Chick-fil-A-Style Chicken Nuggets With a Pickle Brine and a Crackly Crust

It is 5:52 on a Wednesday, the fridge door is beeping because you have been standing in it too long, and the pickle jar has caught your eye. These chick-fil-a-style chicken nuggets take about 35 minutes start to finish, including a 20 minute soak while you pour something cold. Pull into your own kitchen instead of the drive-thru lane, and no one has to know you were tempted.

Our version uses a pickle brine, and you probably already own the jar.

This is a home copycat inspired by the restaurant favorite, not an official recipe and not connected to the chain in any way. The idea is simple: chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces rests in pickle juice and milk, gets a quick egg dip and a seasoned flour coating, and goes into hot oil for a few minutes. What comes out is juicy inside and crisp outside, with a faint tang you cannot quite place until someone asks.

How to make it

1. Cut the 1.5 lb boneless chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces, about 5 minutes, then place them in a bowl with 1 cup pickle juice and ½ cup milk. Marinate for 20 minutes.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper.
3. Beat the 1 egg in a second shallow bowl.
4. Drain the chicken, dip each piece in the egg, then coat thoroughly in the flour mixture, pressing so it sticks.
5. Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat to 350°F, about 6 minutes.
6. Fry the nuggets in batches for 3 to 4 minutes until golden and cooked through to 165°F, turning once.
7. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Notes

Cooked leftovers keep three to four days refrigerated, per USDA FSIS. Reheat nuggets on a rack in a hot oven or in a skillet rather than the microwave, because the microwave will undo the crust you just worked for.

Cut the chicken into one-inch pieces of similar size. Small, even pieces cook through in the three to four minutes the method allows. The soak is short, so you do not need to plan a day ahead.

The coating is flour seasoned with a little powdered sugar, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. The powdered sugar is not there to make the nuggets sweet. It adds a faint savory-sweet edge, and it is one tablespoon, so measure it.

Drain the chicken well after the soak, dip each piece in the beaten egg, then press it into the flour so it sticks. Pressing is what builds the craggy crust. Work with one dry hand for the flour and one wet hand for the egg, and you will not end up with breaded fingers.

For doneness, USDA lists 165°F as the safe minimum for poultry. Check one of the largest pieces in the first batch with a thermometer, and you will know what the rest should look like.

Frying is a quick job, but it is a hot one. Use a deep skillet with room between the oil and the rim, keep a lid nearby, and dry your hands before you reach over it.

If you are the type who stalls at the menu board choosing between a nugget and a sandwich, this one lets you stop choosing for one night. Swipe these chick-fil-a-style chicken nuggets right and come back for the sandwich later.

Swaps that actually work

The pickle juice is the point of these chick-fil-a-style chicken nuggets, so leave it in. It gives the chicken its tang, and the milk alongside it mellows the sharpness. Use the juice from a jar of dill pickles, and keep the pickles for serving.

Everything else can move. Chicken thighs cut into one-inch pieces work in place of breast and stay a little more forgiving in the fryer, and cook the same way. Any neutral oil is fine for frying, as long as it can take 350°F. An air fryer or oven version gives a different crust, so treat it as its own dish rather than a substitute.

Smoked paprika can replace the plain paprika if you want a deeper color and flavor. A pinch of cayenne in the flour brings some heat without changing the structure. Add the same amount of powdered sugar even if you add spice.

The swap that costs you the dish is skipping the soak. Straight from the package, breast meat is lean, and the brine and milk give it a head start on staying juicy. A shorter soak still helps more than none, but the 20 minutes is what the recipe was written around.

For dipping, anything works: honey mustard, barbecue sauce, ketchup, or a mix of mayonnaise and a little pickle juice stirred together. Commit to one sauce, or run a tasting round and play the field.

If it goes wrong

The coating fell off in the oil. Either the chicken was wet when it went into the egg, or the flour was not pressed on firmly. Drain the pieces well, press the flour on with some weight, and let the coated nuggets sit for a few minutes before frying so the coating can cling. Fry them gently, and turn them only once.

They are greasy rather than crisp. The oil was not hot enough, or it dropped when you added too many pieces at once. Keep it at 350°F, fry in batches, and let the oil come back up to temperature between batches. If a batch is already greasy, a few minutes on a rack in a hot oven will crisp it back.

The outside is dark but the middle is pink. The oil was too hot or the pieces were too big. Lower the heat a little, cut the pieces smaller, and cook until a thermometer reads 165°F. Finish any underdone pieces in a hot oven rather than the pan.

They taste bland. Season the flour boldly and taste your salt. The marinade is gentle, so the coating has to carry the flavor. A pinch of flaky salt straight out of the fryer helps too.

What to serve with it

The default is a pile of nuggets, a dipping sauce and something cold to drink. That is a legitimate dinner.

The better version of the default is a crisp slaw or sliced cucumbers, because they cut through the richness and keep the plate from feeling like a fried-only affair. Waffle fries or a baked potato will also work if you want a fast food run from your own table.

The thing in the fridge that lifts it is another pickle. Serve a few slices on the side. It is the same flavor from the brine, sitting there in plain sight.

These are good the next day, cold from the fridge in a lunchbox or reheated until crisp, which makes them a fair candidate for the lunch rotation.

Why this one earns its place

These chick-fil-a-style chicken nuggets scratch a specific craving with ingredients you can read aloud. There is something quietly satisfying about cooking the thing you would have driven for, and having a few pieces left for tomorrow.

It also fits a weeknight better than its reputation suggests: about 35 minutes start to finish, soak included. Swipe it into your week and the agent can shop the chicken, pickle juice and flour for you.

If you want more fried chicken, try Korean fried chicken, keep quick weeknight dinner ideas handy for the nights that are not nugget nights, and when you cannot decide, what's for dinner tonight is for exactly that moment.

More like this: all American recipes in Crave Corner.