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These are the best homemade chicken nuggets that I promise your whole family will love! All you need are a few ingredients for a healthier than fast food chicken nugget recipe.
The Best Chicken Nuggets Recipe
Anyone else live off of chicken nuggets when they were a kid? Yeah…me too. And apparently the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because so does my daughter.
I try to remind myself that my very picky tastes as a kid turned into a food blogger as an adult so change really is possible! In the meantime, I’m determined to feed her homemade chicken nuggets because let’s be real, they’re far superior to the store-bought versions.
This chicken nuggets recipe is actually the best. They’re crispy on the outside and tender on the inside without pan frying or air frying. As much as I love the air fryer, space is a major limitation and I prefer to make my chicken nugget recipe in big batches. Though fear not, I’ve also included air fryer instructions below.
If my very picky daughter is any indication, these homemade chicken nuggets are truly a hit!
Ingredients in Homemade Chicken Nuggets
- Chicken – you’ll want to use boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders cut into roughly 1 inch cubes.
- Panko breadcrumbs – you can also use regular breadcrumbs but panko really do add a nice crispiness
- Spices – garlic powder, paprika, onion powder and salt and pepper. These add such good flavor so don’t skip!
- Egg – you’ll need eggs to help bind the panko and spices to the chicken.
- Olive oil cooking spray – this is the secret ingredient that ensures your chicken nuggets stay crispy in the oven. You could use any cooking spray but I prefer olive oil.
*Recipe Tip
You will also next a wire rack that can fit over a baking sheet. Baking your chicken nugget recipe on a wire rack ensures that the heat circulates around the nuggets and they are evenly cooked.
How to Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets
STEP 1: MIX DRY INGREDIENTS
In a shallow bowl combine panko, spices and salt and pepper.
STEP 2: WHISK EGGS + COAT CHICKEN
In a small bowl whisk egg. Using one hand, dip a chicken cube into the egg and then using the same hand remove it and place it into the panko spice mixture.
STEP 3: COAT CHICKEN WITH DRY INGREDIENTS
Using the other hand toss the chicken in the panko spice mixture. Remove with hand and place onto wire rack. Repeat until all chicken has been coated with egg and panko mix.
STEP 4: BAKE CHICKEN
Spray chicken with olive oil spray to give it a light coating. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and inside is tender and no longer pink. Internal temperature of chicken should reach 165 F before serving.
Can I make Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer?
Yes you can! While I prefer to make these homemade chicken nuggets in the oven (you can cook more at once), you can also make them in the air fryer.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F
- Place chicken into the basket in small batches and cook for 10-12 minutes (flipping halfway through). Repeat until all nuggets have been cooked.
Storage + Freezing
One of the main reasons I love this homemade chicken nuggets recipe is because it is amazing for meal prep. You can make a big batch at once and then freeze.
In the fridge– store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in oven, toaster oven, microwave or air fryer.
In the freezer – let chicken cool and then transfer them to a clean baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 2-3 hours and then transfer them to a freezer bag to freeze for 3 months. Reheat them in the oven or air fryer.
What to Serve with Chicken Nuggets
You cannot go wrong serving your homemade chicken nuggets with a dipping sauce like ketchup, honey mustard, bbq sauce or ranch dressing. That being said, if you want to complete the meal, here are some ideas:
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Crispy Baked Curly Fries
- Maple Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Veggies with Tahini Sauce
- Spring Mix Salad
- Chipotle Sweet Potato Wedges
More Kid-Friendly Recipes
- Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce
- Broccoli and cheese rice
- Baby Pancakes
- Kale Pesto Pasta
- Tortilla Pizza
- Chickpea Blondies
- Protein Waffles
- Carrot Cake Muffins
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
These are the best homemade chicken nuggets that I promise your whole family will love! All you need are a few ingredients for a healthier than fast food chicken nugget recipe.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenders
- 1 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 large egg
- olive oil cooking spray (or other non-stick spray)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and spray with olive oil spray. Set aside.
- In a shallow bowl combine panko, spices and salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl whisk egg.
- Using one hand, dip a chicken cube into the egg and then using the same hand remove it and place it into the panko spice mixture. Using the other hand toss the chicken in the panko spice mixture. Remove with hand and place onto wire rack.
- Repeat until all chicken has been coated with egg and panko mix.
- Spray chicken with olive oil spray to give it a light coating.
- Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and inside is tender and no longer pink. Internal temperature of chicken should reach 165 F before serving.
- Serve with ketchup, honey mustard, BBQ sauce or dip(s) of choice.
you’re menus are exactly what I need our family is on a trend to stop going out to eat & teach one another to actually cook at the meals we love to spend money we could be saving. thank you so much.