Whole30 Chicken Nuggets (Chick-Fil-A Style, Paleo, Grain-Free)

These Whole30 chicken nuggets are inspired by the method used at Chick-Fil-A for super tender and flavorful nuggets PLUS a creamy, smoky, lightly sweet dipping sauce that tastes just like Chick-Fil-A sauce. The Whole30 chicken nuggets are crispy and tender and just perfect. And that Chick-Fil-A sauce just takes it over the edge! 

If it’s not real chicken nuggets, then it’s my sesame-ginger chicken or sweet and sour chicken being branded as such. Little chunks of chicken? Yep, that’s a chicken nugget, buddy. Eat it or no more Tumble Leaf.

But I know where he gets it from; we’re chicken nugget lovers. Except not the little pressed and breaded pellets from fast food places: real chicken cut into little pieces, tossed in some sort of coating, fried up quickly in the cast-iron skillet, and dipped in my favorite Whole30 dump ranch dressing.

So recently, when I was trying to up our chicken nugget game, I was inspired by the bizarre but super effective process Chick-Fil-A follows to produce super tender and flavorful chicken nuggets. Pickle juice, toss in sugar (Pass), and then fry in a pressure cooker (Also pass). So, OK, really, I just marinated the chicken in pickle juice and tossed it all in a coconut flour-spiked mixture, then pan-fried the nuggets really quickly so keep things tender and delish. The result?

Hea-ven. 

They were just what I wanted: tender and flavorful and just the teeny tiniest bit sweet from the coconut flour. I whipped up a Chick-Fil-A sauce inspired dip from my Whole30 ketchup recipe, my Whole30 immersion blender mayo, and a touch of liquid smoke for some smoky BBQ sauce depth, and dipped to my little heart’s content. 

The only problem is… I shared a sneak peek photo of what I’d just made with my friends and on Instagram, which was just wrong. Tortuous! I’m a bad person.

But hey, they’re here now. They’re super easy to make, just make sure you give them plenty of time to marinate in that pickle juice. You’ll also want to have Whole30 ketchup and Whole30 mayonnaise on hand, but I have recipes on my site that make those super easy to keep around. 

Here’s the deal:

Where do I get pickle juice?

From a bottle of pickles, you crazy. Seriously, though, buy a compliant jar of pickles (the shelf-stable kind are best for this recipe) and use the juice you need. The pickles will be fine after! Or simply save jars of juice once you’ve eaten through a container of spears.

Alternately, you can do what my pregnant ass did and buy this one-gallon behemoth of pure pickle juice. The crazy thing is I think this stuff is actually Whole30 compliant… I’m just saying. 

And since Sonic is putting pickle juice into their slushies this summer, I’m pretty sure investing in a gallon of this stuff will save you money in the long run. Or is just… me who drinks pickle juice with every meal? So pregnant.

Do I have to marinate the chicken in pickle juice?

Nah, you don’t have to. But if you don’t, the nuggets won’t be as tender or flavorful, and they certainly won’t be as Chick-Fil-A inspired. I’m bad about planning ahead, too, but even one hour in the marinade will make a big difference!

Can I use _________ flour? 

You can substitute arrowroot for the tapioca starch, but I urge you to use the almond flour + coconut flour combination to give these nuggets the right flavor and consistency. They’ll still be good if you use all almond flour, just not as Chick-Fil-A inspired. And if you use all coconut flour, the coating will be quite dry. Flour combo for the win!

4.67 from 12 votes

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Whole30 Chicken Nuggets (Chick-Fil-A Style with "Chick-Fil-A Sauce", Paleo)

These Whole30 chicken nuggets are inspired by the method used at Chick-Fil-A for super tender and flavorful nuggets PLUS a creamy, smoky, lightly sweet dipping sauce that tastes just like Chick-Fil-A sauce. The Whole30 chicken nuggets are crispy and tender and just perfect. And that Chick-Fil-A sauce just takes it over the edge!

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American, Paleo, Whole30

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

Whole30 Chicken Nuggets

• 2 large chicken breasts about about 1.5 pounds, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1/2 cup dill pickle juice
• 1 egg beaten
• 2/3 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 Tbsp. tapioca starch
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 ⁄4 tsp. onion powder
• 1 ⁄4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 ⁄2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 ⁄4 tsp. dried basil
• refined coconut oil or avocado oil for frying

Chick-Fil-A-Sauce

• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. Whole30 mayonnaise
• 3 Tbsp. coconut aminos if ON Whole30
• 2 tsp. maple syrup if NOT on whole30
• 1 Tbsp coconut aminos if NOT on whole30
• 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. Whole30 ketchup
• 3/4 tsp. liquid smoke
• pinch salt

Instructions

Make Whole30 Chicken Nuggets

1. Combine chicken breast chunks and pickle juice in an air-tight container or large plastic bag. Refrigerate at least one hour, preferably overnight, tossing every so often.
2. Pour beaten egg in a shallow bowl. Whisk together flours, tapioca starch, and spices in another shallow bowl. Mix up eggs in seperate bowl for the egg wash.
3. Drain chicken from pickle juice. Dip chicken pieces in egg then coat in flour mixture. Repeat until all nuggets are coated.
4. Heat a thin layer of refined coconut oil or avocado oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Fry chicken nuggets in batches until golden brown and cooked through. This will take about 5-6 minutes total. Do not overcook! Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Make Chick-Fil-A Sauce

1. If you are on a Whole30, use only 3 tablespoons coconut aminos and skip 2 teaspoons maple syrup and 1 tablespoon coconut aminos. If you are NOT on a Whole30, skip the 3 tablespoons coconut aminos and use 2 teaspoons maple syrup and 1 tablespoon coconut aminos.
2. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Chill until ready to serve, at least 30 minutes.