Copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer
Chicken nuggets are such an easy go to meal because they’re satisfying, easy and – let’s be honest – freaking delicious. But going through a drive thru is not always the healthiest option, especially if you’re trying to stick to a macro-friendly diet. That’s why we came up with these absolutely delicious AND healthy copycat Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets. Whip the ingredients together and throw them in the air fryer and you won’t even miss your fast food favorite.
This post may include links to purchase items from our affiliates.
To make this a true “Chick-Fil-A” experience, pair these chicken nuggets with our healthy copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce! It’s just as good as the original, but with a fraction of the calories and a pack of protein. YUM. You’ll love these easy macro-friendly recipes that taste just as good as the original.
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Nuggets Recipe Tips:
+ If you’re not a pickle eater, or just don’t have any extra pickle juice on hand, check out these helpful substitutes.
+ If you don’t have an air fryer, don’t worry! We included oven instructions below as well.
+ Want a lower carb recipe? Easy! Use almond flour in place of all purpose flour and crushed up pork rinds instead of bread crumbs. You could also use gluten-free flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs to make this recipe work for you. We want everyone to be able to enjoy these easy and delicious copycat Chick-Fil-A nuggets!
+ Making this recipe for meal prep? Just warm them up again in the air fryer or a toaster oven to keep that ideal texture.
Copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup pickle juice
- 1 egg
- 1 lb chicken breasts, chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- cooking oil spray, avocado oil recommended
Equipment
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: whisk together the milk, pickle juice, and egg. Add the diced chicken and submerge, coating the chicken. Let marinate in the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt. Remove a piece of chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, then press into the flour mixture. Flip the chicken and press the other side into the flour. Set aside and continue with the remaining chicken.
- Air Fry Option: Working in batches if needed, place the breaded chicken into the air fryer basket. Spray lightly with the spray avocado oil. Air fry at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8-12 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Baking Option: To bake the nuggets, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the breaded nuggets on a wire rack lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Serve the chicken nuggets hot with our Chick-Fil-A sauce to dip!
These came out pale and bland. We did not finish them.
You can really use any! I used dill because that’s what I had on hand.
Just curious- what type of pickle juice do you use? Dill, sweet, bread and butter pickle juice? Thanks
Is the pickle juice sweet or sour?