Copycat Chick-fil-a Chicken Strips
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Now you can duplicate those out-of-this-world chicken strips right at home with Copycat Chick-fil-a Chicken Strips recipe.
My copycat Chick-fil-a Chicken tenders recipe has the same tenderness and that unique taste as the restaurant’s original, but making them homemade will save you tons of money.
Copycat Chick-fil-a Chicken Strips
Rarely do I cook something that both boys like much less compliment. I think it’s a conspiracy, actually, but they never like the same foods…. until now! Copycat Chick-fil-a Chicken Strips had both of them raving.
I had been seeing Copycat Chick-fil-a Chicken Strips, nuggets, and sandwiches all over the internet and have been wanting to try them for a while. With the boys’ schedules this year, they are so hungry when they get home from school. I practically make a meal for them at that time then dinner a few hours later. That’s when I decided to try out these Copycat Chick-fil-a Chicken Strips. I adapted this recipe slightly from my friend, Joan.
What ingredients are in Chick-fil-a chicken strips?
- chicken tenders
- dill pickle juice the liquid off dill pickles
- egg
- milk
- all-purpose flour
- confectioner’s sugar
- paprika
- salt
- pepper
- dried basil
- garlic powder*
- onion powder*
- celery powder*
- oil for cooking
I was a little worried this recipe would let me down and not taste the same as the original. However, I thought it was spot-on and even both boys agreed. That’s huge! I even have this Copycat Honey Mustard recipe that tastes just like the Chick-fil-a dipping sauce to accompany your strips.
Check out more copycat recipes here.
Chick-fil-a Tenders Tips
- There are a couple of secrets to these chicken strips. First, they are brined in dill pickle juice. I know right, that’s totally the big secret!!
- The chicken coating also has a little confectioner’s sugar in it. That’s what gives it that back note of sweetness when you take a bite. It’s not a lot but definitely leaves a slightly sweet taste.
- For that super tender chicken that is such a Chick-fil-a characteristic, I pound the chicken with a flat mallet until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. It swells up when cooked and will be the thickness you want. I like to place the meat in a freezer bag, squeeze the air out and flatten it. Use tongs to remove the chicken. This is the least messy method.
- You can use this same recipe for Chick-fil-a Chicken Sandwiches and Chick-fil-a Chicken Nuggets. For the nuggets use 1 pound of chicken breast and cut them into 2-inch chunks.
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YOU WILL ALSO ENJOY THESE CHICKEN RECIPES
- Creamy Mexican Kale Slaw
- Instant Pot Chicken Tenderloins
- Mexican-style Pecan Chocolate Squares
- Mexican Street Corn Dip (by the way, you can use this recipe for these tacos if you want)
- Chicken Enchiladas in White Sauce
- Baked Tex-Mex Pimiento Cheese Dip
- Mexican Meatloaf
- Lighter Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas with Avocado Mango Salsa
Copycat Chick-fil-a Chicken Strips
Ingredients
- 1 -1.5 pounds chicken tenders
- 1 cup dill pickle juice the liquid off dill pickles
- 1 large eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (aka confectioners)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder*
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder*
- 1/2 teaspoon celery powder*
- oil for cooking
Instructions
- Place the chicken tenders in a freezer zip-top bag, add pickle juice and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
- Remove from back and pat chicken dry with a paper towel.
- Add egg and milk to a small bowl and beat.
- Add flour, sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, basil, garlic powder, onion powder and celery powder to another bowl.
- Add oil to a large skillet or saute pan to 1/4 in deep. Heat to medium.
- Dredge chicken in egg mixture then in flour mixture.
- Add chicken to hot oil and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
These are outrageously delicious! The dill pickle juice and the other ingredients damn near duplicate Chick-Fil-A tenders’ taste. I followed your recipe exactly and am just amazed how good these are! I’ll be making these again and again.
Thank you Jim. I cannot make these often enough for my boys. 😀
The flavor was great but my strips had a hard time staying crisp after 5 minutes. The breading got really soggy and it was starting to come off even tho i followed the recipe exactly as it was printed on this site. Any ideas as to why?
You may have to pat the chicken dry then do the breading process
I didn’t see the recipe for the honey mustard.
Is it possible to bake the chicken rather than fry it? I’m going to try it with whole pieces of chicken to see how it turns out so would rather bake it. Any advice?
Thanks!
If I was going to bake it, I would coat it first with the flour mixture, then liquid mixture, then a ‘crunchy’ mixture like panko breadcrumbs so that it would be crunchy on the outside. I don’t think it’ll get crunchy with the recipe as is.
How can I make this in a fast manor where I don’t have to marinade for 4 hours?
The longer you can marinate the chicken the better flavor they will have. Try for at least 30 minutes
Ibread their ingredients, yours is better. They way too much stuff in them. No pickle juice they use apple cider vinegar and a bunch of other stuff.
Thanks! I can’t wait to try it! You just saved me a million dollars!
I have seen the copy cat recipe going around, too. But it isn’t their recipe. Years ago I was given the recipe from a former worker. She had posted it on a cooking forum. It ended up being deleted and everyone I have seen since hasn’t been the same. It isn’t soaked in pickle juice. No spices but salt and pepper. But the powdered sugar is correct.
It’s MY version of their recipe. It tastes like Chick-fil-a chicken strips and that’s what I was going for. I really don’t want their exact recipe.
Pardon me but it IS pickel juice
The liquid off dill pickles
Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe with us at Weekend Potluck! Congrats on receiving most clicks!! Looking forward to what you’ll share next week. Have a wonderful fall.
Hey there Paula! Thanks for sharing this at Weekend Potluck! Do you have a linky party page or do you usually link back within the post. We’d love to feature this recipe this Friday. I have a button on the main page of my site if you want to grab that. Thanks so much!