Copycat McDonald's Chicken McNuggets

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If your kids love McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets but you want to make more meals at home, you’re going to love this recipe for Copycat McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets!

Copycat McDonald's Chicken McNuggets - Homemade Chicken Nuggets (1)

RECIPE IS BELOW IN PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BUT BLOG POST IS FULL OF “HOW TO MAKE IT”, TIPS, INFORMATION AND FAQ

I didn’t plan on my kid falling in love with McDonalds (or as he likes to call it, Donalds!). He fell in love with while staying at my sister’s house because the happy meals came with toys. My toddler claims to love McDonalds but what he really loves is the toy in the happy meal and the occasional chicken nugget.

So while we aren’t eating McDonalds a lot, he still loves those Happy Meal boxes because he knows they contain a toy and chicken nuggets.

An old Happy Meal Box, some cheap little toys and this Copycat McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets means that he can have Happy Meals at home and I know what kind of food is going into his little body!

Why You Should Make these Copycat McNuggets…

You’ll know exactly what is going into your food
Make 30 nuggets in the time it would take you to drive to McDonalds for a kid’s meal
PS – save an old Happy Meal Box, fill it with homemade nuggets for Happy Meals at home

QUICK GLANCE AT INGREDIENTS FOR homemade Chicken McNuggets:

ground chicken
eggs
salt
cornstarch
water
onion powder
garlic powder
paprika
pepper
flour
Vegetable oil

(AMOUNTS IN RECIPE CARD BELOW)

Copycat McDonald's Chicken McNuggets - Homemade Chicken Nuggets (2)

How to make Copycat McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets:

In a food processor or mixer, blend the chicken, 1 egg and salt until chicken
resembles a paste.
Yes! it’s chicken nugget paste.
Dredge the nuggets in cornstarch until fully coat. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, seasonings, 1 egg and water. Mix well until a smooth batter forms.
Place a nugget onto a fork. This will make it easy to dip into the batter.
Dip it into the batter. Let excess batter drip off. I like to dip and then fry in batches of 5.
In a saucepan or deep skillet, bring oil to 350°F.
Working in batches of 5, fry nuggets for 3 minutes or until nuggets are floating.
Remove nuggets with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate for 1 minute.
Continue until all nuggets are done.
Return nuggets to oil for 2 more minutes to double fry.
Allow nuggets to slightly cool before eating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these really like McDonald’s chicken nuggets?

They look just like McDonald’s chicken nuggets but I think that they taste way better!

What dipping sauces should I use for these nuggets?

Serve with your favoriteBBQ sauce, ketchup, hot mustard or honey mustard!

What oil should I use to fry homemade chicken nuggets?

I don’t fry a lot, but when I do, I use Vegetable oil

Copycat McDonald's Chicken McNuggets - Homemade Chicken Nuggets (11)

More Copycat Recipes:

Copycat KFC Coleslaw Recipe
Better Than Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Copycat Disney Dole Whip

Copycat McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets

Yield: 30 nuggets

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

If your kids love McDonald's Chicken McNuggets but you want to make more meals at home, you're going to love this recipe for Copycat McDonald's Chicken McNuggets!

Ingredients

2 pounds ground chicken
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 cup flour

Instructions

In a food processor or mixer, blend the chicken, 1 egg and salt until chicken
resembles a paste.

Form the chicken into tablespoon sized nuggets.

Dredge the nuggets in cornstarch until fully coat. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, seasonings, 1 egg and water. Mix well until a smooth batter forms.

Place a nugget onto a fork to dip it into the batter. Let excess batter drip off. I like to do five at a time.

Notes

Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce, ketchup, hot mustard or honey mustard!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6Serving Size: 5 nuggets
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 485Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 224mgSodium: 850mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 2gSugar: 0gProtein: 40g

If you make this recipe, leave me a comment or snap a picture and share it on Instagram,FacebookorTwitter with the hashtag#bigbearswife —I love to see what you’re cooking from the blog!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Adele says
April 18, 2022 at 7:48 pm

My kids like these but they are SO much work and mess.
Reply
- Angie says
  May 7, 2022 at 6:29 pm
  
  They are 100% more work that driving to McDonalds haha. But I don’t mind once in a while. I like to make a ton and then freeze them.
  Reply
  - Debbie says
    February 6, 2023 at 2:24 pm
    
    Hi, so I’m going to try and make these. Do you fully cook them and freeze them? And then just warm them up?
    Reply
    - Angie says
      February 6, 2023 at 4:33 pm
      
      Hi Debbie! That’s what I do. I fully cook them and then I freeze them in a single layer on baking sheet in the freezer. Then pop them off the sheet and into a freezer bag.
      Reply
- Pecolia says
  May 25, 2023 at 10:04 pm
  
  Hi Debbie
  I made them and they were better then Mc Donald, I, hook on these now ]
  Thank for the recipe
  Reply
Tina says
June 1, 2022 at 6:30 pm
See Also
Baked Corned Beef in the Oven

Love this! Is there a way to incorporate (aka hide lol) veggies in this for my picky toddler ?
Reply
- Angie says
  June 5, 2022 at 6:00 pm
  
  You could grind up carrots and add them into the meat mixture!
  Reply
- Jasmine says
  June 19, 2022 at 5:53 am
  
  Hi can I make a big batch and freeze them before frying ?
  Reply
  - Angie says
    June 27, 2022 at 5:51 pm
    
    I would fry them before freezing them and then reheat them in an air fryer or oven.
    Reply
Cambrea says
December 14, 2022 at 11:30 am

I made these last night and loved them! I didn’t have any ground chicken so i chopped it up first then blended in the food processor. They looked exactly like the photos and overall I was very impressed, especially because I’ve never made homemade nuggets before! Next time i’ll sprinkle them with little salt after frying, I felt like they needed a touch more salt but overall will be keeping this recipe for the future! 🙂
Reply
Sam says
February 9, 2023 at 3:31 pm

Would flour work as a substitute for corn starch?
Reply
- Angie says
  February 12, 2023 at 7:34 pm
  
  You can use flour but I don’t feel like it gives it the same crust
  Reply
Delisca says
February 24, 2023 at 1:41 pm

Can you spray these with oil and air fry them?
Reply
- Angie says
  February 27, 2023 at 10:08 am
  
  I have not tried cooking them in the air fryer but I have reheated them in the air fryer.
  Reply
  - Karla says
    December 20, 2023 at 1:36 pm
    
    made a double batch of these last night but I kinda changed things. I use 4lbs of tenders which I put through my meat grinder kitchenaid attachment then added 2eggs 1t each of salt,pepper, garlic powder and onion powder and mixed til well combined. then dropped them on parchment with a cookie scoop. once I had them all scooped I wet my hands and molded each into shape. I then made a double batch of batter added closer to 3 cups of water( batter was too thick with just 2 cups) while the oil heated. working in batches
    rolled nuggets in corn starch dropped in batter then into the oil for around 90 seconds, allowed them to drain and cool. placed them in the freezer overnight. This morning I bagged them.
    For lunch I cooked some up and they were amazing. I know my grandkids will love them
    Reply
- Hiday says
  July 10, 2023 at 8:24 pm
  
  did you try air frying them? if so how did they turn out? I’d really like to try these but I don’t cook in oil.
  Reply
Rachel says
August 27, 2023 at 12:07 pm

Yum! These turned out so good. I made a big batch to free for future meals! Thank you for the recipe!
Reply
Rebekah says
September 29, 2023 at 12:56 pm

Has anyone tried these with a GF flour mix?
Reply
- Lauren says
  February 29, 2024 at 7:50 pm
  
  Corn starch is GF usually
  Reply
Christie E says
October 25, 2023 at 10:23 pm

Let me start out by saying, these are delicious. So much tastier than McDonald’s nuggets. But when she says you can make these quicker than going to McDonald’s and buying a happy meal, she must live far away from McDonald’s, LOL. I live four minutes away. This is a process and took me 45 minutes to make and probably 45 minutes to fully clean up the mess, I’m OCD. They are tasty though…
Reply
- Angie says
  October 27, 2023 at 8:33 am
  
  We live pretty close to one now but a while ago we lived over 45 minutes away from McDonalds. 🙂
  Reply
Pam says
November 6, 2023 at 12:21 pm

Will not make again. Didn’t like the batter it stuck to my basket and too crunchy. Sorry
Reply
- Angie says
  November 6, 2023 at 1:19 pm
  
  Hi Pam! What basket are you referring to? This is not an air fryer recipe. You have to deep fry these.
  Reply
Maryla says
November 30, 2023 at 4:55 pm

Can you bake these instead of fry?
Reply
- Angie says
  December 1, 2023 at 9:21 am
  
  I haven’t tried baking them but I have fried them and then frozen them and baked to reheat.
  Reply
Michelle Wember says
February 1, 2024 at 4:47 pm

I have a question. Are the spice measurements correct? Seems like a lot, especially the paprika. It’s quite red (I use smoked paprika). Plus, in your pic it doesn’t look like 1 1/2 tablespoon of garlic and onion powder. And neither does the paprika look like 1 tablespoon.
Reply
- Angie says
  February 11, 2024 at 10:55 am
  
  Yes, the spice measurements are correct 🙂
  Reply
Kelly says
March 3, 2024 at 8:50 pm

Hi! So I don’t ever fry foods, but I’m willing to start to make homemade nuggies. What oil is best, and what do you do with the used oil? Also how much oil? Sorry for not knowing the basics.
Reply
- Angie says
  March 11, 2024 at 11:06 am
  
  I don’t fry a lot of food, but when I do, I use Vegetable Oil. I fill the pot about 1/2 way. After frying, let the oil cool 100% and you can pour the cool oil into bottles, cans or milk bottles and then pop them into the trash. I do not recommend pouring it down the drain.
  Reply

Copycat McDonald's Chicken McNuggets - Homemade Chicken Nuggets (2024)