Try these copycat chicken minis for a taste of Chick-fil-A any time of day! These minis use premade yeast bread, fried chicken nuggets, and a delicious sauce!
Similar to Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Minis
If you are a fan of Chick-fil-A’s Chicken-n-Minis, then this recipe is for you! These rolls are a perfect appetizer, breakfast food, or anytime meal that your family and guests will love. They are made with soft yeast rolls, fried chicken nuggets, and a hot-sweet bang-bang-type sauce.
Yeast Rolls for Chicken Minis
I use Sister Schubert’s Parker House Rolls for this recipe. There are 16 frozen rolls in a package that are easy to thaw and heat. After they finish cooking, use a serrated knife to cut open one side of the rolls to stuff the chicken nuggets. Be sure to leave one side of the roll hinged so it helps hold the chicken in place.
Chicken Nuggets
This recipe uses deboned chicken breasts or chicken tenders cut into small pieces to make chicken nuggets. Place raw chicken nuggets in buttermilk to tenderize them. Soak them for at least 30 minutes, but longer is okay if you keep them refrigerated. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and dip the nuggets in it. Use a fork or slotted spoon to drain buttermilk from the nuggets before adding them to the flour mixture.
Cooking Chicken Minis
Nuggets are cooked in about an inch of cooking oil until golden brown and have an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Heat the cooking oil to 350 degrees F before adding the chicken. Cook the chicken for a couple of minutes. When done, drain it on a paper towel.
Sauce for Chicken Minis
The sauce for these chicken minis is sweet and spicy, unlike Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Minis. You can leave it off if you choose and brush the tops of the yeast rolls with a mixture of melted butter and honey to have a more authentic Chick-fil-A copycat mini. Additionally, you can change the suggested spicy sauce to a similar sauce called Comeback Sauce. Ingredients and instructions are listed in the recipe notes.
Storing Chicken Minis
These chicken minis keep well in the refrigerator if you want to make them ahead and heat them in the oven just before serving. Store them in the yeast roll aluminum pan covered with foil. Leave the foil on and reheat them in a 350 degrees F oven until warm. Add the sauce just before serving.
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Copycat Chicken Minis
Equipment
- 1 food thermometer
Ingredients
Sauce
- ⅛ cup mayonnaise
- ¾ tablespoon sweet chili sauce (Maggi brand used in this recipe)
- ½ teaspoon sriracha hot chili sauce (Huy Fong Foods used in this recipe)
- 1 teaspoon butter, melted
Chicken
- 1/2-3/4 pound chicken breast, deboned and cut into bite-sized pieces (See note below for shortcut advice)
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Vegetable cooking oil
- 16 thawed Parker House Style mini yeast rolls (A package of frozen Sister Schubert’s rolls was used in this recipe)
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
Sauce
- Add the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, hot chili sauce, and melted butter to a small mixing bowl. Stir well. Keep refrigerated until needed later.
Chicken and Rolls
- Add chicken to a mixing bowl and pour buttermilk over it. Stir, making sure the buttermilk covers all the chicken. Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven and bake the yeast rolls according to the package directions. Keep covered and warm after baking.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and pepper In another mixing bowl. Stir to mix well. Add the chicken, one piece at a time, and coat with the flour mixture.
- Pour 1 inch of cooking oil Into a saucepan. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Drop in chicken and fry until golden brown, about a minute or 2, or until chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit inside.
- Remove the chicken from the cooking oil and let the excess oil drain away on a paper towel.
- Cut open each yeast roll, leaving the backside attached so the bread will hold the chicken like a glove. Brush the inside of each roll with the melted butter. Add a piece of chicken and drizzle with the sauce. Serve on a platter and garnish with sliced scallions, fresh parsley, or rosemary.
Notes
HER Tips
Purchase raw chicken breast already cut into small bite-size pieces. This will make this recipe quick and easy. Alternatively, use chicken tenders and cut them into pieces. The rolls used in this recipe are a heat-and-eat type. Other kinds can be used, but build in extra time to allow the rolls to rise, etc.Comeback Sauce Recipe
Here is another similar sauce recipe you can use instead of the one listed in the recipe.- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Texas Pete (or other hot sauce)
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder