture. When you air fry them after marinating, they become crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, with the most incredible taste in the meat.
Chick-fil-A Copycat Nuggets FAQ
Yes! Swap out regular all-purpose flour for your preferred gluten-free flour, and these nuggets will be gluten-free.
My favorite is hands-down homemade Chick-fil-A sauce. It's the best pairing for air fryer Chick-fil-A nuggets! You can also dip them in Peri Peri Sauce, Sriracha Fry Sauce, or Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing.
Chick-fil-A Recipes
- Chick-fil-A Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
- Chick-fil-A Lemon Kale Caesar Salad
- Chick-fil-A Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chick-fil-A Sauce
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Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Nuggets
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts - chopped into bite size pieces
- ½ cup dill pickle juice
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
Chick-fil-A Sauce Ingredients
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and add to a bowl with milk and pickle juice. Mix well, then cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes up to overnight to ensure the chicken is well-marinated.2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts,1 cup milk,½ cup dill pickle juice
- Once chicken is done marinating, whisk 2 eggs and add to the bowl with the chicken. Mix well.2 eggs
- Preheat your air fryer to 375°F. In a zip-lock bag, combine flour, powdered sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Shake the bag to mix well.1 teaspoon salt,1 teaspoon pepper,2 teaspoons paprika,2 cups flour,¼ cup powdered sugar,2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Using a slotted spoon, spoon half of your chicken into the zip-lock bag. Shake well until chicken is fully coated. Using a separate, dry slotted spoon, remove the coated chicken and place to the side. Repeat with the second half of the chicken until all chicken is fully coated.
- Spray air fryer tray with olive oil and place chicken inside. Spray the chicken with oil after placing.
- Air fry for 5-6 minutes until the chicken is golden brown and crispy on the outside. Serve and enjoy!
Chick-fil-A Sauce
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl. Mix well until well blended. Enjoy!
Notes
- Follow all of the steps to prepare the nuggets.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then spray with cooking spray.
- Place the nuggets on the baking sheet, then spray them with cooking spray.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crispy, flipping once.
Crystal says
I love chick fil a, but hate pickles, so my question is, is the pickle juice necessary? I would never in a million years thought pickle juice was used.
Em Beitel says
Hi Crystal! The pickle juice helps tenderize the meat and adds flavor. If you want to avoid adding pickle juice, you should instead use a brine mixture of salt and sugar. I would use about ½ cup water mixed with ½ Tablespoon fine salt and ½ Tablespoon white sugar and stir until both have dissolved. Then you can add that to the milk instead of pickle juice. This will help brine and tenderize the meat as the pickle juice would, and add a nice sweet and salty flavor to it. Enjoy!
CheriM says
While the flavor was good and chicken was tender, they came out very flour. I sprayed lightly with oil but I would have had to really coat them with oil to absorb the flour. Guess I'll need to spray heavier.
Zelinda K. says
Hi! I’ve made this recipe before and LOVED it. I wanted to know if it was possible to freeze them? If so, do I freeze them after putting them in the flour or do I have to cook them then freeze them? Thank you!
Em Beitel says
Thanks so much, Zelinda! We are so happy you enjoy it! You could definitely freeze these nuggets if you'd like. I do recommend freezing them after cooking them. Let them cool completely, then add them to freezer-safe bags and label with the date. Place in the freezer and store for up to 3 months. You can then cook them directly from frozen. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then cook the nuggets at that temperature for about 10-12 minutes until heated through. Hope this helps - enjoy!
Cooking in Colorado says
Any suggestions for crispier nuggets? Mine came out floury, and I read that I should make sure all excess flour is shaken off. Should I spray the nuggets with a heavier coat of oil? Any other ideas?
Em Beitel says
Hi there! It might depend on the size and wattage of your air fryer, too - and if the basket was overcrowded at all. I would say, make sure there aren't too many nuggets in the basket, shake them off, and definitely give them a good spray of oil. Did you also preheat your air fryer? If not, I recommend doing that as well.
Betsy Gershaw says
Do you think this recipe would work for a chicken breast for a sandwich?
Isabel Laessig says
Betsy, absolutely. Cook at the same temperature and time. After the 5-6 minutes is up, flip and cook another 3-7 minutes or so until it reaches 165ºF on a meat thermometer.
I would check with the thermometer before adding it back after flipping it just to approximate how much longer you should cook it. Enjoy!