If I ever wanted McDonald’s, it would be for the Chicken McNuggets. Of course, the fries too. I’m not a big fast-food person so this is perfect that I came across Simply Mama Cooks McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets copycat recipe. I’ve been wanting to learn how to make chicken nuggets but I can never get that perfect crisp. There’s a lot of steps to making chicken nuggets and I get so impatient. However, this is an exception. I love how Simply Mama Cooks includes a sweet and sour sauce recipe to go along with the Chicken McNuggets. I’ve realized it’s not that hard to make these, but for some reason, I thought it did.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs (680 g) boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt (I used Trader Joe’s Vegan Chicken seasoning blend)
- 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp (15 g) cornstarch
- cooking oil for frying
Dredge:
- 1/2 cup (65 g) cornstarch
Wet Batter:
- 1/2 cup (65 g) cornstarch
- 1 1/4 cups (162.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt (I used Trader Joe’s Vegan Chicken seasoning blend)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt (or spice blend of choice)
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cups (295 ml) cold water
Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1/4 tsp ginger paste
- 1 cup (320 g) apricot preserve or jam
- 2 tsp rice vinegar (or to taste)
- 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) water
- cornstarch slurry (3 Tbsp cold water +2 tsp cornstarch)
Directions:
First, cut the chicken breasts into small chunks. Put the chicken breast chunks in the food processor along with the seasonings and corn starch. Process everything until it’s paste-like. Then, shape the nuggets into a shape of your choice on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the nuggets in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Next, take the chicken nugget, coat it in corn starch, then dip it into the wet batter. Make sure to preheat your oil at 350F. Fry the chicken nuggets for 5-7 minutes and lay them on a cooling rack. Then, refry them again for 2 more minutes for a more crunchy texture.
This McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets copycat recipe is in my bookmarks and I can’t wait to try this out when I am craving them. These are not that hard to make from watching the tutorial.
