Copycat McDonald's Chicken McNuggets Recipe

There's certainly no shortage of fast food chicken menu items to choose from, but none of them are quite as iconic as McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. Although there has been some debate over what exactly goes into a McNugget (no, it's not pink slime), the fast-food snack is famous for its juicy, savory chicken interior and perfectly crispy, golden exterior. I'm a longtime fan of the humble McNugget and live by a general "you fry it, I'll try it" motto, so naturally, I knew I had what it takes to bring this copycat McDonald's chicken McNuggets recipe to life.

Since I know my way around a McDonald's chicken McNugget, I can confidently say that this copycat recipe is just about as close to the real deal as you can get without making a trip to the golden arches. Seasoned ground chicken is the secret ingredient for achieving that tender, almost meat-paste-like texture (again, not pink slime), while a little cornstarch, a light, seasoned batter, and a good old-fashioned deep-fry get the nuggies golden brown and crisp on the outside. Another secret weapon I incorporated into this recipe is melted butter in the batter, which adds that distinct level of richness and the deep golden hue that only McDonald's (or our copycat McD's recipe) could manage to achieve.

For the chicken filling part of the McNuggets, you'll need that all-important ground chicken along with an egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. For the coating, you'll need cornstarch, all-purpose flour, salted melted butter, an egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder. Finally, you'll need plenty of canola oil to deep-fry the nuggets.

Place the ground chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and egg in the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse the mixture into a fine paste.

Line a medium baking sheet with wax paper.

Divide the mixture into 2-tablespoon portions and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Moisten your hands with water and mold the mixture into nugget shapes.

Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. Freeze for 2 hours or until firm.

Once firm, set up your breading station by placing the cornstarch in a shallow bowl.

Place the flour, melted butter, egg, ⅔ cup water, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a large bowl.

Whisk to combine the batter.

Fill a large pot ⅓-full with oil and bring it to 350 F over medium-high heat.

Coat the nuggets in cornstarch, dusting off any excess.

Dunk the nuggets into the batter, coating them completely and letting any excess drip off.

Working in batches, carefully place the nuggets into the hot oil and fry them until crisp and cooked through, about 5 minutes for each batch.

Remove the cooked nuggets from the oil using a slotted spoon and set them aside to drain on a wire rack.

Drain for 2 minutes before serving.

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If you're already familiar with deep-frying at home, then whipping up this McNugget recipe shouldn't feel too different than whipping up other types of fried fare. As with any process involving hot oil, there are some important safety tips to keep in mind, and the first one is ensuring you're both using a large enough pot and not overfilling it with oil. Keep in mind that the pot will fill even more once you add the nuggets, which is another reason why working in batches is so crucial for this recipe. Also, make sure the oil is already hot and up to temp before adding in the nuggets; this is less of a safety concern and more of a pro tip to ensure that your nuggets crisp up nicely and don't get soggy. 

There's one tool you should never forget when deep-frying food: a trusty thermometer. Make sure your thermometer is specifically meant for frying so it can withstand the high temperature, and use it consistently to make sure that the oil gets to temp and stays at temp throughout the frying process. I tend to reach for metal tools when it comes to frying (tongs, skimmers, slotted spoons, and so forth) as they're sturdy, strong, and won't melt or warp once they touch the hot oil, as plastic tools will. Never leave the oil unattended, and make sure you keep an eye on the nuggets throughout the entire cooking process.

The beauty of a recipe that calls for freezing the star of the show before cooking is that you can keep that food frozen for much longer if desired. Once you get to the stage in this recipe where you shape, cover, and transfer the nuggets to the freezer, you certainly don't have to pull them after the called-for 2-hour mark. These nuggets will keep for months when frozen. Alternatively, you can fully prepare the batter and coat the nuggets before returning them to a wax paper-lined baking sheet and freezing them( again, they'll keep for months).

Even after you fully fry the nuggets, they have some storage capacity left in them. Fully fried (and cooled) nuggets also freeze well, and these, too, can be kept in the freezer for upwards of months. This frozen storage capacity makes these McNuggets a great candidate for meal-prepping, as you could easily double the batch and store any extras for future snacking. Finally, leftovers will also keep in the fridge, but they have a slightly shorter lifespan of about four to five days. When reheating these frozen or refrigerated nuggets, use an oven or air fryer for best results.

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