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My homemade Chick-fil-A Nuggets are easy to make at home and a fraction of the cost! After marinating, these moist and delicious air fryer chicken nuggets are ready in less than 15 minutes.
Jump to:
- Chick-fil-A Nuggets Recipe
- Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets Secret
- Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Nuggets Ingredients
- How to Make Chick-fil-A Nuggets
- Chick-Fil-A Nuggets Oven Instructions
- Chick-fil-A Sauce Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Chick-fil-A Sauce
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets FAQs
- Chick-fil-A Recipes
- Air Fryer Recipes
- 📌 Pin it for later!
- 📋 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
Chick-fil-A Nuggets Recipe
My family and I love homemade Chick-fil-A recipes. I make their chicken noodle soup and chicken tortilla soup all of the time from scratch, and thought it was about time I make homemade Chick-fil-A nuggets!
I made my Chick-fil-A nuggets in the air fryer, along with my own Chick-fil-A sauce. Not only are they so easy to make, but the flavor is incredible. You can’t get any better than these homemade chicken nuggets!
They’re budget-friendly, so simple, and because you’re making them from scratch, you can customize them to how you like – including making them gluten-free. Try making these air fryer 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 on Pinterest
Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets Secret
The secret to making the perfect homemade Chick-fil-A nuggets is all in 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 up to overnight so they soak up the flavor and moisture. When you air fry them after marinating, they become so crispy on the outside and so juicy on the inside, with the most incredible flavor in the meat.
You don’t need any breading to make these air fryer chicken nuggets – just flour and seasonings.
Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Nuggets Ingredients
- boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- dill pickle juice
- garlic powder
- salt
- pepper
- paprika
- flour
- powdered sugar
- eggs
- milk
How to Make Chick-fil-A Nuggets
- 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.
- Once the chicken is done marinating, whisk 2 eggs and add to the bowl with the chicken. Mix well.
- Preheat your air fryer to 375°F. In a zip-lock bag, combine flour, powdered sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
- Using a slotted spoon, spoon half of your chicken into the zip-lock bag. Shake well until the 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 the air fryer tray with olive oil and place chicken inside. Lightly pray 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 Nuggets Oven Instructions
Don’t have an air fryer? No problem! You can make Chick-fil-A nuggets in the oven, too. Here’s how:
- 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.
Chick-fil-A Sauce Recipe Ingredients
- mayonnaise
- yellow mustard
- barbecue sauce
- honey
- garlic powder
How to Make Chick-fil-A Sauce
- Add mayonnaise, yellow mustard, barbecue sauce, honey, garlic powder to a medium-size bowl.
- Mix thoroughly until creamy and smooth.
- Serve and enjoy the best chicken dipping sauce you will ever make!
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets FAQs
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.
For more tips on cooking the best chicken recipes, check out my Chicken Temperature Chart complete with a cooking guide!
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
Air Fryer Recipes
- Best Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Mushrooms
- Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes
- Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings
- Air Fryer Bacon
- Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
📌 Pin it for later!
Did you enjoy this page? Save it on Pinterest for later!Did you try this recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments below, and please leave a rating! I love to hear from you.
📋 Recipe
Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Nuggets
Equipment
- Olive oil spray
- Bowl
- Large plastic zip-lock bag
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!
Video
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.