We may never know exactly what goes into McDonald's chicken nuggets, but that will never stop some of us from trying to replicate this classic fast food recipe — and many others — at home. That's because there's something so satisfying about a really great recipe dupe. So, Redditor u/SignificantClass2906 asked, "What is a copycat recipe you’ve tried that actually tasted identical to the real thing?" Here are the recipes people swear by (including one tried-and-true copycat dish I've made myself).
1. "The Girl Who Ate Everything has an amazing copycat of Panera Bread's Broccoli Cheddar soup. My whole family likes this better than the OG now!"
2. "Stella Parks' homemade cookies and cream 'Blizzard' recipe (Dairy Queen dupe) is spot-on."
3. "This dupe for Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme from Spend With Pennies always hits the spot. As a bonus, I use the leftover tostadas to make chilaquiles."
4. "PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps from Damn Delicious. This recipe is a staple in our house."
5. "The Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits recipe from Spend With Pennies. It's on regular rotation in my house. Just don't skimp on the butter; it definitely makes a difference."
6. "This recipe from Dinner then Dessert for Panda Express orange chicken. I have zero changes to this recipe."
7. "Belle of the Kitchen's Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars. They are the first hit on Google, but damn, they are identical to the original and maybe even a little better. I've made them a bunch of times, and they are very dangerous."
8. "I was surprised at Serious Eat's Faux Chick-fil-A Sandwiches, a Kenji López-Alt recipe. They were delicious! I hate frying, but these are worth it."
9. "I love Olive Garden's Chicken Scampi, and this dupe from Dinner then Dessert is my favorite to make at home."
10. "Halal cart chicken over rice. I had it in NYC and found the recipe on Serious Eats. Now it's in the regular rotation in my kitchen."
11. This Chick-fil-A mac 'n' cheese copycat recipe from Simply Side Dishes is pretty on point."
12. "My wife made copycat Crumbl cookies. They were so good, we agreed they were banned from the house, and we would never dabble in the dark arts again."
13. "This Din Tai Fung cucumber salad copycat recipe from Platings and Pairings. No other cucumber salad recipe holds a candle to this one."
14. "This Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll dupe from Beauty and Bedlam is perfect, except for the frosting. I make the frosting with one stick of softened butter, 8 ounces of softened cream cheese, and 3 cups of powdered sugar."
15. "The Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe from Gimme Some Oven. The secret is lots of kale, which gives it that subtle peppery zing."
16. "The Nobu miso black cod recipe from The Kitchn. I've made this many times, and it's so easy and so good."
17. "I’m a sucker for the Cheesecake Factory farfalle pasta with chicken and roasted garlic, and this Just A Pinch version is a really good recipe dupe I’ve tried."
18. "This copycat version of KFC coleslaw from Top Secret Recipes. It's the one I've been using for years, and it really does taste the same. I make mine even better than KFC's version by adding a teaspoon or two of horseradish to the mix."
19. And finally, "This faux McDonald's McGriddle recipe I found on Thrillist was actually excellent. The homemade McGriddle is wildly satisfying, and the flavors are very similar to the real thing. And actually, the homemade egg made the breakfast sandwich taste much higher quality and fresher. 10/10 would make again for a special treat."
Have you tried a chain or fast-food restaurant recipe dupe that actually compares to the real thing? Tell us in the comments (leave a link!) or drop it into this Google form.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.