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Fluffy, tender honey butter yeast rolls stuffed with perfectly crisp chick-fil-a style nuggets are the most delightful bite sized breakfast. This chick-fil-a chicken minis copycat recipe will bring this restaurant breakfast favorite to your table anytime of the day (including Sundays!). We love these as a party appetizer or game day food just as much as we love them for indulgent morning fuel.
This easy recipe uses premade rolls that tastes identical to Chick-Fil-A’s version. The homemade chicken nuggets freeze really well, so you can make a batch these ahead of time, pop them in the air fryer to reheat and assemble the chick-fil-a chicken minis anytime.
Not wanting to fry these nuggets? You can also use my Air Fried Chick Fil A Nugget copycat recipe for a lighter take.
Why You’ll Love Chick-Fil-A Chicken Minis
- Freezer Friendly – the nuggets freeze beautifully. Make a big batch of these and pop them in a freezer bag for ease when you are craving the chicken minis.
- Sweet and Salty – the combination of the honey butter paired with the crunchy juicy chicken is next level delicious!
- Semi-Homemade for Ease – the recipe uses a pack of frozen yeast rolls so you won’t have to make any rolls from scratch.
Key Ingredients
Once you make chick-fil-a chicken minis at home, it’ll be hard to order them in the drive-thru. These are seriously more delicious than the CFA version.
Chicken – breasts or tenderloins cut into nugget sized pieces
Buttermilk – for the brining the nuggets
Pickle juice – equal parts of pickle juice and buttermilk will impart so much tenderness to the nuggets.
Egg + Milk – for the dredge for frying the nuggets
Seasonings – black pepper, salt, garlic powder, paprika
Sugar – both powdered sugar and granulated sugar are used for the signature sweetness
Honey – we use honey to mix into the butter and create the most craveable topping on the biscuits.
Butter – For brushing the tops (and inside, optionally) of the yeast rolls
Peanut oil – or your preferred frying oil. See Air Fried Chick-Fil-A nuggets for air fryer instructions.
How to Make Chick-Fil-A Chicken Minis
Brine Chicken
Dice your raw chicken tenders and chicken breasts into bite sized chunks. In a medium bowl combine pickle juice, buttermilk, and the brine seasonings. Submerge the chicken pieces into the brine, cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
Dredge chicken
In a medium bowl combine the wet ingredients (milk and egg). Whisk until smooth. In a separate bowl add the flour, powdered sugar and seasonings. Whisk to combine. Drain the pickle brine from the bowl of marinating chicken. Transfer chicken directly into the milk+egg mixture, dunking so they are fully coated. Transfer them dripping wet into the dry flour mixture. Toss them well so they are coated on all sides.
Heat Yeast Rolls
Preheat oven according to package instructions. If using Sister Schubert, 300 degrees for 15 minutes with the top covered in foil. Put them in the oven as soon as you start frying the chicken.
Fry Chicken
Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the chicken until golden brown and crispy, flipping half way through – about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack so the oil drips away.
For air fry instructions, see my chick fil a nugget recipe here.
Make Honey Butter & Assemble
Combine softened, partially melted butter with honey. Spread over the tops (and optionally inside) the cooked hot yeast rolls. Place one piece of chicken on the inside of each roll and enjoy!
How to Freeze & Reheat Chicken Minis
The chicken for. the chick-fil-a minis can be prepared and fried ahead, cooled and stored in airtight containers or freezer bags. When you are ready to enjoy them, use an air fryer to reheat them at 375 degrees for 5-6 minutes or until hot and crispy. Since the yeast rolls are already frozen, wait to heat and serve the rolls until the chicken is cooking, brushing with honey butter after they cook.
Did you love this Chick-Fil-A Chicken Minis copycat recipe recipe? Be sure to comment below with any questions or feedback.
Don’t forget to tag me on IG with any photos; @BadBatchBaking and use #BadBatchBaking
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Minis Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken tenders or 3 chicken breasts
- 16 oz Sister Shubert's Parker House yeast rolls in the round foil container
Chicken Brine
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup dill pickle juice
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
Wet Dredge Mixture
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
Dry Flour Mixture
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Honey Butter
- 3 tablespoons partially melted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
Brine Chicken
- Dice your raw chicken tenders and chicken breasts into bite sized chunks. In a medium bowl combine pickle juice, buttermilk, and the brine seasonings. Submerge the chicken pieces into the brine, cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
Dredge chicken
- In a medium bowl combine the wet ingredients (milk and egg). Whisk until smooth. In a separate bowl add the flour, powdered sugar and seasonings. Whisk to combine. Drain the pickle brine from the bowl of marinating chicken. Transfer chicken directly into the milk+egg mixture, dunking so they are fully coated. Transfer them dripping wet into the dry flour mixture. Toss them well so they are coated on all sides.
Bake Yeast Rolls
- Preheat oven according to package instructions. If using Sister Shubert, 300 degrees for 15 minutes with the top covered in foil. Put them in the oven as soon as you start frying the chicken.
Fry Chicken
- Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the chicken until golden brown and crispy, flipping half way through – about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack so the oil drips away.
- For air fry instructions, see my chick fil a nugget recipe here.
Make Honey Butter & Assemble
- Combine softened, partially melted butter with honey. Spread over the tops (and optionally inside) the cooked hot yeast rolls. Place one piece of chicken on the inside of each roll and enjoy!
These turned out sooooo good! Made them for my daughters sleep over and they are gone so fast!
These turned out super good. I had to use a differ t brand of rolls but they worked well. Definitely takes care of the chick fil a craving! Will be making again.
Yay so happy to hear that!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing