Last Updated on April 8, 2026 by Carrie Korem, FNTP
Chick-Fil-A nuggets are super popular, but sadly they contain MSG, white flour and some ingredients I can’t really pronounce. After hearing so many friends rave about them for so many years, I decided to come up with a recipe for copycat Chick-fil-a nuggets recipe (that’s gluten-free!) that we can enjoy at home!
Ingredients needed for copycat chick-fil-a nuggets recipe
For the marinade:
- Chicken breasts
- Pickle juice (I used Bubbies)
- Buttermilk (or use 1/2 cup coconut milk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice for dairy-free)
For the breading:
- Finely ground almond flour
- Coconut flour
- Arrowroot flour
- Gelatin
- Paprika
- Celtic sea salt
- Garlic powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of cayenne
- Eggs
For frying:
The chicken is marinated in pickle juice and buttermilk, providing a tangy flavor and making the meat exceptionally juicy. The nuggets are then coated with a gluten-free flour mixture featuring lots of spices.
How to fry chicken nuggets
I chose tallow or lard (from good sources) as the frying fat because they withstand high heats without oxidizing.
To fry the nuggets, all you need to do is to place the tallow or lard in a large pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat to 350ºF on a candy thermometer (this will take about 10 minutes).
When the tallow is at 350ºF, carefully place 8-10 chicken pieces in the hot oil. Fry for about 2 minutes, or until they’re golden brown on the bottom. Using a pair of tongs, flip the chicken pieces. Cook until the other side is golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Dipping sauces for gluten-free chicken nuggets
- Lemon Aioli – combine 1/2 cup mayo with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and you’re done!
- Copycat chick-fil-a sauce
- Organic ketchup
- Homemade Green Goddess
- Homemade Ranch
I hope you enjoy them!
PrintHomemade Chick-fil-a Nuggets Recipe (gluten-free)
- Prep Time: 24 hours 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cup pickle juice (I used Bubbies)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (or use 1/2 cup coconut milk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
- 2 cups finely ground almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon Celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of cayenne
- 5 large eggs
Instructions
- Place the chicken, pickle juice and buttermilk in a large bowl. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.
- Place the almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot, gelatin, paprika, sea salt, garlic power, black pepper and cayenne in a large baking dish. Toss gently to combine. Crack the eggs into a pie plate and whisk in 2 tablespoons water. Dip a few pieces of the chicken first into the flour mixture, then the egg, then the flour again. Set the coated chicken on a large plate while you coat the remaining pieces.
- Place the tallow or lard in a large pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat to 350ºF on a candy thermometer (this will take about 10 minutes).
- Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 250ºF and adjust the rack to the middle position.
- When the tallow is at 350ºF, carefully place 8-10 chicken pieces in the hot oil. Fry for about 2 minutes, or until they’re golden brown on the bottom. Using a pair of tongs, flip the chicken pieces. Cook until the other side is golden brown, about 2 minutes. As you finish the chicken pieces, place them on the prepared baking sheet. Place the sheet into the oven to keep the chicken warm while you cook the remaining pieces. Serve hot.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
Hi, I was trying to see which gelatin it is you use but it just takes me to Amazon and doesn’t send to item.
Sorry about that! I just made the edit. HEre’s the link: http://amzn.to/2cDF01Y
Can you reuse the tallow for another day?
Yes! I do it all the time!
Finally…a use for pickle juice! 😉 I always hate to throw it out…
I’m in the UK and not familiar with pickle juice. What exactly is it?
It’s the juice from a jar of pickles.
Love this! I only take my kids to CFA once or twice year, so they’ll love hearing there’s a suitable homemade alternative. Thanks!!
This sounds delish. What is the purpose of the gelatin and can it be omitted?
The gelatin acts as a binding agent for the breading and shouldn’t be omitted.
OMG I LOVE ChicFilet Nuggets, this is an exciting recipe for me! I already have Gelatin from Perfect Supplements so I can’t wait to try this recipe out 🙂
What can I use instead of almond flour? My son is allergic to nuts.
I only test the recipes on my site with the listed ingredients and measurements. If you would like to try a substitution, you are welcome to share what you used and how it turned out in the comments below. Thanks!
Carrie! These are awesome! So…I wanted to do them and was in a pinch today. Didn’t have pickle juice, but they were still great! The other neat thing? I had halibut thawed, not chicken and they were amazing!! Just thought others might like to know that the recipe works with a good sturdy fish too. 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! I’ll have to try this with fish. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Hi! Have you ever you frozen the leftovers? Just wondering if I could keep them in freezer and reheat for lunches? Thanks!
Yummy, I made these yesterday and wanted to share this with your users as I’m sure several may be wondering. I did not fry them due to having so much healthy fat in my diet already and wanted to see if I could bake them or air fry them… So, I put it all to the test and here is what I found out and my personal preferences:
The first few batches where done EXACTLY as you have listed – flour, egg, flour
1) Air fried – turned out great and nice and crispy, but too bready for my taste
2) Baked – turned out fine, not crispy, but still good and too bready for my taste
Now before I continue I know had I fried them according to the recipe, they wouldn’t be too “bready” as the oil would have soaked in and crisped them up really good.
The next 2 sets of batches were done:
1. With just dipping chicken in flour mixture one time
2. With dipping chicken in egg and then flour mixture one time
And those 2 batches I did only in the air fryer and preferred the ones dipped in egg and then the flour mixture.
Due to these being “drier” than what Carrie posted, you’ll likely want some sauce with it. As for the cooking times and settings:
OVEN – baked at 425 – 8 to 10 minutes on one side, flip them over and baked another 4 to 6 minutes
AIR FRYER – “preheated” at 400 for 8 minutes and cooked a TOTAL of 7 1/2 – 8 minutes, flipping them half way through
Finally, I can’t personally take credit for the settings of oven and air fryer as I googled them first. Either way, wanted to share.
Carrie any thoughts on how to make this dairy free????
The dairy-free adaptation written in the ingredient list will work! 😉
What is a “late” egg?
Thank you for your recipes!
That should have said “large”. I just made the edit!