Being on Keto, we try staying away from Fast Food as much as possible, but my biggest kryptonite is Chik-Fil-A. So it was with great haste that I had to come up with a worthy, keto friendly, Chick-Fil-A nuggets and Chick-Fil-A sauce clone.
I kept the breading pretty simple, powdered parmesan and some spices, but the real secret was in the brining of the chicken to get that authentic Chick-Fil-A flavor.
Brining the chicken in a combination of pickle juice and keto approved sweetener was the magic touch; Not only did it give the chicken that classic taste, but it also kept the fried chicken nuggets very moist and tender.
Coming up with the sauce was basically just a matter of reverse engineering the recipe, changing the ingredients to keto friendly ones, and playing with the ratios until it tasted just right! I think we did a pretty spectatacular job at keto cloning this sauce.
“So whenever you got a hankerin’ for some Chick-Fil-A, give this recipe a shot!
I think you’ll be pretty happy!”
CHICKEN & BRINE INGREDIENTS:
1 cup pickle juice
2 TBSP stevia/erythritol blend sweetener
5 small chicken breasts cut into nugget size pieces.
oil for frying, we use duck fat
CHICKEN & BRINE INSTRUCTIONS:
- Add the pickle juice and sweetener to med/large mixing bowl, stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Add chicken to the brine, stir, and place into the refrigerator for 30 mins.
Going longer than 30 mins will break down the chicken too much and it will start to go mushy.
BREADING INGREDIENTS:
3 cups powdered parmesan
3 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp paprika
1 tsp cracked black pepper
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2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 TBSP heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
BREADING INSTRUCTIONS:
- Whisk the eggs, cream and pepper together.
- In a seperate bowl/container, mix the dry ingredients together until well incorporated.
- Dip the chicken pieces into the wet mixture, shake off excess liquid, then place the chicken into dry mixture and coat the chicken well. Place coated chicken on a wire rack. Do this in batches.
- Heat oil/fat to 350F and add chicken nuggets in batches. Fry until golden brown, and internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160F.
- Drain on a wire rack or paper towel.
CHICK-FIL-A SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup keto friendly mayonnaise
3 TBSP our Barbecue Sauce or any keto approved barbecue sauce
2 TBSP yellow mustard (French’s)
1/2 TBSP stevia/erythritol blend sweetener
1/2 tsp liquid hickory smoke
CHICK-FIL-A SAUCE INSTRUCTIONS:
- Add all of the ingredients together in a small mixing bowl and stir until well incorporated.
- Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.
- Enjoy!
A question here about the pickle juice. Are you meaning the pickle juice from a jar of pickles or from the pickle juice (only) bottles? Thank you for this fun Keto recipe and for your response! Have a wonderful day!
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Great Question…either or will be fine… You just want that briny, tenderizing GOODNESS!!
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Hi, I don’t have pickle juice available here (actually not sure what it is exactly), can I use any substitute… Is it like apple cider vinegar etc?
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Buy a cheap jar of pickles (gherkins, cornichons) and use the juice. Some grocery stores sell Pickle Juice in a bottle too.
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Could this be done in the air fryer?? Maybe not as delicious but deep frying scares me. Haha!
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Maybe freeze them first, and then airfry them, otherwise i’m thinking the breading may get stuck.
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I air fry them and they are delicious. I transfer them carefully using a tooth pick in a preheated air fryer.
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What temperature and how long in the air fryer?
Did you freeze them first?
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