Copycat McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets with Crisp Double-Fried Batter
By Mason Brooks
Prep
20 min
Cook
10 min
Total
30 min
Servings
6
Level
Medium
Easy at-home kid-friendly meal: This Copycat McDonald's Chicken McNuggets recipe makes 30 small nuggets with two layers of crispy fried breading. Chicken is ground and shaped into nuggets. The nuggets are coated with seasoned ingredients, including onion and garlic powder and paprika, and fried until they rise to the top of the oil.
The chicken filling consists of ground chicken, one egg, and salt mixed in a food processor or other mixing device to create a paste. Small amounts of chicken paste are coated with cornstarch and dipped in a flour batter mixed with water, egg, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper. Breading helps shape the chicken nuggets.
Cook the nuggets in batches of five to prevent clumping and ensure all pieces are evenly coated and cooked. Fry the first batch for three minutes or until the nuggets float, then drain the nuggets on paper towels for a few minutes. Fry the second batch for two minutes to help the coating adhere. Remove any remaining batter to avoid uncoated edges on the finished product.
Serve nuggets with BBQ sauce, ketchup, hot mustard, or honey mustard sauce. The recipe yields 30 nuggets, and nutritional information is for one serving of five nuggets. You can offer several sauce choices when serving a family meal or snack tray.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Kids who order chicken nuggets instead get a homemade version of chicken nuggets, a recipe for 30 nuggets using ground chicken and breading.
- A family meal is easy to serve, because the package says it serves 30 nuggets, and the nutrition information says a serving of nuggets contains five nuggets.
- Sauce choices include BBQ sauce, ketchup, hot mustard, and honey mustard. This way, each dish can be customized to suit personal taste without changing the nuggets themselves.
- The double-fry method of frying chicken nuggets may be more popular among consumers because it produces a crisper coating.
- The double-fry method involves frying chicken nuggets once, allowing them to rest briefly, and then frying them for two more minutes.
- Batch cooking is a technique home cooks find useful because the recipe instructions call for cooking five nuggets per batch for ease of dipping and frying.
- Leftover serving ideas for multiple people are easy, one way is to use a 30-piece bag of nuggets and serve them with dipping sauce.
Ingredients
- •2 pounds ground chicken
- •2 eggs
- •2 teaspoons salt
- •1 cup cornstarch
- •1 cup water
- •1 ½ tablespoons onion powder
- •1 ½ tablespoons garlic powder
- •1 tablespoon paprika
- •1 ½ teaspoons pepper
- •1 cup flour
- •vegetable oil (for frying)
Instructions
- 1
In a food processor or mixer, blend the chicken, 1 egg, and salt until the chicken resembles a paste.
- 2
Form the chicken into tablespoon-sized nuggets.
- 3
Dredge the nuggets in cornstarch until fully coated, then set aside.
- 4
In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, remaining egg, and water until a smooth batter forms.
- 5
Place a nugget onto a fork and dip it into the batter.
- 6
Let excess batter drip off.
- 7
In a saucepan or deep skillet, bring the oil to 350°F.
- 8
Working in batches of 5, fry the nuggets for 3 minutes or until they are floating.
- 9
Remove the nuggets with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-lined plate for 1 minute.
- 10
Continue until all nuggets are done.
- 11
Return the nuggets to the oil for 2 more minutes to double fry.
- 12
Allow the nuggets to slightly cool before eating.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
485
Protein
40g
Fat
19g
Carbs
40g
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