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Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Homemade Chicken Nuggets | Life At The Table A white plate piled with chicken nuggets with a dipping sauce next to them on the plate and a green napkin lying on a wooden table next to the plate.
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Make crispy, juicy chicken nuggets at home with buttermilk and pickle juice marinade—easy, flavorful, and way better than fast food.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 lb chicken tenders (or boneless, skinless chicken breast) cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup Wickles Pickles juice
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon granulated onion
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • peanut oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Combine the buttermilk, pickle juice, granulated garlic, and granulated onion in a bowl.
  2. Add the chicken pieces, submerging them into the buttermilk mixture.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  4. Whisk together the flour, paprika, ground cayenne, and kosher salt.
  5. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture and shake off any excess.
  6. Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a deep set skillet or dutch oven to 350˚F.
  7. Add the chicken nuggets to the oil in batches. Don’t overcrowd the nuggets in the cooking vessel.
  8. Fry until the nuggets are golden brown. Transfer to a sheet pan with a wire rack.
  9. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce, ranch, spicy yogurt, or honey mustard.

Notes

  • Alternatively, you can fry these in an air fryer and they reheat fabulously well in an air fryer.
  • My favorite pickle juice is Wickles Pickles. Spicy, tangy, it hits all my flavor notes. Use whatever is your favorite pickle juice.
  • I don’t fry very often so I strain my oil and store it in my fridge for future use. Here’s the oil can with strainer that I use to store my oil.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://lifeatthetable.com/homemade-chicken-nuggets/

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