Chick-Fil-A Nuggets- Copycat recipe

I’ve been wanting to make a copy cat Chick-Fil-A recipe for some time now, but once we got our air fryer, I knew I just needed to go for it.

However, this month my husband and I are following the Whole 30 nutrition plan. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s essential an anti-inflammatory diet designed to help you weed out any food sensitivities. It means eating absolutely no dairy, corn, soy, gluten, legumes, sugar or alcohol for 30 days. We basically eat a ton of protein and veggies along side some potatoes and fruit.

So now I needed to make sure I could find a whole 30 compliant chicken nugget recipe that still tasted similar to chick-fil-a. I started researching recipes and finally came up with one that worked for our family.

Plus, I made them in the air fryer. You definitely don’t have to, but thus step saves you a lot of added fat.

Check it out and let me know what you think of the recipe.

Enjoy!!!

Ingredients

Whole30 Chicken Nuggets

• 2 large chicken breasts about about 1.5 pounds, cut into bite-sized chunks

• 1/2 cup dill pickle juice

• 1 egg beaten

• 2/3 cup almond flour

• 1/2 cup coconut flour

• 2 Tbsp. tapioca starch

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 tsp. onion powder

• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano

• 1 tsp. paprika

• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp. pepper

• 1/4 tsp. dried basil

• refined coconut oil or avocado oil spray

Chick-Fil-A-Sauce

• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. Whole30 mayonnaise

• 3 Tbsp. coconut aminos

• 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard

• 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 Tbsp. Whole30 ketchup

• 3/4 tsp. liquid smoke or 1 tsp smoked paprika

• pinch salt

Instructions

Make Whole30 Chicken Nuggets

1. Combine chicken breast chunks and pickle juice in an air-tight container or large plastic bag. Refrigerate at least one hour, preferably overnight, tossing every so often.

2. Pour beaten egg in a shallow bowl. Whisk together flours, tapioca starch, and spices in another shallow bowl. 

3. Drain chicken from pickle juice. Dip chicken pieces in egg then coat in flour mixture. Repeat until all nuggets are coated.

4. Grease the Air Fryer basket with a little oil. Coat chicken pieces in egg mixture, then coat it in flour mixture, then shake off any excess flour and place it in the basket. Repeat until the bottom of the air fryer basket is full. Make sure none of the pieces are overlapping nor should they be touching. 

5. Close the air fryer basket and cook on 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes, flipping halfway. Spray any flour spots when flipping. 

6. After 12 minutes is up, increase the heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for an additional 2 minutes. 

7. Remove and serve with your favorite dipping sauce. 

Make Chick-Fil-A Sauce

1. If you are on a Whole30, use only 3 tablespoons coconut aminos and skip 2 teaspoons maple syrup and 1 tablespoon coconut aminos. If you are NOT on a Whole30, skip the 3 tablespoons coconut aminos and use 2 teaspoons maple syrup and 1 tablespoon coconut aminos.

2. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Chill until ready to serve, at least 30 minutes.