By April. The cruelest month, someone said once, and they were right but not for the reason they meant. April is cruel because it is beautiful. Because the azaleas bloom and the sun gets warmer and the world insists on renewal when you are still carrying a loss that doesn't renew — it just changes shape. Two years. Mama has been gone two years. The number is both infinite and impossible. How can it be two years? How can it only be two years? Time in grief is a hall of mirrors — it stretches and compresses and reflects itself until you can't tell which direction you're facing.
Preparations for the anniversary ritual. I'm teaching Jasmine the full fried chicken process this week — not at Cascade Heights, at home, a practice run. She needs to know every step before we stand in Mama's kitchen. Buttermilk soak. Seasoned flour from the Folgers can. Cast iron skillet. Oil temperature. The patience of waiting for the oil to be right instead of rushing. "Fried chicken isn't fast," Mama used to say. "Fried chicken is faithful." You commit to the process. You stand at the stove. You don't walk away.
Jasmine stood at the stove Tuesday night and fried her first piece of chicken. She was nervous — the oil scared her, the popping, the heat. I stood behind her, my hands on her shoulders, not touching the spatula, just being there. She lowered the chicken into the oil and it sizzled and she flinched and I said, "You're okay. It's just heat. Heat is your friend." She fried four pieces. They were good. Not perfect — slightly pale, not quite golden enough, Mama would have said "another minute" — but good. Good enough for a first time. Good enough for an eleven-year-old girl learning the recipe that has passed from Ernestine to Brenda to Tamika and now, in a kitchen in College Park on a Tuesday night, to Jasmine. Four generations. One skillet. The line holds.
We used nuggets for Jasmine’s practice run before the real thing — smaller pieces, less intimidating, but the same principles: the soak, the seasoning, the oil temperature, the patience. This copycat Chick-fil-A nugget recipe gave her a way to learn the feel of frying without the full weight of four generations watching over her shoulder. Mama always said you earn the skillet. This was how Jasmine started earning hers.
Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets
Prep Time: 15 min (plus 30 min soak) | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 65 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup dill pickle juice (for soaking)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- Peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying (enough for 2-3 inches in the pan)
Instructions
- Soak the chicken. Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and cover with pickle juice. Let soak for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. The pickle brine tenderizes the meat and adds that signature tang — don’t skip this step.
- Make the buttermilk wash. Whisk together the buttermilk and egg in a shallow bowl. Drain the chicken from the pickle juice and add the pieces to the buttermilk mixture, turning to coat.
- Mix the seasoned flour. In a separate shallow dish, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and celery salt. The powdered sugar is the secret — it helps the crust go golden without burning.
- Dredge the chicken. Remove each chicken piece from the buttermilk wash, letting the excess drip off, then press it firmly into the seasoned flour on all sides. Set the coated pieces on a wire rack or plate while you heat the oil.
- Heat the oil. Pour oil into a cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pot to a depth of about 2 to 3 inches. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°F. Use a thermometer — this is where patience matters. Don’t rush the oil.
- Fry in batches. Carefully lower nuggets into the hot oil in small batches — don’t crowd the pan. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown and cooked through (internal temp 165°F). Maintain your oil temperature between batches.
- Drain and rest. Transfer cooked nuggets to a paper towel-lined plate or a clean wire rack. Let rest 2 to 3 minutes before serving. The crust will crisp up as they rest.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 48g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 820mg