Copycat McDonald's Chicken McNuggets Recipe

There's nothing that beats the nostalgic thrill of McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. Maybe they taste like childhood, remind you of a road trip that you took with your best friend, or just help you get your fast food fix, but regardless, you know what you're getting and you know what it's going to taste like. But did you know that you could make McDonald's Chicken McNuggets at home?

Sure, you can go to the drive-in and get some Chicken McNuggets for a few bucks, but if you make them at home you can use higher quality ingredients, modify for allergies, and slightly tweak the recipe to your liking. You could also probably make these in an air fryer. You can also just get the satisfaction of having learned a cool new trick. With this recipe from recipe developer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge, you can feel like you have uncovered the secrets of Ronald McDonald. You only need 22 minutes, some chicken, and some basic ingredients to make this recipe, so let's go!

To make this copycat Chicken McNuggets recipe, you'll obviously need chicken — 20 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast, to be precise, cut into small pieces. Other than the chicken, the rest of the ingredients in this recipe are pantry staples that you probably already have at home. You'll need an egg, all-purpose flour, corn flour, water, and 4 cups of vegetable oil. You'll also need a teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper.

You read that right — put the chicken in a blender. How else do you think McNuggets get that smooth, sort of creamy texture? Place the chicken, half the salt, and all of the pepper in a blender or food processor and blend it on high until smooth.

Get a large plate and put 1/4 cup of the corn flour on it. Empty the chicken mixture onto the plate and begin to form the shape of the nuggets, coating them in the corn flour. "It can just be a bit messy," Olayinka warns. She suggests wearing gloves if you have them.

After you've shaped the nuggets, put them in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm them up.

Mix the remaining 3/4 cup of corn flour, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, egg, remaining salt, and water together in a mixing bowl. Heat up the vegetable oil in a pot on medium to high heat. Once the oil is hot enough to fry the nuggets, get the chicken out of the freezer.

How do you know the oil is hot enough for frying? One of the easiest and safest ways is to stick the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If bubbles start to form and bubble up, the oil is hot and ready. If it looks like you're about to boil pasta — i.e., a ton of bubbles — the oil is probably too hot and you should let it cool a bit.

Place one nugget at a time into the batter, and then transfer immediately into the oil. Fry for 7 minutes, or until golden brown. If you want to spot check a few of the McNuggets to make sure they're cooked through, use an instant-read thermometer and check that their internal temperature has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit once out of the oil. Repeat this process until all chicken nuggets have been cooked. 

Serve the copycat Chicken McNuggets on a plate, with ketchup or hot mustard sauce as a side if you want. Or on a napkin with barbecue sauce with some homemade fries, or standing over the sink with some Szechuan sauce. It's your house, your rules. Ronald McDonald who?