Whole30 Chicken Nuggets Recipe (Chick-Fil-A Method, Paleo) (2024)

This Whole30 chicken nuggets recipe is inspired by the method used at Chick-Fil-A for super tender and flavorful nuggets with a creamy, smoky, lightly sweet dipping sauce that takes this all over the edge. These paleo chicken nuggets are crispy and tender and justperfect. A favorite Whole30 chicken recipe!

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.

Naw, girl. For a truly awesome Whole30 chicken recipe, I had to upgrade.

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 insugar (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.

Why this recipe is so good:

• They’re super easy to make, just make sure you give them plenty of time to marinate in that pickle juice.
• This Whole30 chicken recipe produces the most tender and flavorful chicken with just the slightest sweetness from the coconut flour.
• The dipping sauce is so epic: slightly sweet, creamy, and smoky, hitting all the flavor home runs!

Tips

• To make the dipping sauce, make sure you have Whole30 ketchup and Whole30 mayonnaise on hand, but I have recipes on my site that make those super easy to keep around.
• Don’t skip marinating the chicken in pickle juice! This process is what tenderizes and flavors the chicken so beautifully.
• Clean out the skillet in between batches so that the flours don’t burn.

How to make it

The most important part: marinate your chunks of chicken in pickle juice! This is what produces such tender and flavorful little nuggets. Don’t skip it when you’re making this Whole30 chicken recipe, sister!

Put your beaten egg in a wide, shallow bowl. In another wide, shallow bowl, whisk together your flours and spices.

Remove your chicken from the pickle juice and discard juice. Dip your chicken pieces in the beaten egg, shaking off excess, then toss in the flour mixture. Repeat the process until all nuggets are coated.

Fry those little nugs up! Heat a layer of oil – refined coconut oil and avocado oil work great – in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium to medium-high heat. Fry your chicken in batches, making sure to not crowd, until golden brown on all sides and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes total. Don’t overcook! Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel- or brown-paper-bag-lined plate.

To make your sauce, simply whisk all ingredients together!

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 isactually Whole30 compliant… I’m just saying.

Do I have to marinate the chicken in pickle juice?

Nah, you don’t have to. But if youdon’t, the nuggets won’t be as tender or flavorful. 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!

What’s the deal with the Whole30 vs. paleo dipping sauce differences?

If you’re on a Whole30, you’ll combine these ingredients for your dipping sauce:

• 1/4cup+ 2 Tbsp. Whole30 mayonnaise
• 3Tbsp.coconut aminos
• 1Tbsp.yellow mustard
• 2tsp.Dijon mustard
• 2tsp.freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1Tbsp.Whole30 ketchup
• 3/4tsp.liquid smoke
• pinchsalt

If you’re not on a Whole30, try this instead:

• 1/4cup+ 2 Tbsp. Whole30 mayonnaise
• 2tsp.maple syrup
• 1Tbspcoconut aminos
• 1Tbsp.yellow mustard
• 2tsp.Dijon mustard
• 2tsp.freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1Tbsp.Whole30 ketchup
• 3/4tsp.liquid smoke
• pinchsalt

Other recipes you’ll love:

• One Minute Whole30 Mayo
• Whole30 Bacon Wrapped Dates
• Whole30 Dump Ranch Dressing
• Whole30 In N Out Burgers

Did you make and love this Whole30 chicken recipe? Give it your review below! And make sure to share your Whole30 chicken nuggets recipe bytagging me on Instagram!