A 30+ count of Homemade Chick Fil A Nuggets! Made with a Poultry Brine and a surprising Breading to get that same light coating & texture. Serve them up with a variety of Chicken Nugget Dipping sauces and enjoy them as a Lunch, Dinner or Snack. These are just amazing and a 30+ count isn’t going to last long at all.

Chick Fil A Chicken Nuggets don’t taste anything like either KFC or Popeyes. What sets Chick Fil A Chicken Nuggets apart is that bite size, tender and juicy Chicken dusted with a light coating. It may just surprise you what it is, in order to achieve the same results at home. It did for me at first and then when I realized, it opened the door for countless other recipes where the same breading can be used. This is my version of Chick-Fil-A Chicken Nuggets.

Chick Fil A Chicken Nugget Ingredients

Chick Fil A requires you to enter your postal or state code to select a restaurant near you, in order to view the ingredients. This may indicate that different location use different ingredients. That being said, the location near me list their ingredients as ;

Chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breast meat nuggets [without rib meat], salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, spice [mustard], and paprika, coater [enriched flour, sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate, skim milk, leavening blend {baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate}, spices, soybean oil, paprika], milk wash [skim milk, dried whole egg], peanut oil).

In general Chick Fil A list their ingredients as;

Ingredients: 100% natural chicken breast (seasoning [salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, spices, paprika]), seasoned coater (enriched bleached flour [with malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate, nonfat milk, leavening [baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate], spice, soybean oil, color [paprika]), milk wash (water, whole powdered egg and nonfat milk solids), peanut oil (fully refined peanut oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness and Dimethylpolysiloxane an anti-foaming agent added).

The takeaway here is that the Chicken is mainly seasoned with Salt, MSG, Sugar, Spices including Paprika and at my location, Dry Mustard. It appears those same ingredients are also used in the Breading. You don’t see any other specs of anything else, besides Black Pepper. If any additional Spices are included then they would be light spices that you wouldn’t be able to tell was there, like White Pepper.

Chick Fil A Chicken Nugget Size

In general, about 1 inch is a good size for these type of Nuggets. This allows you to get about 30+ pieces from 1 lb of Chicken Breast or 2 X 1/2 lb Chicken Breasts. This means that each Chick Fil A Nugget weighs approxaimately 14 g.

Chick Fil A Nugget Flavor

Chick Fil A Flavor is mainly the Seasoning blend of Salt, MSG & Sugar and some spices like Paprika, Dry Mustard, and Black Pepper, possibly Cayenne Pepper. The Flavoring isn’t really anything noticeble outside the main seasonings of Salt, MSG, Sugar with Black Pepper. Paprika is used for color.

Chick Fil A Nugget procedure

When checking how Chick Fil A makes their Chicken Nuggets, the Chicken comes preseasoned and in some liquids, but no mention of Milk or Eggs in with the Chicken themselves, although it does look like milk is there. The Chicken is emptied into a Milk & Egg Wash and breaded with the Seasoned Flour before being Deep Fried.

How Chick-fil-A breads their Chicken Nuggets;

• Seasoned Chicken
• Egg & Milk Wash
• Breading
• Deep Fry

What Oil does Chick Fil A use

Chick Fil A states they use Peanut Oil to Deep Fry their Chicken Nuggets.

Copycat Chick Fil A Chicken Nuggets

For an at Home version of Chick Fil A Nuggets, we are combining the Seasoning for the Chicken with the Milk & Egg Wash. I got just the perfect Brine (Poultry Brine) too. It is concentrated with Salt, MSG and Chicken Flavors with Onion & Garlic. The only thing to add is the remaining Spices, some Sugar and Oil. Since Chick Fil A uses Sugar in both the Chicken & Breading.

The breading itself, everyone is just using flour, flour with sugar, or otherwise a seasoned flour. But it’s more than that, and when you know, better yet test it yourself, you’re going to be amazed. It’s a game changer.

Copycat Chick Fil A Seasoning

The Chick Fil A Seasoning, I’m not to concerned with, since the dominant flavoring is the Salt, MSG & Sugar. As long as this flavor is the main flavor coming out, you’re good.

Although, we do know that the same seasoning used to marinate or brine the Chicken is the same seasoning used in the breading, at least it appears that way. We also know that Paprika is listed and so is Mustard, at least at the location near me. We can also assume Black Pepper, possibly White Pepper and/or Cayenne Pepper. Any other seasoning would really be a preference. I like to include Chili Powder. I also include both Onion Powder & Garlic Powder. However they are not listed as ingredients used and would have to be, by ingredient statement regulations.

This seasoning is used in both the Brine & Breading. With 1 Tbl in the Breading and the remaining in the Marinade or Brine.

The Chick Fil A Seasoning is something I am still fine tuning. But the standard seasoning that comes through being the Salt, MSG, Sugar, Black Pepper, Mustard, Paprika is a solid base to work from and is the main flavoring.

Copycat Chick Fil A marinade

There are a lot of Copycat recipes for Chick Fil A Nuggets with almost all of them using Dill Pickle Juice with Milk. The problem is that the Chick Fil A ingredients don’t indicate that at all. There is no mention of Vinegar or any form of Acid. Although a lot of people say it’s good and use it for a brine in Homemade Chick Fil A Nuggets.

Instead, I use the Poultry Brine without the added Cream of Tartar, because that would affect the breading, causing it to go flaky. Everything else though, is good to derive maximum flavors. It contains the Salt, MSG, Onion, Garlic & Chicken Flavors. To this the Milk & Egg Wash is included along with Spices, Sugar & Oil. So we only have to marinate the Chicken Nuggets, Bread and Deep Fry.

The Sesame Oil is a preference of mine, Peanut Oil can be added. However the Sesame Oil is really very nice and will bring out those same nutty flavors more so than Peanut Oil. Especially if you are deep frying in Lard or Neutral Oil, then the Sesame Oil will serve it’s purpose in mimicking the same flavors as Peanut Oil. Chick Fil A deep fries in Peanut Oil, but either one (Peanut Oil or Sesame Oil) can be used in the Marinade/Brine. Sesame Oil for a stronger Flavor and Peanut Oil for a lighter flavor.

Copycat Chick Fil A Coating

So what is used to get that Chick Fil A coating that is light and almost like a tender dusting on the Chicken? It’s a Biscuit mix, surprising I know! That’s the secret! So simple and so effective at replicating that same tender, light breading texture as Chick Fil A.

There are of course a few other things we add. But the genearal makeup of what a Chick Fil A coating is, is basically Chicken & Biscuits. This is why there is Sugar in the breading, because a Biscuit mix always contains Sugar. That light breading is derived from Fat in the Biscuit mix. Now you just upped your game! You know why there is Sugar and what causes that same texture in a Chick Fil A Nugget. It isn’t just Flour.

MSG is added as the main flavoring and the Poly Flour, which is a Biscuit mix already contains the Salt, Sugar, Leavener & Fat. All that is left is the same seasoning used in the Chicken to be added to the Breading. Along with Barley Flour, since Chick Fil A indicates Malted Barley and it does taste very good when deep fried. You can just exchange with All Purpose Flour.

The only thing about the biscuit mix is that Chick Fil A Biscuits are heavy in Butter and that may contribute to overall flavor. Either Butter used in the Poly Flour or perhaps better would be the use of Butter Popcorn Seasoning, but I haven’t tested this as of yet.

Also the coating does not translate well for Chicken Breast Fillets. For that the Poly Flour would have to be lowered and substituted with Flour, this is something I am still working on. For Chicken Nuggets though, the Copycat Chick Fil A Coating is it for sure and you’re going to be amazed on just how effective this is for Chicken Nuggets.

Homemade Chick Fil A Nuggets

There are two main ingredients that we pull together to make Homemade Chick Fil A Nuggets. This is the Poultry Brine, without the Cream of Tartar & the Poly Flour. Both of these need to be made up in advance in order to make the Chick Fil A Marinade or Brine and the Chick Fil A Coating.

Chicken Breast

Use about 1 lb of Chicken Breast. Remove the Tenderloin strip from under the Chicken Breast and dice along with the Chicken Breast into 1 inch pieces.

Chick Fil A Breading Procedure

The breading procedure is pretty simple. Just marinate, strain and then toss in the breading before going to the deep fryer.

Dipping Sauce

I haven’t got around to testing out Chick Fil A Dipping Sauce, but listed the types they offer and their ingredients for reference. Some good ones I already use are

Chick-fil-A offers the following dipping sauces;

Chick Fil A Polynesian Sauce Ingredients

Ingredients: High fructose corn syrup, soybean oil, corn-cider vinegar, distilled vinegar, tomato paste, salt, paprika, modified food starch, spices, honey, beet juice concentrate, natural flavors, xanthan gum, onion, garlic, propylene glycol alginate. *dehydrated

Chick Fil A Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce ingredients

Ingredients: Soybean oil, water, high fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, mustard (distilled vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, paprika, spice, garlic), tomato paste, egg yolk, onion, salt, sugar, natural flavors including smoke flavor, spices, honey, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate added as preservatives, lemon juice concentrate, xanthan gum, dehydrated garlic and onion, caramel color, propylene glycol alginate, calcium disodium EDTAadded to protect flavor

Chick Fil A Barbecue Sauce Ingredients

Ingredients: Water, high fructose corn syrup, tomato paste, brown sugar, distilled vinegar, corn syrup, pineapple juice concentrate, salt, modified food starch, spices, natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, potassium sorbates and sodium benzoate added as preservative, onion, garlic *dehydrated

Chic Fil A Honey Mustard Sauce Ingredients

Ingredients: Water, high fructose corn syrup, honey, spices, distilled vinegar, modified food starch, salt, soybean oil, molasses, sodium benzoate added as preservative, xanthan gum, onion, caramel color, garlic, natural flavors, oleoresin turmeric, anchovies, tamarind.
*dehydrated

Chick Fil A Buttermilk Ranch Sauce Ingredients

Ingredients: Soybean oil, water, buttermilk, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, salt, egg yolk, whey protein concentrate, garlic juice, monosodium glutamate, sugar, natural flavor, xanthan gum, dehydrated onion, polysorbate 60, sodium benzoate added as preservative, spice, lactic acid, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor

Chick Fil A Buffalo Sauce Ingredients

Ingredients: Hot sauce (peppers, vinegar, salt, xanthan gum, benzoate of soda [to preserve
freshness]), water, margarine (liquid and partially hydrogenated soybean oil, water, salt, mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin, artificial flavor, beta carotene (color), vitamin A palmitate added), distilled vinegar, corn syrup, modified food starch, soybean oil, natural flavors (including milk derived flavors), salt, sweet cream powder (cream, skim milk solids, sodium caseinate, soy lecithin) xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika, mono and diglycerides, sodium benzoate added as preservative, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor.