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I have been meaning to make these chicken nuggets for quite a while. I’ve seen this recipe in several places around the net, so not sure who the genius was behind this wonderful McDonald’s copycat, but these chicken nuggets are a new favorite. The best part is knowing exactly what’s in these little chicken goodies and knowing there aren’t any preservatives or mystery ingredients either.
To give you an idea of how these taste, my husband came in and grabbed one off the plate. After his first bite he made the “mmmm” sound and then exclaimed:
“Wow! These are REALLY good!” Then he took another bite and followed up with “You should be proud of yourself with these. These are really, REALLY good!”
With that, he piled some into a bowl and left me standing in the kitchen smiling. I originally found this recipe at Soup Belly, where she uses some dark and some white meat. I increased all the ingredients but basically kept the recipe the same.
These nuggets don’t have the exact same consistency as McDonald’s, they seem a little denser, or maybe it’s more compact. But the flavor is fabulous and they are actually pretty darn fun to make too. So are you ready to get started?
First you’re going to cut some boneless chicken breasts into cubes, then run them through the food processor.
Here’s what it looks like when it’s done.
Mix together the salt, pepper, onion powder, oregano and parsley.
Sprinkle it over the ground up chicken in a bowl and mix it all up.
Whisk the eggs in a bowl.
Mix the flour and salt in another bowl.
Use a cookie scoop to measure out chicken balls. Giggle.
Roll the balls smooth and get everything together. You’ll need your bowl of whisked eggs, your bowl of flour mixture, the chicken balls and an empty plate.
First roll a chicken ball in flour.
Coat the floured ball with egg.
Coat it in flour again. I found that the best way to do this was to actually use one hand for the egg and the other hand for the flour so that the flour doesn’t end up clumping all over your egg-y wet fingers.
Then place the flour chicken ball on a plate and gently flatten it with your fingers.
I used my fryer set at 365F, but you can use a cast iron Dutch oven or even a heavy bottomed sauce pan too.
In my fryer it took about 7.5 minutes, I flipped them over halfway through. Drain them on paper towels.
Take a bite.
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 3/4 teaspoon of parsley flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon of oregano
- 1/4 (heaping) teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/4 (heaping) teaspoon of pepper
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups of flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups of canola oil
Instructions
- Heat oil in a heavy-duty skillet or saucepan on medium-high heat. Set a candy thermometer in place.
- While oil is heating, cut chicken breasts into cubes, then place in a food processor. Process chicken into a fine paste. Transfer processed chicken to a bowl. Combine salt, parsley, oregano, onion powder, and pepper, and sprinkle over chicken. Combine well.
- Whisk eggs together in a small bowl. Combine the flour and salt and put it on a plate.
- Measure chicken paste out with a cookie scoop and roll into 42 balls.
- Roll ball in flour, then coat with egg, and then coat in flour again. Use your fingers to press the ball down to make a nugget.
- Once oil reaches 350-365 F place as many nuggets as possible in the oil, and fry until the bottoms are golden, turn and fry until the other side is golden, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove to a towel-lined plate (to catch any excess oil).
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these look really good and would like to make them for my daycare children. Wondering if you can bake them instead to make them a little bit more healthy?
I haven’t tried baking these, not sure how the flour coating would turn out. If you try it please let us know!
breadcrumbs work better for baking .
If you baked them, I would spray the outside with a little cooking spray, 400F, turning until cooked through.
I used breadcrumbs and baked mine. I baked them on a cooling rack on a cookie sheet so they would get crispy on both sides. They were delicious.
Good to know Michelle, thanks! Can you share the temperature you baked them at and for how long?
Ohhhh. I totally have to make these.
75 minutes?? Can that possibly be right? That sounds insanely long to cook nuggets.
Thanks for the recipe, it’s definitely interesting.
7.5 – sorry, probably shouldn’t have used a decimal! 7 1/2 minutes.
MMMM those look good and you can season them as you want!
I can’t believe how good those look! I need to add those to my menu :)
I would feel much better having those than the mystery meat ones you get at Mc Donald’s.
Those are fun. And I’m so naive I didn’t get the chicken balls thing–at first. I get it, I get it. giggle ;)
I make these nuggets for my kids all the time. Only i cut the chicken breast in small cubes, put salt and pepper on them. Then roll them through the egg, then through some panko (or other breadcrumbs) and cook them in some butter and olive oil in a pan. Works fine for me!
But you are right, now at least we now what’s in them!
Do you think I could dip in butter instead of egg? My son’s allergic to eggs but I think he’d LOVE these. Thanks so much! I just found your blog and LOVE it!
I would suggest using buttermilk instead of the butter :)
What do you think about making a huge batch of these and freezing them?? I work overnights on the weekends and these would be great for quick and easy lunches for my husband to make the kids! I’d say they’d even be better than the store bought nuggets.
Hi Kati! I have not tried freezing them yet. I would think they would work fine, you would just need to adjust the frying time, or allow them to thaw before cooking. However, you may want to experiment first before making a big batch for the freezer. Maybe make some for dinner and place a handful in the freezer, then try them the next day. :)
What is the aprox weight of the 3 chicken breasts? I am wanting to use ground chicken and need to know how much to buy.
Hi Sarah! I buy pretty big breasts, they usually weight around 8 or 9 oz each. :)
Amanda,
I am one of your many followers and just wanted to say hello from Oklahoma and tell you how much I do enjoy your blog! Thank you for all the great sharing you do!
Vicki :-)
Thanks so much Vicki, that is so nice of you! :) :)
Hello Amanda, I just wanted you to know that I did some sleuthing, and found that the original recipe was found from videojug.com. Here’s the link:
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-chicken-nuggets
Enjoy, and maybe you’ll spawn a great recipe for blackberry cheesecake some day? (My favorite!)
-J
Awesome thanks! Blackberry cheesecake, sounds fabulous!
[...] Homemade Chicken Nuggets | Amanda’s Cookin’. /* Filed Under: Copycat [...]
Tried these for the first time tonight, and they’re a hit! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Awesome!
How much onion powder, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper should I use?
Hi Nikki! All of the measurements are in the formal version of the recipe at the end of the post, just above the comments section :)
Thanks!
Have you tried these with any different seasonings.
I haven’t no, let me know if you do!
Thanks for the great recipe will try it for sure!
Hi Amanda! Of all the websites with nugget recipes this is the best I’ve seen!
I really want to make these tonight for my girlfriend as she would love them! (and its her bday tomorrow)
The problem is I am a beginner at cooking and I don’t have a deep fat fryer. I just have an oven or a hob!
How else can I cook them?
Many thanks
Josh x
Hi Josh! You can make these in a skillet or a saucepan with canola or vegetable oil. Just as good as a deep fryer!
I’ve been looking for a good chicken nugget recipe for years. This recipe is AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for posting.. The key here is the ground chicken… I kept mine in the freezer before I formed them (made it easier to handle). Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe!
Thanks so much Mike, glad you enjoyed it as much as we did!
I do a variation of these and make them gluten free. I use rice flour instead of wheat flour and then for the final coating I roll them in quinoa flakes which make them nice and crunchy. YUM. My kids love them.
That’s a great idea!
I like chicken nuggets but i’m always stuck with the supermarket ready to make ones. Will try these. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Amanda these look just like Mc D’s but are truly healthy and nutritious unlike Mc D’s
They look good and easy. Have you tried freezing and reheating.
I haven’t tried freezing and reheating, no. I think some others in the comments were going to try, but no one has reported back. Would love to hear if you do!