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Copycat Chick-fil-a Nuggets

April 11, 2016 by Abby

A surprising secret ingredient makes these copycat Chick-fil-a nuggets a tender, mouthwatering substitute for the real thing.

A surprising secret ingredient makes these copycat Chick-fil-a nuggets a tender, mouthwatering substitute for the real thing.

I was 18-years-old the first time I ate at Chick-fil-a. I’d just moved to Mississippi to attend college and my cousin and I were driving home- to her house- after orientation. When she realized I’d never heard of Chick-fil-a, let alone tried it, she decided to remedy that immediately. We went through the drive-thru and got nuggets, waffle fries, and lemonade.

I was hooked. Not nearly as much as J, though, who has a love for Chick-fil-a that rivals his love of oxygen. For the three years we lived in Oregon, our semiannual trips to Mississippi were filled with as many nuggets and waffle fries as we could cram in. I’m convinced the restaurant is one of the main reasons he wanted to move back.

A surprising secret ingredient makes these copycat Chick-fil-a nuggets a tender, mouthwatering substitute for the real thing.

If, like me, you’ve been on Pinterest for any length of time, you’ve seen copycat recipes for these nuggets floating around. I’d never made them before, though, mostly because I was certain they’d fall far short of the high expectations we have for the original. If I’m being completely honest, this copycat version isn’t going to fool anyone. It isn’t identical to the real thing, but it is really darn close. I’d say it’s as close as you can get without visiting Chick-fil-a.

The strange thing about this recipe is that it calls for pickle juice. The recipe I adapted mine from didn’t use pickle juice, but I’d heard rumors that it’s the “secret” to getting them as close to restaurant-quality as possible, and since my pregnant self happened to finish off a jar of pickles a couple weeks ago, I went ahead and marinated the nuggets in a combination of the juice and milk.

It made all the difference. The pickle juice provides an interesting tang, a little bit of a bite to the nugget that, if you didn’t know about the juice, you wouldn’t be able to place, but that makes them so close to the Chick-fil-a version. J hates pickles, but he never guessed the juice was there. Trust me- don’t skip it.

A surprising secret ingredient makes these copycat Chick-fil-a nuggets a tender, mouthwatering substitute for the real thing.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: dinner, food, in the kitchen, recipes, supper — Tagged With: chicken, copycat, fried, nuggets

how to make copycat sonic strawberry limeade

July 6, 2015 by Abby

A simple strawberry sauce and store bought soda are all you need to make a copycat sonic strawberry limeade.

A simple strawberry sauce and store bought soda are all you need to make a copycat sonic strawberry limeade.

Sonic was a pretty big deal when I was in college. Happy hour always fell right as most of my friends and I were arriving back in our dorm after classes and work, and the half-price drinks beckoned to us.

I’ve tried my share of smoothies and slushes, but the strawberry limeade will always be my first love. Fruity, refreshing, with just the right amount of zesty zing.

A simple strawberry sauce and store bought soda are all you need to make a copycat sonic strawberry limeade.

I consider it fate that, just the other week at the grocery store, as I was buying strawberries to make my favorite strawberry sauce, I found a bottle of store brand limeade on an end-cap.

The rest is history.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: DIY, drinks, frugal living, in the kitchen, recipes — Tagged With: beverage, copycat, drink, five ingredients or less, limeade, strawberries, strawberry

mexican pizza {a taco bell copycat recipe}

March 5, 2015 by Abby

This homemade version of the Taco Bell classic is so much better when you add your own fresh ingredients | winstead wandering

Confession: I’ve never had a Taco Bell Mexican Pizza. Now that I make this fresh version at home, I’ll never need to.

The recipe calls for refried beans- I make mine using this recipe– and taco meat, but I often make mine with just beans and my husband’s with meat only.

Just as with regular tacos, this recipe can be adapted to fit the preferences or dietary needs of just about anybody; in fact, it practically begs for it.

This homemade version of the Taco Bell classic is so much better when you add your own fresh ingredients | winstead wandering

Mexican Pizzas
adapted from here
(recipe makes 4 pizzas; quantities as needed)

8 6-inch tortillas
1 – 1 1/2 cups (1 can) refried beans (you may want more if you’re omitting the meat)
1/2 pound taco meat (prepare your ground beef or turkey as you normally do for tacos)
1/2 cup taco sauce (salsa works, too)
1 cup shredded cheese
cooking spray or 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Additional optional toppings:
-diced tomato
-shredded lettuce
-sour cream
-diced avocado

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown your tortillas on both sides in a saucepan, either in hot oil or by spraying both sides with cooking spray. Spray a cookie sheet lined with foil.

On the foil, layer beans and meat on top of a browned tortilla. Cover with a second tortilla and spread that one with taco sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat until you’ve built four pizzas.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes.

This homemade version of the Taco Bell classic is so much better when you add your own fresh ingredients | winstead wandering

What fast food favorite do you make at home?

Filed Under: dinner, food, in the kitchen, recipes, supper — Tagged With: copycat, dinner, easy, five ingredients or less, ground beef, recipe, refried beans, supper, tacos

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