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air fryer chick fil a nuggets
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4 from 1 vote

Air Fryer Chick Fil A Nuggets Copycat Recipe

Addictively delicious, sweet and crunchy, these Air Fryer Chick Fil A nuggets are a must-make! The pickle brine adds the background tanginess and powdered sugar adds to the sweet crispy crunch.
These nuggets would not be complete without the recipe to their signature Chick Fil A sauce! This creamy golden dipping sauce is easy made by combining just a few ingredients you likely have in your fridge.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Brining Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Mallory Austin

Ingredients

Chicken Brine

  • 1.5 lbs chicken tenders or 3 chicken breasts
  • 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

Chick-Fil-A Sauce

  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup peanut oil in a spritzer canola or vegetable oil work instead

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.

Make Chick-Fil-A Sauce

  • In a medium bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients. Mix well until it's smooth. Taste test to ensure it's to your liking, adjust slightly if needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Air Fry Chicken

  • I like to let the breaded chicken nuggets sit for 10 minutes before cooking to allow the breading time to set. Spritz the air fryer basket with a few sprays of peanut oil. Load the chicken into the air fryer basket, placing them at least a half inch apart. Spritz the top of the nuggets with peanut oil, about 8-10 sprays or so, ensuring there aren't any white flour parts without a spritz of oil.
  • Air fry at 400 degrees for 4 minutes. Flip each nugget, repeat the spritzing, then air fry again at 400 degrees for 4-5 minutes until they are crispy and golden brown with an internal temp of 165 degrees.