McDonald’s Copycat Chicken Nuggets (Dairy, Gluten, Egg, Soy, & Nut Free)
Everything you want from McDonald’s but without the MSG & Top 9 Allergens! It took many hours of research and multiple trial runs, but this recipe is practically perfect. I love it and so do my non-allergy family members!
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Ingredients & Substitutes
- rotisserie chickens: rib, tenderloin, and breast meat (no legs or other dark meat)
- chicken skin.
- water. Key to making the wet batters & keeping your meat juicy!
- salt.
- sugar.
- rosemary extract.
- apple cider vinegar.
- canola or olive oil. Any oil will do as long as the oil can withstand high heat temperatures. This oil is for frying.
- cornstarch. for the wet and vegan tempura breading. You can substitute arrowroot powder as well if corn is an issue!
- gf all-purpose gluten free flour. we used Namaste for this recipe
- white pepper.
- celery powder.
- baking powder. For the tempura coating to rise and puff outward like McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets
- baking soda. For the tempura coating to rise and puff outward like McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets
How to Make McDonald’s Copycat Chicken Nuggets (Dairy, Gluten, Egg, Soy, & Nut Free)
Pulse chicken till it’s chunky, yet still paste.
Add in the remaining chicken ingredients and mix, till thoroughly combined.
Form your desired chicken nugget shapes about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. The McDonald’s shapes are the ball, bell, bone, and boot, like this: 
Mix up the wet batter ingredients till smooth and dunk each of your nuggets into the wet batter.
Mix up your dry breading & toss each chicken nugget into it.
Finally, mix up your vegan tempura breading, till smooth, and thoroughly coat each chicken nugget with it.
Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a deep frying pot to 325 degrees F. Cook chicken nuggets till lightly golden on the outside (not fully cooked) like this: 
If making your nuggets for now, turn up the heat of your oil to 355. Cook your nuggets for 2-3 mins till dark golden brown like the picture below.. Alternatively, if saving nuggets for later, freeze your chicken nuggets after frying once & fry them a second time whenever desired. Will last up to 4 months in the freezer.
Serve with desired sauce and enjoy!
Other Favorite Allergy Friendly Dinner Recipes
McDonald’s Copycat Chicken Nuggets (Dairy, Gluten, Egg, Soy, & Nut Free)
Everything you want from McDonald’s but without the MSG & Top 9 Allergens! It took many hours of research and multiple trial runs, but this recipe is practically perfect. I love it and so do my non-allergy family members!
- Yield: 32 chicken nuggets 1x
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1.5 cooked (about 1–2lbs) rotisserie chickens: rib, tenderloin, and breast meat (no legs or other dark meat)
- 1/8 cup chicken skin
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp rosemary extract
- 1/8 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Oil, for frying
Wet Batter:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
Dry Breading:
- 3/4 cup gf all-purpose gluten free flour, we used Namaste
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp celery powder
Vegan Tempura Coating:
- 1/2 cup gf all-purpose flour, we again used Namaste (Bob’s red mill is a great option too!)
- 2/3 cup corn starch
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups chilled water
Instructions
- Pulse chicken till it’s chunky, yet still pastey like this:
- Add in the remaining chicken ingredients and mix, till thoroughly combined.
- Form your desired chicken nugget shapes about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. The McDonald’s shapes are the ball, bell, bone, and boot, like this:
- Mix up the wet batter ingredients till smooth and dunk each of your nuggets into the wet batter.
- Mix up your dry breading & toss each chicken nugget into it.
- Finally, mix up your vegan tempura breading, till smooth, and thoroughly coat each chicken nugget with it.
- Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a deep frying pot to 325 degrees F. Cook chicken nuggets till lightly golden on the outside (not fully cooked) like this:
- If making your nuggets for now, turn up the heat of your oil to 355. Cook your nuggets for 2-3 mins till dark golden brown like the picture below.. Alternatively, if saving nuggets for later, freeze your chicken nuggets after frying once & fry them a second time whenever desired. Will last up to 4 months in the freezer.
- Serve with desired sauce and enjoy!