Update: Please note that I’ve improved upon this recipe – check out the new version here. They are also featured in my second cookbook, Paleo Takeout.
Over the past few weeks we’ve spent a fair amount of time out in town, shopping for gifts, and we have often found ourselves away from the house with no lunch plans. Chipotle is our emergency standby, but sometimes we’re tempted to grab Chick-fil-A since they’re everywhere (there are 30 of them within 20 miles of our house!). But as Melissa at Hunt.Gather.Love. points out, regardless of how you feel about Chick-fil-A’s stance on current social issues, the quality of their food alone should be enough to boycott the restaurant chain. For example, let’s take a look at the ingredients list for their nuggets:
100% natural whole breast filet, seasoning (salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, spices, paprika), seasoned coater (enriched bleached flour [bleached wheat flour, 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, egg, nonfat milk), peanut oil (fully refined peanut oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness and Dimethylpolysiloxane an anti-foaming agent added).
So I set out to recreate these chicken nuggets, and most importantly, reduce the ingredients list of this dish from 30+ ingredients down to 10 with minimal compromise on taste.
You’ll Need:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup dill pickle juice
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp buttermilk or cream (coconut milk okay)
1/4 cup tapioca starch (potato or arrowroot starch okay)
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp each salt and black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 dash ground cayenne pepper
1/2 cup lard or coconut oil for frying
Step one: cut up your chicken into 1″ chunks. Place the chicken chunks in a resealable plastic bag and add the pickle juice; marinate in the fridge for an hour.
After an hour, open the bag and pour out any excess pickle juice. It doesn’t have to be perfectly drained, just not totally juicy. Add the beaten egg and the buttermilk/cream, and mix together, then let sit for five minutes. Again, open the bag and pour out the excess liquid, if there is any. Texture is important at this point – the pieces should be wet but not swimming in a soup of pickle/egg/creamy goodness.
Prep your dry ingredients by stirring them all together.
Add the dry ingredients and mix them together in the bag, by a combination of shaking, rubbing, and pleading. It’ll take a few minutes, so this is a good time to warm up your skillet of lard/oil on medium heat.
Fry your chicken pieces, flipping every few minutes, until nice and golden brown. It should take about six to eight minutes per batch. Don’t overcrowd the skillet; it took me four batches to cook all two pounds of chicken. Use a splatter screen if you have one. Drain the chicken pieces on paper towels as you cook the others, and keep them warm in the oven at 170 degrees.
Update: You can bake these nuggets. They aren’t quite as crispy, but are a breeze to cook and taste great. To do so, arrange the breaded nuggets on a baking sheet lined with a wire rack. Bake at 450F for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for another 5 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes or until golden.
Serve with a dipping sauce like my barbecue sauce, or maybe some honey mustard.
The Domestic Man 
They look great! I am pinning this :)
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Except that this recipe isn’t garbage free! Take a look at the label on your jar of dill pickles an sure enough you will find artificial colors and typically a couple of different preservatives! It’s crazy because a pickle product doesn’t need extra color and doesn’t need preservatives that’s what ‘pickling’ is all about after all!
Yes there are some brands without the artificial petroleum contaminants, but you’ll have to do some searching and perhaps trek to your health food store to find them. Bubbies is one brand. The alternative is to make your own. Pickling is easy and fast and obviously avoids all the nasty unwanted additives!
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Jane, you’re correct, it’s important to check how your pickles are made if that is important to you. We’re a Bubbies family ourselves, we love their dill relish.
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The Whole Foods brand of dill pickles aren’t too bad! That’s what I’ll be using for this recipe :)
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I would use my own homemade dill pickle juice!!
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Can I please have your recipe for dill pickle juice? Thanks!
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Carey, I either use the juice leftover from homemade pickles (recipe in my cookbook), or from my favorite commercial pickles (Bubbies pickles), which you can find in most health food stores or online.
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When someone posts such a wonderful recipe, you don’t call the ingredients garbage. Instead, you buy and use ingredients that support your healthy lifestyle. I don’t think every recipe needs to delineate to buy something organic or natural or preservative/additive free. It’s your responsibility to purchase based on your health preference. There are pickle products without “garbage” in them. This is similar as buying coconut milk in a box, coconut milk in a can that contains guar gum, coconut milk in a can that doesn’t contain guar gum, or homemade. It’s up to the person making the recipe, their preference, their budget, and their health concern.
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Thanks Tammi.. my thoughts EXACTLY!!!! :)
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Good, kind and classy call.
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My thoughts exactly!
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Absolutely agree. That was my first thought.
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I couldn’t agree more.
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Hear, Hear..!! agreed…
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Agreed.Tammi…thanks for posting…
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I’ll be using pickle juice from my own pickles.
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You can make your own pickel juice, and youand tou will get frech pickel out of the deal
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You could also probably use a salt brine if you really wanted to be cautious. I’ve made similar nuggets that way and it worked out great.
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I bet you can use organic apple cider vinegar, instead.
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Anyone preparing foods from a clean eating website already checks labels and buys foods free of artificial ingredients and preservatives, dear.
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I use Bubbies. None of that stuff. If you are doing garbage free that it goes without saying that you already check your ingredients on everything.
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Homemade pickle juice going in our chicken here!
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Woodstock makes pickles and relish without garbage.
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I loved Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets before going Paleo, so I’m intrigued and definitely interested in trying this recipe out! Pin-worthy this is.
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I loved Chick-fil-A nuggets but they didn’t love me and these wont either :( Unfortunately! They look delicious though. Could you suggest some nightshade free spices that might make a good variation? I’m terrible with knowing what spices go together and with what. Also, do you think coconut milk would work instead of the Dairy?
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A tablespoon of mixed cumin and basil (half tablespoon each) would be a serviceable substitute for paprika.
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Jimmy, thanks, great idea.
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Marie, as Jimmy said, cumin is a good substitute, and basil is a nice touch. If you want to make it dairy free I would just omit the dairy instead of substituting with coconut milk, as the taste might not go well with the pickle juice :)
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Ahh. I lost the site! Forgot to bookmark it and comp crashed. Found it again today thanks to US wellness meats facebook post. Thanks for the suggestions :) Much appreciated.
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Marie, glad you (re)discovered my site! :)
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A bit of a late reply, but I just made mine with coconut milk and it’s still very delicious!
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almond milk would also work
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My son needs to have a dairy free diet so I make an egg wash after rubbing spices in the chicken. I dip in egg then dip into what ever dry ingredients I am using. So delicious and my son gobbles them up.
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I’ve never been all that big on Chik-Fil-A, and have always had a hard time understanding their cult-like following. However, I do love me some good fried chicken, be it in nuggets or on the bone. I shall have to make this. Soon.
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What kind of pickle juice would be best?
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Hey Wanda, good point – just your average dill pickle juice is ideal. I’ll adjust my recipe now, thanks for the question!
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So curious about the pickle juice – I don’t keep pickles around the house very often, is there a preferred substitution or would a simple brine be ok? I have to admit, I do get a giggle every time I think about it though (I dunno, something with me and the word pickle…).
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Heavv, the pickle juice acts as both a brine and a way to bring a more savory, umami taste to the nuggets. Sauerkraut juice would work as well, if you have any, although I would dilute it a little with some water. Otherwise, a tsp of salt mixed with 1/2 cup water should work as a pretty good brine.
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This looks absolutely delicious; it’s been at least 2 years since I last had anything Chick-fil-A, but boy… I might have to make this soon.
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Can I substitue White Rice Flour for the Arrowroot?
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TS, I would think it would be okay, but not great, because rice flour tends to not stick to the meat very well. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out. But by all means, if you can eat it, definitely try it with tapioca, potato, or arrowroot starch! :)
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Wow this is genius! Great work on this recipe! And your photography is amazing! I just found your blog and I am loving it. And thank you for pointing out the lies that Chick Fil A always advertises about, its so annoying how everyone actually thinks its okay to eat it daily. Or even eat it at that. Anyways, I cannot wait to try these. Thanks for the great recipe.
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These look delish! Thank you for sharing, I will be making them sometime this week :)
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i just finished eating a few. delicious recipe! thank you!
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Also, fyi, i used coconut cream, and though i don’t know what the flavor is sans coco cream, i feel compelled to say it didn’t alter the flavor.
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good to know, thanks! :)
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I used 1/8 cup White Rice Flour and 1/8 cup arrowroot and it came out just fine.
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TS, awesome, thanks for sharing!
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Thanks! I have also used garbanzo bean flour and baked mine.
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Nice recipe, not really necessary to take a jab at Chik-Fil-A though.
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Hi Lea, I understand your point, but I feel that it’s absolutely necessary to take a jab at Chick-fil-A, for the simple fact that they market themselves as being a healthful lifestyle choice: http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Healthful-Lifestyle
Their solution for people wanting healthy/light options? Eat their salads with a chargrilled chicken sandwich. Their chargrilled chicken has 26 ingredients:
Chargrilled chicken (100% natural whole breast filet, water, contains less than 2% of sugar, butter flavored vegetable oil [soybean oil, palm kernel oil, soy lecithin, natural & artificial butter flavor, TBHQ, beta carotene], yeast extract, seasoning [sugar, spice, paprika, soybean oil], modified food starch, salt, sea salt, natural flavors, dextrose, potassium phosphate, maltodextrin, autolyzed yeast extract, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, paprika)
I have no problem with companies offering the food that customers want to eat, regardless of how unhealthy it is. But to play it off as if it’s healthy is another thing altogether, and in my opinion, negligent. I could make the same case for every fast food joint out there, as everyone seems to cut corners at some point, with consumers’ health getting the short end of the stick. Chipotle uses soybean oil, and refuses to list their ingredients to the public.
So to me, I feel that it is important to use this site as a platform to reinforce the fact that a) we should avoid industrial food producers as much as possible and b) we can make a much healthier alternative for a fraction of the cost. That’s the whole point of my website – to show that we can take food and health matters back into our own hands. I’m not one to badmouth things for the sake of badmouthing them, but when it comes to our nation’s health and longevity, I get a little fired up :)
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I think what you’re doing is awesome! I gotta be honest I used to LOVE Chick-fil-a, but knowledge is power and the more I learn the more I cook at home!
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Hi Candace, thanks for the feedback. I agree that cooking at home is ideal, and very empowering!
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ChickFilA’s grilled nuggets are the ONLY fast food option available to my kiddos. We eat them once every 3-4 months. Chipotle is about the same. I’m ok with having safer options for the occasions that we choose to eat on the go – but I never think for a second that they are healthy choices!
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Ive made them twice. Yummy!!! Thanks so much!!
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I totally agree! Knowledge on healthy eating and teaching people how to prepare food. And to stay away from processed foods they are full of chemicals and cancer causing ingredients. Food is Medicine for your body! Thank You for your information and your wonderful receipes.
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Knowledge is power! There are sooo many reasons to take a jab at CFA. Thanks for the recipe!!!!
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I agree with the exposing point. How else will the public truly know and be able to choose one way or the other what they want to eat and/or feed their families? I am very sad to see what all is in their chicken, especially MSG, I was really surprised. Thank you.
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Amen! Well said. I have the same gripe about fast food.
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Lea, thats what i was thinking the whole time too! Hahah.
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This looks amazing! I’ll definitely have to make this. We have a local restaurant which is famous for their wings, most people think they are the best in town, and I’ve found that adding a little bit of this yucatan sunshine hot sauce almost replicates the flavor. A bit of habanero with carrots to sweeten the heat. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ZU6R6E
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All I wanna know is if they taste like Chick fil A nuggets and i’m all in.. and may never eat there again.. if i can fry them up like this at home..
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I love love love Chick-fil-a. Gonna have to try this but can i do baked instead of fried??
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Allie, you can definitely try baking them. My only fear is that since it’s a liquid-based coating, the coating may slide off as it sits on a baking sheet. Give it a try and let me know how it goes – probably 425 for 15-20 minutes.
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Definitely making these soon!
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These were excellent, thank you!
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These are awesome. I just made them for a house full of hungry boys. The marinating in pickle juice is a novel idea. The nuggets came out tender and tasty; we didn’t even do a sauce.
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Mary, that’s awesome to hear! As we all know, boys know their chicken nuggets, so if they liked them that’s a total “win” in my book :)
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I tried this recipe last night and it was really good! I do have to say that I did not use the pickle juice as it is loaded with HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. I made my own with white vinegar, water, dill, garlic and black pepper. The chicken marinated in that. I really liked it and will be making it again. :)
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Wow, HFCS in your pickle juice? How odd. Great improvisation!
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Try Bubbies pickles. Naturally fermented and no food dyes or HFCS :-)
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HFCS in DILL pickles? You sure they weren’t sweets?
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I just made these for lunch and my 5 and 3 year old gobbled them up! My 5 year old even said, “Mom, these taste like Chick-fil-A!” Thank you so much for a fabulous recipe. This is definitely a family favorite:)
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Marisol, awesome, thanks for sharing!
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I made these for supper tonight. WELL DONE!!! Even better than the “real” thing!!!!
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Jenny, awesome!
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Yup, had them for dinner! Amazing! Nice job buddy!
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These do not disappoint! I’ve actually never had chik-fil-a but I crave fried chicken. These were so tender and totally hit the spot – thank you!
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Thanks Tiffany! Be sure to check out my fried chicken recipe if you’re craving the real deal:
https://thedomesticman.com/2012/05/15/gluten-free-southern-fried-chicken/
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Gonna give this recipe a try this evening. What is the dipping sauce?
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Brian, the sauce I used in the picture was just a spicy brown mustard, right out of the bottle. Honestly, I mostly ate them without any dipping sauce at all :)
Let me know how you like it!
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Great recipe. I skipped the cream and it turned out very tasty. Used coconut oil to fry them this time; gonna try lard next time. Perfect recipe for the playoffs this weekend. Thanks!!
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Made these for dinner and loved them! I had to make mine dairy free, so I used coconut milk kefir to replace the buttermilk. I also made my own brine using water, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, and salt. I pan fried one batch, and oven Fried the other…I drizzled light olive oil directly over the chicken pieces,before baking and turned the pieces half way through , 425 for about 22 minutes. Both ways worked like a charm, so next time I will stick to the oven to make it quicker! Tank you!
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Tessa, thanks for the feedback! I may have to try them in the oven next time :)
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Happy NewYear ! ( I’m still in time,I suppose)
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Close enough! :)
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Anyone know if leftovers freeze well? These look awesome, would be great to make a big batch!
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Leftovers? What leftovers? LOL These were so yummy! I used sauerkraut juice instead of pickle juice and fried in coconut oil. Seriously, I’m going to freeze a few pieces to see how they hold up. I’ll post on the results.
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Any ideas for an egg substitute (besides flaxseed meal)? My daughter is allergic to both.
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Lydia, the egg acts as a binder for the tapioca starch. You could use a little coconut milk and get the same effect.
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I made these last night and my 4 year old ate like 12, and my pickle-hating husband said he had to get away from the table before he ate too many. Success! Thank you so much for posting!!
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Awesome, thanks for sharing Colleen!
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CFA pressure cooks there chx after a quick fry. Just an FYI. Can hardly wait to try them!!
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These were really great! I ran across your website a couple of days ago, and this is the first recipe of yours I’ve tried. Already have the ingredients for salisbury steak tomorrow night, and after eating these nuggets, I am excited to see how tomorrow’s turns out! :)
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Um, yuck, fast food is the worst, Chik-fil-a or not. We find ourselves in the same situation from time to time–out running errands, hungry and cranky, and nary a quick, healthy option in sight. So I’ve been reading a lot of fast food nutrition statements and ingredient lists and even the “healthy” options are pretty sad. I mean, why should a grilled chicken breast have corn syrup or corn starch added? That said, there’s nothing better than homemade chicken strips/nuggets. I used to make them with panko, but wasn’t sure what to use as a grain-free substitute, so thanks for the recipe!
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I love Chick-Fil-A, personally… their food is more “real” than any other fast food I’ve ever had. But cleaning up the recipe is fantastic – can’t wait to try it at home! (I’ve made CFA nuggets at home for years now, using flour & a few seasonings… but now that I have to eat gluten free, it’s nice to have a recipe to fall back on…)
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Thanks, Laura!
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Do you use tapioca starch or tapioca flour?
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Barbara, they are the same thing! They just get labeled differently sometimes.
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While I’ve never eaten at a chick-fil-la, this recipe intrigued me. We’ve done several versions of chicken nuggets/strips using different combinations of toasted udi bread crumbs. I was working on the marinade etc. tonight and my husband wanted to pull out half of the chicken and do our normal recipie. I talked him into trying it and what a surprise. He absolutely loved it, as did I. Goes great with homemade buffalo sauce as well. Thanks for creating this recipe. Who would have thought to use pickle juice :-)
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Jen, glad you took a chance on the recipe, and that it worked out! :)
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Made these last night and I’m snacking on some leftovers now. Super fun, super flavorful and super delicious. Who knew pickle juice + chicken would = such deep flavor? Obviously you knew. Thanks for the great recipe and bringing chicken nuggets back in my kids lives.
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Made these tonight, very tasty! Thank you :)
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Happy to be of service!
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What is the best dairy-free substitute? Full fat coconut milk? Has anyone tried almond milk?
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Linda, some readers have had good results with coconut milk, I would use that over almond milk because it’s probably a little more adhesive.
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Thank you :) I’ll give it a try.
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Just made these for my kids. They both were only told I was making “chicken” and when they tried them, both said they tasted like Chik-Fil-A nuggets! Recipe Success!!! They are really good.
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Jennifer, perfect! Thanks for sharing.
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I substituted coconut flour for the starch, and it was great! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
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Absolutely unreal what chick fil a puts into their food. Did u all read the list of unpronounceable items? My gosh, a professed Christian company who hates gay people and is killing those that allowed to eat there with the ingredients. Unreal Is all I have to say. A disgrace to America.
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Are you being serious?
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Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it tonight and it’s awesome. My four year old and two year old picky eaters LOVED them! :)
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Kristen, awesome! Glad you guys liked them.
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Oh my goodness! These are so good! We finally found a nugget that the whole family will eat! Thank you!
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Made these today, they were okay. The breading didn’t adhere to the meat, it stuck to the bag instead :( any idea what I did wrong? I want to try them again and hope my second attempt works
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Lauren, sorry to hear that you had an issue with the recipe. The only thing I can think of is maybe try and squeeze more juice/egg out next time? The batter does tend to not want to stick to the chicken, so my solution is to stir the chicken around right before putting a new batch into the lard…hope this helps, and that you try it again sometime!
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Oh I’m going to try again, just trying to troubleshoot. My hubs really liked the flavor even with the spotty breading ;)
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We love this recipe! I use canned full-fat coconut milk to keep it dairy free and it works beautifully. So yummy!
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I’m SO excited to try this recipe and HOPEFULLY sneak it into my husband’s crappy regiment of bad foods. ;)
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dafuq ? Marinating in pickle juice? Brilliant ! (you had me at pickle juice…)
as for ChickFilA, Dimethylpolysiloxane! ‘nuf said. (yack)
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I made this last night and they were terrific! I followed the recipe ingredients exactly because I always like to try a recipe the first time the way it was intended and make changes the next time if need be. The only think I did differently per the instructions was to take the chicken out of the zip lock bag at the end because I was having difficulty getting the egg/cream mixture out of the bag. I put the chicken in a glass dish and worked the dry ingredients by hand. It worked great. I opted for cream, tapioca starch,and coconut oil.
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I make the sauce that CFA has in packets by combining mayo, honey dijon mustard, and hickory smoked bbq sauce. Oooh weee. So good. Great recipe you came up with!!
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would love to make these but do not have any tapioca starch on hand would it work without it ?
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I used white rice flour since I’m allergic to tapioca. They turned out great.
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thanks im just trying to figure out if i could use coconut or almond flour instead, due to my autoimmune disorder im trying to stay away from grains – rice etc
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Almond is a bit grainy but i love it. I love coconut flour too and would use it for its silky texture similar to tapioca.
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Can you email me personally about you Autoimmune problem. I have one too and didnt know grains affected it. Sign2cc@yahoo.com. Thx. Sorry Gluten Dude.
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I used Arrowroot and worked perfect!
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I had chicken wings on hand, so I used them to make this recipe. Cooked them for about 5 minutes on each side. They are so flipping delicious and I didn’t need a bit of sauce or extra seasoning.
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OMG All these comments, they must taste like little bites of heaven. I had my most difficult meal experience dining out tonight. It was Pasta Night at the club. What the freaking hell? The only thing I could find to eat safely was little pieces of chicken and some greens. The pasta was everywhere, like a tornado in Okalhoma. Sucking the wind and energy out of evertying around it. I am at the end of day three of my Whole 30. I think it was hard to not fall prey to the noodles and doodads, but I succeeded and will now soak in the hot tub and call it a win! I heart you blog sister. Amen
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I made these tonight. Used gluten free flour instead of tapioca starch and no milk because my son is Lactose Intolerant. They came out perfect! Just like Chick-fil-a! Thank you!
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Just made these for dinner tonight and they were great! Definitely had to stop myself from eating more. Thanks for the recipe :)
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Hey There! No judgements here…. but I have heard quite a bit that Chick-Fill-A or Chick-A-Fil is a very strong anti-gay culture….just say’in…. think it’s unhealthy in more ways than one!
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CAUTION:These are not paleo-friendly as stated above!! buttermilk or cream is NOT PALEO!
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Hi Aubrey, the idea that some dairy products are “not Paleo” is a bit of contention in the Paleo world; many Paleo gurus concede that some forms (hard cheese, heavy cream, butter especially) are okay in moderation, while the Whole30 interpretation of Paleo is strictly dairy free so that those starting on the Paleo diet can re-introduce it later to see if they have any adverse reactions to it. If you are concerned about going 100% dairy free, coconut milk is an okay substitution.
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I make these all the time and I use almond milk instead of buttermilk or cream and they are still amazing. Try them that way Aubrey
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Any chance you have the nutrition info on this recipe?
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Is there a way that you can bake these! Trying to eat a little healthy not so sure about frying in all the oil/lard!
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Angie, I’ve heard of people baking them, but I’ve also heard that it’s hard to keep the batter from sliding off. Let me know how it goes.
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I make these often and my whole family loves them!
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We LOVE these knock off nuggets! Thank you!
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I am so glad I found your site, although kind of sad. I just had Chick-Fil-A today thinking I was taking my kids to at least a place somewhat healthy. :( Really disappointed in them. When will we have restaurants (affordable ones) that have healthy REAL food??
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Dana, do you live near an Elevation Burger? I think they’re leading the pack in terms of health-conscious fast food.
http://www.elevationburger.com/EB.php#locations
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Thanks for sharing this recipe. I love the flavor. My batter kept sticking to my skillet though. How did you keep yours from sticking. Thanks again. Keep up the great work.
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I made these tonight to satisfy my craving for Chick Fil A. They turned out great. I made these without the buttermilk/cream as I am dairy free right now for a detox, but the next time I make them, I’ll add in the dairy and see what happens. Can you let the chicken and the pickle juice marinate a bit more than an hour? Perhaps two?
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I made these tonight and LOVED them … To answer your question, I let them marinate in the pickle juice for about 8 hours while at work :D
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Oh great, thanks :) I marinated them for two hours today just to see. These are my new favorite treat. They totally fulfill my Chick Fil A craving.
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These were sensational! Made them tonight. Loved the picklish flavor too! Thanks for your hard work creating something my whole family loved!
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Hey Russ, Just wanted to thank you for all the great recipe ideas! We love your recipes (especially this one and the chipotle burrito bowl one) and enjoy the grain-free alternative meals. Keep on keepin on! Can’t wait for your recipe book to come out, Laura (Shane’s wife)
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I needed some new recipes to add to the rotation so I tried this one over the weekend. One word: AMAZING. I dipped them in a homemade Honey Dijon dip with a few dashes of Franks Red Hot. Will definitely be making this again.
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I love how you call this a health food when the second ingredient includes MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, also known as MSG, a known excitotoxin linked to a variety of ailments, as well as addiction.
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What! He said the recipe he is copying CLAIMS to be healthy but uses MSG. his recipe most certainly does not contain msg (hence the pickle juice as marinade…). Guessing you didn’t get past skimming the first paragraph?
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I make mine very similar to yours but I have always use Spelt flour to dredge my chicken chunks and I fry, if you want to call it that, on a nonstick griddle with a light amount of coconut oil. I don’t do pickle juice, I don’t like pickles, but I have used lime juice (an acidic replacement I guess). I also don’t use the egg/milk bath, just a bit of fresh raw Jersey cow milk before coating with the spelt flour.
I love the nutty taste of the crust. It’s not really crunchy but there is some bit of texture there and the taste is really good. My diet is loosely gluten free. I don’t have a gluten intolerance but I think wheat free and sugar free is a healthy diet for anyone…minor infractions occasionally but I feel better when I’ve been good. In addition, I dropped 35 pounds, my triglycerides dropped from 200+ to just 97! I’m kind of a fussy eater, more of a purist (not crazy about a lot of spices) but I do like to give them a try here and there…PS I LOVE your roast recipe.
Living on a farm, I have fresh eggs daily as well as a few veggies in season. I enjoy our local farmer’s market, buy meat only from my local butcher and often process our own cattle/poultry/turkey as well as process my own venison and fortunate to have a raw dairy close by that is licensed and inspected and they only milk Jersey cows. I frequently make my own butter and plan to try making mozzarella.
(Feeling Blessed)
Cat
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nice article.thanx for sharing
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According to Chick-fil-a’s website the grilled nuggets are Gluten free. http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Allergen-Gluten-Diabetic.
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I made them tonight and we all loved them!! I baked them (because with two small kids running around my kitchen it gave me time to complete other things to go with the meal). I baked them in 425 degrees for 20 mins, turning halfway through. It does lack the crunch, but the chicken was so tender and the taste was right on. I will be making these again, thank you!
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Any suggestions on a substitute for eggs? I am allergic.
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Katie, I’ve heard some people have had good success omitting the eggs.
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Made these tonight and they were delicious. We are a paleo family (80%) of the time, so these fit nicely into our lifestyle. A big hit with my boys! thanks for the recipe!
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These nuggets remind me of a little fast food joint in Oklahoma that makes fried chicken nuggets that are delicious- but- what made them so special was that they also battered and fried sliced jalapenos along with the chicken. I can’t wait to try this method .
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Loved this recipe! The BEST homemade chicken nugget recipe I have ever had! Yum!
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First off, thanks for posting. I can’t do without Chik fil a but really need to get off of gluten. When you say “buttermilk or cream” what kind of cream are you referring to? I’m really bad at cooking and never make the right guess. From what I have read there are many different types of cream and they’re all different from buttermilk. Which is best for taste?
Thanks,
Drew
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Drew, I advocate using high-fat dairy, which has been proven time again to aid in weight loss and prevention of metabolic and cardiovascular disease (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22810464). So in that sense, you want to look for heavy cream and full-fat buttermilk, whichever one is available. Grass-fed and organic are preferred over conventional dairy, but that will depend on the size of your wallet :) Hope that helps.
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Not sure where you are and/or the health food stores in your area, but Kalona is a truly amazing grass-fed dairy product. They have coupons on their website, and they contain no extra junk like carageenan or guar gum (haven’t found any other organic product that doesn’t contain these things). I have found it the least expensive at Whole Foods versus another health store in my area. I don’t use it a whole lot, so that justifies the price for me. Hope that helps!
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Is there a way to make this ahead of time for busy days? Do they freeze well? Looking for healthy, easy options for a busy family. Thanks!
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Tammi, I’ve heard of people marinating the chicken for up to eight hours – so maybe you could prep ahead of time and then finish it off in the evening. Baking them is also an option, which will cut down on the cooking time significantly. You could definitely cook them ahead of time and warm them up later. I’m not sure about freezing, my gut reaction is that it wouldn’t be the tastiest thing in the world.
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Ok I made it. For other cooking noobs ‘spanish smoked sweet paprika’ is weird. It’s all they had in the bulk section at my grocery store and being an idiot I just bought it. I will buy normal paprika next time. I will also buy a more finely ground black pepper. The cheap plastic grinder from trader joe’s makes pepper chunks that are too big. I would also try to get a really big pan to fry these in. I used a small deep fryer but it took about 8 batrches… Anyway, great recipe.
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Cannot wait to try these! They look fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you so very much! These were awesome!!!!!! Makes mouth happy :) Thank you
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DUDE! These are AMAZING!! I found fresh (not bottled) pickles at Whole Foods (produce aisle) that have ZERO garbage in them, so bonus! Thanks for all you do
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Just found your website this week and am excited about trying new recipes as we are trying to go grain free. These chicken nuggets are first on the menu!
Thanks!
Debbie
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Would anyone happen to know the caloric intake of these nuggets?
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how do you think these would be baked instead of fried? Fried foods don’t agree with me at all, but these look great!
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Hi Clarisa, I’ve gotten feedback from readers who say they’ve turned out well when baked. I would suggest baking them at 400F and on a wire rack, and check them after 20-30 mins. Some of the batter will fall off when cooking but I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
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I have been paleo for two years now and came across this recipe the other day. I cooked a full paleo meal last night for 16 friends that aren’t paleo or “clean-eating” folks and this recipe was a complete HIT. Everyone loved it! I test new paleo recipes that I find online all the time and I think it’s safe to say that this has been the absolute easiest and best recipe to date. Good work!
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Awesome, thanks Cori!
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Made these for dinner tonight: YUM!!!! Will definitely make again and again!
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Thank you for the work you put into figuring out this recipe! I’ve never eaten at a Chick-Fil-A and can’t comment on the comparison, but I made these for dinner this evening and they were so tender, juicy and flavorful! My hubby and boys are requesting these again soon!
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Kristi, good to hear! Glad you guys liked them.
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I made these for my 3 boys and they absolutely loved them! I used coconut milk and they we’re delish! I’m making another big batch tomorrow to pack in the boys lunches this week! Thanks for a great recipe.
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Cooked them for lunch today in beef lard and they were excellent! The whole family loved ’em. I think I’ll buy a countertop deep fryer to expedite the process
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Awesome! Glad you guys liked them.
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Never had Chick fil-a but have heard how good they taste, supposedly. But, I like dark meat so going to try with thighs and fry in ghee. What do you think?
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Sheila, I’ve heard people making them with thighs and enjoying them. Ghee should be fine.
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They look amazing!! BUT I can’t stand pickles/pickle juice… Any suggestions on what to use instead?
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How do you feel about sauerkraut? Its juice would do a similar job.
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Made these tonight and they were great! And easy! thanks Russ
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Reblogged this on greenchickllc.
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These are fantastic!!! I should have made a double batch…my teenagers gobbles them up!! I used these pickles: http://www.consciouschoicefoods.com/
Harold’s Texicun Gormay Pickuls = Purdy Hot, I think they worked especially well because they are SPICY!!
Thanks for the recipe!!!
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Love these! Thanks so much.
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Hi Russ… Can’t wait to try these… But I will have to sub either almond flour or coconut flour for the starch. Which do you think would work better? Thanks!!
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Almond flour would probably work best.
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Thanks, Russ! I just made these for lunch. The almond flour worked fine. They were a huge hit! My only complaint is that my kids liked them so much, I didn’t get enough for myself. Love your blog – can’t wait to try some more recipes and also purchase your cook book.
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I’ve made these in nuggets and they’re wonderful, but tonight I thought “why not for bone -in fried chicken?” Oh my goodness! I made bone-in wings, thighs and legs and they were amazing! My 6 year old daughter just kept chanting,”mom, this fried chicken is delicious. Thank you, thank you, thank you! ” as she devoured it. So, thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! Oh, I used a mix of lard and coconut oil to fry.
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Lynn, thanks for the feedback!
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Delicious! My family loved these!
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ATTENTION ATTENTION!!! this recipe is NOT suitable for celiac people (with gluten allergy). Chicken feed is proved to be rich in gluten, therefor chicken is out of gluten free diets for people truly intolerant to gluten! do not claim this as something it is not! very healthy you might say but not gluten free!
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Ada, even if a chicken was fed gluten-containing grains (and they are almost never fed them since soy and corn are cheaper), the gluten-containing foods would be broken down by the chicken’s digestive system into amino acids and stripped of any traces of gluten. Chicken meat is gluten-free. http://www.glutenfreegigi.com/grain-fed-chicken-do-grain-proteins-pass-through-to-humans-from-the-meat-we-eat/
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Mmmm my information are different as I am my self celiac and cannot heat chicken because of that.
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OH. My. Chick-Fil-A healthy-er option?! I’ll take it!!!
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Oooooo I want to try this.
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Do you think these can be made without the egg? Or is there another ingredient that can act as the “binder”? I’m trying to find recipes for a teenager who can have eggs, dairy, or nuts.
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You might try chia seeds. After they get wet they form a kind of gel a bit like tapioca.
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i love nuggets :-* and i am going to cook them!
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Can I marinate them overnight in pickle juice?
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Sadia, yep, they’ll be fine with an overnight marinating.
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This recipe is amazing. It tastes exactly like chick fil a and my family loves it. I make it often when I am craving something fried. Thank you!!! I just raved about your recipe on my facebook page so all my friends can try it!!
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I substituted coconut aminos for the pickle juice and the family liked it better than the pickle juice way. Bacon wrapped sweet potato bites make a good side.
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Ally, thanks for the tip!
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If you bake these instead of frying do you add any oil to the baking process?
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Hi Laura, you could brush them with oil or ghee before cooking, that’d be great, but not totally necessary!
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Can you use this recipe with the TFal Actifry and greatly reduce the amount of oil used?
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Nikki, I’m not familiar with that product, but if it can be used to saute or pan-fry meats I think it should be fine. Please let me know if you try it and how it goes!
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Any idea if anything could be substituted for the egg? My son can’t have that either but the rest of the recipe works.
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Mandy, I would just omit the egg in this recipe. It’ll make the starch a bit more difficult to stick to the chicken but it’ll still tired. out great!
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I have a question regarding the pickle juice. Why is it used? I detest pickles, so I’m hesitant. Does the pickle juice cook off so you don’t detect it? Or, is there a hint of potent pickle juice on the nuggets? Educate me :) Thanks so much!
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Many readers are surprised to find that there isn’t a pickle flavor in the nuggets themselves (the acidic juice is used to tenderize the meat). The taste of the nuggets is savory and a bit salty, and very similar to Southern-fried chicken sandwiches and nuggets. Hope that helps!
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I totally taste the pickle… That’s what makes it so weirdly wonderful!
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Hello, chicken niblets! I made some similar bites for my little girl last week, she is so picky…but she ate them. I think she would scarf yours down much faster. Totally giving these a try next time. :)
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Anyone have any experience with freezing or at least reheating these? I’m single and want to make them through the week. I do meal prep on weekends and just wondering how they’ll taste as the week goes on! Thank you!
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Tess, I’ve heard from others that they freeze well!
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What a strange recipe… ButI thought: “Why not?!?!”
It tastes weirdly AWESOME!!!! 👍🏼😊
I fried them in a cast iron skillet with the coconut oil, and then drained them and laid the pan and all in the oven for a few mins! What a pleasant surprise this meal turned out to be! 👍😊
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” But as Melissa at Hunt.Gather.Love. points out, regardless of how you feel about Chick-fil-A’s stance on current social issues, the quality of their food alone should be enough to boycott the restaurant chain.”
I come here for recipes and paleo insight. Is it really necessary to slip in thinly veiled political/social commentary along with comments about boycotting a business? Seriously, why even include this?
You mentioned Chipotle being a standby, but nothing about their recent E.coli outbreak in multiple locations, yet have to take a swipe at Chick-Fil-A? I’d rather brave a little MSG occasionally than shit my guts out.
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Hi Lee, to give you some context, this post was written in 2012, at a time when Chik-Fil-A was heavily represented in the news for their CEO’s comments disparaging gay marriage. My point with that text was to highlight the fact that social issues–from either political perspective–aren’t the only reason to boycott a restaurant. Again, I didn’t mention Chipotle because I wrote this post in 2012.
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What brand of lard do you use?
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Holy moly there are some snowflakes in the comments. Late reply, BUT. I am a nutritionist working in the Texas panhandle. To say that I have patients who like Chick Fil A would be a massive understatement. To say that I have patients who need education on food quality and ingredients, even more so. I direct patients to this recipe DAILY and cook it at home. Full disclosure, I haven’t been to Chick Fil A since high school which…has been a while. But I am grateful for your work and this recipe, and you know what? Some ingredients ARE garbage, including MSG, which Chick Fil A uses in all of their chicken. Also-your roast chicken? Best one I’ve made, ever. Thank you, Russ.
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