Making McDonald's Chicken McNuggets At Home | But Better
The recipe to the coveted Chicken McNugget is no secret anymore. It's all in the technique.
Joshua Weissman•
Aug 29, 2025
Ingredients (26)
Rye BBQ Sauce
Chicken McNuggets
Directions
Rye BBQ Sauce
In a medium saucepan, add all ingredients and whisk to combine. Place over medium heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the heat to cool to room temperature.
Pour into an airtight storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.
McNuggets
Finely grind the chicken (1 ½ lb) using an electric meat grinder or a food processor.
Add the ground chicken to a bowl and add 2 teaspoons kosher salt, the sugar (1 tsp) and ½ teaspoon MSG. Using clean hands, mix together until thoroughly combined. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.
Fill a 7-8 quart heavy bottomed pot just over halfway with oil (3 ½ quarts). Heat to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack and place that next to the hot oil.
in a medium bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of cornstarch (¾ cup) and 1 cup of water (2 cups). This is the thin batter.
In a separate, large bowl, whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour (3 ¾ cups), the remaining 1 heaping Tbsp kosher salt (1 Tbsp), the remaining ½ teaspoon MSG (1 tsp), the white pepper (1 tsp) and celery powder (1 tsp). Then pour the seasoned flour into an 8x8” baking dish. Set aside.
In a third, medium bowl, make a tempura batter by whisking together the remaining 1/2 cup cornstarch (¾ cup), the remaining 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (3 ¾ cups), the baking powder (1 ¼ tsp) and baking soda (¼ tsp). While still whisking, add the remaining 1 cup chilled water (2 cups) and the eggs (2 large). Whisk to thoroughly combine.
To make the McNuggets, remove the chicken from the freezer. Grab a heaping spoonful of the ground chicken and form into a McNugget shape. If the mixture is too sticky, lightly dampen your hands with some water.
To dredge the McNuggets, dip each nugget into the thin batter, allowing the excess to drip off before adding to the seasoned flour. Toss to thoroughly coat, shaking off any excess. Lastly, dip the dredged nuggets in the tempura batter. Directly from the tempura batter, immediately and carefully add the nuggets, in batches, into the hot oil (3 ½ quarts) to fry for 5-7 minutes until golden brown and crispy. The internal temperature should read 165℉.
Drain the McNuggets on the prepared cooling rack to drain of excess oil. Repeat with the remaining chicken nuggets.
Serve with the BBQ sauce.
