Copycat McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets
One bite of these and you might never hit up the drive-thru again!
you're making mealtime meaningful.
McDonald’s chicken nuggets are a classic menu item, beloved by kids and grownups alike. Sure, we love the ease and the nostalgic fun of going to McDonald’s to pick up some of our favorite fast food items, but we thought, what if there was a way to bring that McDonald’s experience directly into our own kitchen? We found the perfect solution for our chicken nugget craving with this super simple, tender, and delicious at-home version of that classic recipe for McDonald’s chicken nuggets. Dare we say, we liked our version better than the original!
Our main motive here wasn’t just to recreate – or ‘copycat’ – our way to a McDonald’s chicken nugget. There’s no replacement for those crispy golden pieces dipped in our favorite honey or sweet n’ sour sauce. But our at-home take on chicken nuggets is super simple and extra delicious, besides, anything made fresh at home always seems to taste extra special. We tenderize the chicken, give it a good toss in seasoned flour, a quick fry in a skillet and then put them into the oven for a quick bake. While this recipe isn’t necessarily “fast food,” it’s definitely faster than hopping into our cars to wait in a drive-thru line. Each nugget comes out of the oven a perfect golden color and is about as tender, fresh, and delicious as we could ever possibly imagine.
Copycat recipes are a fun way to recreate some of our favorite foods at home, and as much as we love our restaurant foods, there’s something to be said for making these dishes right in the comfort of our own kitchen. Part of the fun of going out to a restaurant is the fact that we don’t have to prepare a meal or clean the dishes! But from time to time we want to bring that restaurant taste onto our dinner table without leaving the house. For those of us that crave McDonald’s chicken nuggets, we’ve got just the at-home solution to take care of that fast-food urge. Our copycat McDonald’s chicken nuggets are bite-sized nibbles of our favorite golden treat at the Golden Arches.
Copycat McDonald's Chicken Nuggets
Yield(s): Serves 4-6
30 minutes
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup water
- 1 large egg
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Vegetable oil
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Tenderize chicken breasts with a meat mallet. Cut chicken into 2-inch pieces.
- Combine egg, water, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- Combine flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a lunch-sized brown paper bag. Dip each piece of chicken into egg wash then place in paper bag, 3-4 pieces at a time. Shake until chicken is evenly coated.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet filled with approximately 1-inch of oil. Once oil is hot, evenly space nuggets and fry until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer nuggets from skillet to a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes until pieces are completely cooked through and deliciously golden in color. Serve with dipping sauce of your choice. Enjoy!
