Chicken Minis Recipe (Chick-Fil-A) Copycat
These chicken minis are made with soft and fluffy homemade rolls, crispy chicken nuggets, and a sweet honey butter brushed on top. This easy chicken minis recipe is inspired by Chick-fil-A chicken minis and makes the perfect bite-sized breakfast the whole family can enjoy!
Servings: 24 chicken minis
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Rolls
- ¾ cup whole milk, warmed to 105–110°F
- 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast (1 packet)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour see notes for measuring flour correctly
- ¾ tsp salt
For The Honey Butter
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ tbsp honey
For Assembly
Instructions
- Add the warm milk, yeast, honey, egg, and melted butter to the bowl of a stand mixer (See the FAQs below for instructions on making the dough without a stand mixer). Whisk until combined
- Attach the dough hook and add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed for about 1 minute, until the flour is mostly incorporated. Increase to speed 2 and knead for 7 to 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, stretchy, and slightly tacky. The dough will still be a bit sticky and will stick slightly to the bottom of the bowl, but it should pull together into a soft dough.
- Scrape down the sides, remove the dough from the bowl, and lightly grease the bowl. Return the dough to the greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until roughly doubled in size
- Lightly grease a work surface and your hands. Gently turn the risen dough out onto the greased surface without kneading it again. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. (For evenly sized rolls, weigh the entire dough and divide the total weight by 24. Each piece should be around 25 to 27 grams)
- Shape each piece into a smooth ball by gently pulling the outer edges underneath and pinching the seam together on the bottom.
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and arrange the dough balls seam-side down in 6 rows of 4. Cover loosely and let the rolls rise for about 30 to 40 minutes. Toward the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the rolls on the center rack for about 13 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown.
- While the rolls bake, make the honey butter by whisking together the melted butter and honey until smooth and combined. As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, brush the tops generously with some of the honey butter. Let the rolls rest together in the pan for about 10 minutes.
- While the rolls are resting, cook the chicken nuggets. I prefer to air fry them for the crispiest texture. For Just Bare chicken nuggets, air fry at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until heated through and crispy.
- Gently separate the rolls and slice each one horizontally almost all the way through. Lightly brush the inside of each roll with the remaining honey butter, add one warm chicken nugget, and serve
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly. This is SO important for getting the right dough texture. Instead of scooping the flour directly from the container with your measuring cup, spoon the flour into the cup and level off the top. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky. Adding too much flour can make the rolls dense and dry instead of light and fluffy.
- Don't worry if the dough seems sticky at first. The dough will be soft, moist, and slightly sticky after kneading. Try not to add extra flour, it should become much easier to handle after the first rise.
- Use the dough as your guide for rising. Rise times can vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen. For the first rise, look for the dough to be about double in size. During the second rise, the individual rolls should become puffier and begin touching one another.
- If you have a kitchen scale, I recommend using it to divide the dough into equal portions. This is optional, but it helps the rolls bake evenly and ensures they're all a similar size.
- Don't overbake the rolls. You want the tops to be lightly golden while the centers stay soft and fluffy. Start checking them around the 13-minute mark.
- Brush the rolls while they're warm. Brush the honey butter onto the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven. The warm rolls will soak up some of the honey butter for that sweet, buttery finish.
- Let the rolls rest before slicing. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before pulling them apart and slicing. This gives the soft centers time to set and makes them easier to slice without squishing.
Nutrition
Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 111IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 4mg
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