Crispy fried chicken nuggets are always a hit at my house during the weekend. It’s seasoned to perfection and fried for the ultimate crunch factor. These nuggets are so juicy, so tender, and so easy to make. Totally inspired by the infamous Chick-fil-A chicken bites.
Preparing the Chicken
The Type of Chicken
The key to this juicy and tender recipe is to use chicken thighs. Chicken thighs contains a little fat and since it’s darker meat. It’s nearly impossible to make chicken thighs dry, unlike chicken breast. So, to make this recipe take at least 4-5 boneless skinless chicken thighs and cut into chunks.
The Dry Rub Marinade
Now that we cut the chicken thighs into chunks. It’s time to add the dry rub. In a small bowl add the following ingredients: granulated sugar, kosher salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir all of these ingredients together, then sprinkle it on both sides of the chicken thigh chunks. Transfer the seasoned chicken thighs into a ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. This process just allows the chicken thighs to develop more flavor.
The Egg Wash & Flour
Alright now it’s almost time to fry the little nuggets. In a bowl combine eggs and buttermilk whisk together until well combined. In a separate bowl add the following dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, ground black pepper, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Again whisk these ingredients until well combined. Now for the fun part. First, dunk the chicken nuggets into the dry ingredients. Next dunk the nuggets into the wet ingredients and then back into the dry ingredients. Transfer the flour chicken nuggets to a baking sheet.
How to Fry the Chicken Nuggets
On to the final part….frying the nuggets to a crispy perfection. Using a dutch oven or deep iron skillet fill it three-quarters of the way up with peanut oil or vegetable oil. Using a candy thermometer wait until the oil reaches 325 degrees F. Fry the chicken nuggets in batches until golden and crispy. Transfer the cooked nuggets to a wire rack. You can check the doneness of the nuggets by cutting one in half making sure, it’s no longer pink.
An Epic Chicken Nuggets Dipping Sauce
So what do you dip these incredible nuggets with? Well, I am so glad you ask. I personally like the Chick-Fil-A sauce, so I thought why not recreate this sauce, without the preservatives. To make the Dulcet Scintilla Sauce you’ll need the following ingredients: mayo, BBQ sauce, garlic gloves, dijon mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and yellow mustard. To make the sauce first zest the garlic glove into a medium-size bowl. Then, combine the remaining ingredients into the bowl, give it a quick whisk. Now, you’re ready to dip those amazing nuggets into that amazing sauce. Enjoy.
Looking for more chicken recipes? Check out these links below.
Crispy and Juicy Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
Dry Rub
- 4-5 Chicken Thighs boneless, skinless, cut into chunks
- 2 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp Granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
Dredge
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 1 tsp Ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp Garlic powder
- 2 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1/4 cup Buttermilk
- Peanut or Vegetable Oil
Dulcet Scintilla Sauce
- 1/4 cup Mayo
- Garlic glove minced
- 1/4 cup BBQ Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Dry Rub
- In a small bowl add kosher salt, granulated sugar, and garlic powder together. Whisk well. Sprinkle the seasoning on both sides of the chunky chicken thighs. Place the seasoned chunky chicken thighs in a ziploc bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Frying the Chicken Nuggets
- Fill a dutch oven two-thirds full with peanut or vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 325 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl whisk together one egg and the buttermilk. Set aside.
- In a shallow pan, add the dry ingredients together (all-purpose flour, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and powdered sugar) and whisk well.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the refrigerator. In batches, first dunk the thighs in the dry flour mixture, next transfer to the egg wash. Lastly, place the chicken back into the flour mixture and then transfer the breaded chicken thighs to a sheet pan. Continue this process for all the remaining chicken thighs.
- In batches, fry the chicken nuggets for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. To double check if the nuggets are fully cook cut one in half. If it appears juicy and white with no show of pink it's fully cooked. Transfer the cooked nuggets to a wire rack. Complete this proess for the remaining chicken nuggets.
The Dulcet Scintilla Sauce
- In a medium sized bowl add together the minced garlic, mayo, BBQ sauce, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, yellow mustard, and dijon mustard. Whisk together until well combined. Enjoy.