No MSG- Mock Chick-fil-A Recipe

One of my children was diagnosed with an allergy to MSG.  Even a trace of the flavor enhancing chemical, results in a severe migraine headache.  Poor baby boy sat sullen faced as I read a long list of foods he needed to avoid, and when I told him Chick-fil-A’s original fried nuggets contained MSG, it was the last straw. He broke down, “Not my nuggets!  Noooo!  Anything but that!” 

Our family loves Chick-fil-A and we remember the joyful day the chicken-chain opened in neighboring Daphne, about 10 minutes away.  Not only is the food wonderful, but the employees are always so polite and accurate with their service. Their indoor playground and ice cream cones saved many a sweltering South Alabama afternoon for us.

Frying up the nuggets in the cast iron skillet. 

My poor child now settles for Chick-fil-A’s “naked” chicken which is what we call the grilled version, and although he thinks they are pretty good even without the fried coating, I decided to see if I could replicate the original nuggets for him, sans MSG.

I searched my vast cookbook library (Google) and found several different versions that claimed to be a perfect copy of the much loved nuggets. The biggest surprise?  You marinate the chicken in pickle juice!  Really!  I don't know if the real-deal is made this way, but it sounded intriguing, so I tried it a few different ways, substituting ingredients here and there, and finally came up with this process.

MSG - Free Chicken Nuggets - Oh, so very, very tasty!

Here is my version of the famous nuggets:

MSG-Free Mock Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into nugget sizes

dill pickle juice to cover all chicken pieces

2 eggs

1 cup whole wheat or all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

a pinch (1/2 teaspoon?) of dried oregano, basil onion and garlic powder

oil for frying (most recipes call for peanut, but I only had vegetable and it worked fine) 

Place chicken nugget pieces in a ziplock bag with the pickle juice.  Marinate at least 4 hours in refrigerator - mine sat overnight and were okay.

Mix eggs in a bowl, and mix flour with all other seasonings together in a second bowl.

Remove chicken from marinade and drain chicken pieces well.  Dip into eggs, then flour mixture. Finish dipping all the nugget pieces into the flour coated stage, then start to fry.  

Fry chicken in the heated oil a shallow pan, turning, till golden brown.  Drain chicken on paper towel lined plate.

Whole wheat pasta and tomatoes, steamed broccoli, nuggets with BBQ dipping sauce - Winner!

This version garnered me a high five from my son, but it's still not the real deal. I don't think this mock-recipe will put Truett Cathy out of business anytime soon, and anyway, frying things at home is such a huge mess.

The other downside is I'm nowhere near as friendly as the real Chick-fil-A employees.

But to keep headaches away from my son, it'll do. 

MOO Y'ALL!  EAT MORE CHIKIN - LESS MSG!

Here is a hilarious song from Tim Hawkins about Chick-fil-A

I'll be sharing this recipe along with other blogger's fun things at Coastal Charm, Between Naps on the Porch, Stone Gable , The Dedicated House, From My Front Porch to Yours, Southern Lovely, French Country Cottage, Imparting Grace, Cedar Hill Ranch ,  Serenity Now, Mockingbird Hill Cottage, Romantic Home, Six Sisters Stuff, The Charm of Home and  Savvy Southern Style