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.
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
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Save To Your Recipe BoxIngredients
- 1 -1.5 pounds chicken tenders
- 1 cup dill pickle juice the liquid off dill pickles
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon 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 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
barbara birt says
This is a great recipe I tried it before and again today. It came out beautiful and so delicious. we’ll make it many times I give it five stars
Christina Caasi says
All 4 kids in my home said 5☆s.
Easy to make!! I didn’t have celery spice & had to use canola oil but honestly the kids didn’t know the difference. I marinated in pickle juice 24hrs/overnight. Ty for the copycat!!
Paula says
Yay!! so happy they liked them!
Marsha says
I used to have the original recipe. I know that it said to dredge the chicken in flour, and then dredge in an equal amount of potato starch (available on Amazon) before frying. This is a Japanese secret for making a crispy fry. All else in the recipe stays the same.
Robert says
I used an electric skillet set at 400 degrees and cooked them at least seven minutes per side, but they didn’t come out very crispy. They tasted good though and were very tender and moist.
Joan says
Absolutely spot on!!! Thank you for sharing. I did not have any powdered sugar in the house or celery powder and it still came out perfect. We had original Chick-fil-a sauce with them and we will definitely be making this again and again.
Kelli says
Could this be baked instead of fried?
Paula says
I think an air fryer would be better to taste more like the original.
Chrissy says
I just made these with my husband. I brined the chicken for about 18 hours. We fried them in organic sunflower oil. They came out fantastic! Thanks so much for this great recipe!
renee owens says
Could you cook these in an air fryer? If so, time and temp Thanks
Paula says
it’s my understanding you can, but I don’t have an air fryer (on my list to get) so I’m not sure of the time and temp
Peggi says
This is perfection, Paula! Thank you so much for sharing your version of what I think tastes EXACTLY like Chick Fil A, yummo! I put my chicken in to marinate for 4 hours but never got back to take it out until 48 hrs later and I was worried it would be mushy, but it held up to the long marinade and came out delicious!
Paula says
I’m happy you liked it and good to know it can marinate that long!
rohimic says
Let have a look on the recipe of honey paprika chicken tenders, try it and have fun.
Jim Richardson says
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.
Paula says
Thank you Jim. I cannot make these often enough for my boys. 😀
Lauren says
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?
Tarra Rolfe says
You may have to pat the chicken dry then do the breading process
Cindi says
I didn’t see the recipe for the honey mustard.
BJ says
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!
Paula says
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.
Jolissa says
How can I make this in a fast manor where I don’t have to marinade for 4 hours?
Paula says
The longer you can marinate the chicken the better flavor they will have. Try for at least 30 minutes
Paola says
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.
Gwen says
Thanks! I can’t wait to try it! You just saved me a million dollars!
Becky says
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.
Paula says
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.
Connie says
Pardon me but it IS pickel juice
Paula says
The liquid off dill pickles
The Better Baker says
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.
Brandie says
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!