healthy chicken nuggets

For a healthier way to enjoy chicken nuggets, give these crispy homemade air fryer chicken nuggets a try! Juicy and tender chicken pieces are seasoned and cooked until perfectly crispy and golden – you won’t even know that they aren’t deep fried! They take about 20 minutes from start to finish and use simple ingredients like panko breadcrumbs, spices and chicken breast. Serve with chilli mayo, ketchup or your favourite dipping sauce for kid-friendly dinners or lunchboxes (that adults will love too!).

Crispy Chicken Nuggets Air Fryer Method!

chicken breasts (approx 500 grams/1.1 pounds)

cornflour/cornstarch

tsp black pepper

salt

paprika

garlic powder

onion powder

buttermilk

breadcrumbs

panko crumbs

cheese

olive oil spray (or canola or vegetable oil

dipping sauce of choice (to serve)

chopped parsley

Pre-heat your air fryer to 180°C/356F for 5 minutes.

While the air fryer is heating, trim any fat from the chicken and cut the breasts into nugget sized pieces (approx. 20 pieces), or chicken tenders if you prefer.

In a bowl, mix the cornflour with the pepper, salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Toss the chicken pieces through the cornflour mix until they are completely coated on all sides.

Mix the breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan together in a separate bowl. Set up a station with three bowls; one containing the chicken pieces, one for the buttermilk and one for the breadcrumb mixture.

One by one, dredge the chicken pieces through the buttermilk until completely coated, then coat them in the breadcrumbs until covered on all sides. Rest the coated nuggets on a clean plate until they are all coated in the breadcrumb mixture.

Arrange the nuggets in a single layer along the bottom of the air fryer basket, or on racks if your fryer has them. You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.

Cook the nuggets at 180°C/356F for 6-8 minutes, until the coating is crisp and the chicken has cooked through the middle (internal temperature 74°C/160F).

Serve immediately with your favourite dipping sauces, or store them according to the notes below to enjoy later.

Move over fast food nuggets, because Healthy Chicken Nuggets are here! These mouth watering nuggets can be made in either the oven or an air fryer. They're made complete with copycat Chick-fil-A sauce!

Healthy Chicken Nuggets (Baked and Air Fried)

chicken breasts

eggs

tbsp pickle juice

almond flour

flour

tsp smoked paprika

tsp pepper

mayo

tsp dijon mustard

tbsp yellow mustard

ketchup

tsp salt

If baking, preheat oven to 450F and line baking sheet with aluminum foil and oil well. If air-frying, preheat air frier to 400F.

Cut chicken breasts into nugget size bites.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cracker crumbs, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Dip each chicken nugget into the egg mixture, then into the flour mixture, being sure to coat both sides and pressing the mixture on to cover all surfaces. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Line nuggets on foiled + greased baking sheet. Bake for 5-6 minutes, then flip, and bake for another 5-6 minutes or until golden brown and internal temp reaches 165F.

TO BAKE

Once preheated to 400F, spray basket with nonstick spray. Place in chicken nuggets, in an even layer, not stacking on top of each other. 

Fry for 9-11 minutes, turning once halfway through. Chicken should reach internal temp of 165F.

TO AIR FRY

SO good. my boyfriend and i love these. i use the costco chicken breast chunks which makes this recipe even quicker! one question - are there nutritional info for the nuggets alone?

These are seriously the best! I've probably made them 5 or 6 times already. Taste better than the real thing!

These are delicious. I used gluten free breadcrumbs and they took ~14 minutes in my air fryer. Would definitely make them again and LOVED the sauce😋.

Made this recipe tonight since my husband is obsessed with Chick-Fil-A and would eat it every day if I let him. I made the nuggets in the air fryer and they turned out SO good! And my husband LOVED them. He was literally eating the scraps off my plate and out of the air fryer after he finished his serving. I will definitely be making this recipe again in the future!

I made these nuggets last night and WOW!! So simple and great tasting. I used the air fryer so they had the perfect crisp to them.

So yummy! Easy to make and taste delicious. Will definitely make again! :)

These are amazing!! Made these for tonight’s All Star game and they totally hit the spot! Great flavor!!

So delish! I made these in the air fryer with GF breadcrumbs - the pickle juice adds the best tang. Great to enjoy with just ketchup and super easy to make!

Didn’t look anything like the picture. Disappointed.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/Aj1ncik5.mp4

Move over fast food nuggets, because Healthy Chicken Nuggets are here! These mouth watering nuggets can be made in either the oven or an air fryer. They’re made complete with copycat Chick-fil-A sauce!

Chicken Nuggets

Crispy and tender, these air fryer chicken nuggets are quite simply the best! Coated in seasoned breadcrumbs and so quick and easy to make, they are the perfect appetizer!

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipe

chicken

flour divided

milk

½ tsp pepper

bread crumbs

olive oil

Toast

Depending on the size of the bread, you can make your own bread crumbs from about four slices of bread. Place bread in the basket, and set time for about 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees, flipping over half way. The airfryer makes the bread very crisp! I put my bread into the food processor and in just about 30 seconds, I had perfect, fresh bread crumbs. (Four slices equalled one cup, almost exactly.)

For the Breadcrumbs

Prepare

To prepare the basket: Using a pastry brush, brush oil onto the basket. (I used olive oil, but I am sure vegetable oil works just as well. This will keep the batter from sticking to the basket as it cooks.) Set the basket aside.

Dredge

In a small to medium bowl, whisk together the other ½ cup flour, milk, and seasonings. Using two other bowls, one filled with the other ½ cup flour, and the other with the breadcrumbs, place the bowls next to each other for easy dipping. Dip each piece of chicken, starting with the flour, then once coated, dip into milk/seasonings mixture, then coat each piece with bread crumbs. Place each piece into the oiled basket, without stacking. Repeat coating for each piece, until all are covered and in basket.

Cook

Select chicken, make sure the temperature is 380 degrees. Cook on each side for 7 minutes. If you prefer extra crispy, you can cook an additional minute on each side.

Serve

For the Chicken Nuggets:

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1665679008/wwapmojpkkfinn3fa3rr.mp4

air fryer chicken nuggets

These gluten free chicken nuggets are so easy to make. A great alternative to commercial chicken nugget being egg and dairy free as well means they are perfect for kids with allergies.

Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

chicken (breast, tenderloins

coconut milk (80 ml coconut milk

Third cup ground almonds (35

onion powder (optional)

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.

Pour the coconut cream/milk into a bowl  or dish large enough to hold the chicken. If you are using the onion powder, mix this through the coconut milk/cream.

Soak in the coconut milk/cream. If possible leave the chicken to soak in fridge for 30 mins or overnight (although however long you have is fine)

Drain the excess coconut milk/cream, if you used a thick coconut cream there may not be any additional liquid to drain

Roll the coconut milk soaked chicken pieces in the ground almonds

Place on a baking paper-lined tray. Bake in a hot oven 200 degrees Celsius, 400 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes turn the pieces once golden on one side (. The side that is sitting on the baking paper will be the side going brown,  turning  helps to make both sides  golden and crispy. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked.

These Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets are the perfect finger food for little eaters! Loaded with veggies and vegetarian protein! Easy to make and super delicious, enjoy these vegetable nuggets on their own, instead of meatballs, or dunk them in your favorite sauce!

Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets

chickpeas

zucchini

carrot

onion

Italian seasoning

sea salt

garlic garlic

black pepper

olive

oat flour breadcrumbs

Place shredded zucchini and carrots in the middle of a clean dish towel or large piece of paper towel. Wrap them up and squeeze a few times to help drain out some of the moisture.

In your food processor, combine drained zucchini and carrots and remaining ingredients. Pulse a few times to combine. DO NOT OVER MIX.  Mixture should be wet but scoopable. See photo in post for reference.

 Heat cooking oil in a large pan over medium high heat.

Using a heaping tablespoon or a small cookie scoop, portion out the mixture into the pan. Cook nuggets 3-5 minutes and flip, using the back of your spatula to gently flatten them a bit. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes or until outside of the nugget has a slightly golden color.

Enjoy warm and with your favorite dipping sauce. Allow leftovers to cool completely and store in an air-tight container in fridge for 4-5 days

Big fan of this recipe!  I used all the specified ingredients but tweaked some amounts (probably doubled the carrot and zucchini, and eyeballed how much to increase breadcrumbs as a result).  I hand-shredded the carrot and zucchini (and squeezed out water by hand) but used a food processor to blend the chickpeas and eggs before combining all.  My mix was fairly wet (1/4C worked great as a scoop, and then I shaped/flattened them) and highly recommend baking because it's so hands-off!  (My oven cooks fast but 400-425 for 20ish min for me).

So I actually subbed the vegetables for 1 cup of  peas (was all I had lol) &amp; it worked still! I pan fried a few but then put the rest in the air fryer for 15 min at 400 degrees, flipping halfway. 

No bread crumbs and only quick oats available. Grounded up 1/2 cups. Only had frozen carrots used one cup. No eggs used flax seed and water. Fried in skillet itptheyvare started flaking. Decided to try air fryer made fore the perfect consistency loved lit

Has anyone tried baking them? Do they stay together??

These are delicious! My 17 month old loves them, as do my husband and I. They were easy to make as well. Using my shredding blade in the food processor for the veggies made it even easier! 

I am pleasantly surprised by these! They were very easy to make and incredibly tasty. I'm not sure that my very selective toddlers will go for them, but I'm hopeful! If not, I will definitely be enjoying them on my own. :)

These Veggie-Loaded Chicken Bites aren&#039;t just easy to make, but they are super delicious and a healthy start to dinner! Family-friendly, gluten free, Paleo and Whole30

Veggie-Loaded Chicken Bites

zucchini (measure before squeezing out)

grated carrot (or 1/2 cup finely grated carrot)

spinach,

Take shredded zucchini and put it in the middle of a clean dish towel or large piece of paper towel. Wrap up the zucchini with towel squeeze a few times to help drain out some of the zucchini’s moisture.

In a large bowl, combine drained zucchini and remaining ingredients except oil. Using clean hands or a spoon, mix until well combined.

Using a small cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon, portion out the mixture into 18 nuggets.  Use your hands to form each portion into a nugget shape. I find that having slightly wet hands helps the mixture from sticking to me. Place the bites on a plate until you work through the batch.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Cook bites until a golden-brown crust starts to form and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes per side

Great recipe !! :) I used 1/4-1/3 cup or so of minced onion instead of onion powder, and I usually dip them in ketchup :)

There is no binding element that keeps these together so they just fall apart while cooking. They’re also quite bland. Wouldn’t recommend.

These tasted great. My husband and kids love it. I used ground turkey and did a light Italian panko breading. I also added a tab bit more salt. They came out juicy and flavorful.

My child loves these!! I was wondering if you could freeze the uncoooked part? 

Delicious, easy and quick. I used ground turkey and baked them in the oven and they were delicious. I also didn't have any spinach so I just omitted it and they were still perfection.

My two super picky boys ate these and said that they're good! These are the type of kids who would pick out any green and veggie they see in food. I am soooo happy that they enjoyed these. I used the hand blender to grind up the chicken and it worked out great! 

Thank you so much!

Making these for a 3rd time for my toddler! He loves them so I do a big batch and freeze them! Love that he gets all the veggies in there! 

These are wonderful! Thanks so much for the recipe. Do you have a preferred way to reheat the leftover nuggets? Would the microwave do?  Thank you!

These healthy chicken nuggets with veggies are easy to make and are a delicious addition to lunch or dinner

Healthy chicken nuggets with veggies

carrot (80 grams, weighed after peeled)

cauliflower (200 grams)

breadcrumbs (80 grams)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add cauliflower and carrots to a food processor and process until finely chopped.

In a large bowl, add all the ingredients, minus the breadcrumbs. Mix until combined. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and using your hands, form into balls.

Add breadcrumbs to a large raised plate or bowl. Roll in breadcrumbs. Flatten slightly into a nugget shape.

Place on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Spray the top with oil spray to make the nuggets crispier (optional).

Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Adults love it, and our baby has an easy time to hold it... as for the toddler well have to try more again. 
I have a question on how to make it more moist! Add cheese inside maybe? any thoughts anyone?

Made these today with broccoli, mashed roasted sweet potato, amchicken breasts (cube and blend in food processor until grounded, super easy and quick too), and lightly-crushed panko. For seasoning, I put 1tsp Italian herbs, 1tsp garlic powder, 1tsp onion powder, 1/2tsp oregano, 1/2tsp paprika, 1/4tsp ground cumin, 1/2tsp salt, 1/2tsp black pepper, and about 1.5tbsp parmesan flakes. It was a hit with my 2 year old who wouldn't eat broccoli or sweet potato - he finished 5 nuggets! Although it was light on the salt, even my husband said they tasted good. Thank you for the recipe!

My son and husband love these! Just wondering the best way to reheat them from the fridge and from frozen

Love the recipe and the simplicity of the instructions. Thank you so much for sharing this!!❤️

This has become a favorite lunchbox recipe for my 18 month old. I used broccoli instead of cauliflower because that’s all I had, but my son loved it anyway. Not a morsel left! Next time I’ll make a batch with cauliflower for an even yummier result. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.

Delicious recipe to sneak veggies into my toddler’s diet. We’ve made multiple versions of this with ground chicken, ground turkey, garlic and onion powder with salt and pepper. All fantastic. Thanks for this healthy alternative!

These were wonderful! 1y and 4y both loved them, and I ate at least 10 of them myself 😂 we'll be keeping and recommending this one to friends!!!

I made these for my family this week and it was such a big hit! My 9 mo. old LOVES them and I can't tell you how much joy it brings me to see him eating a whole nugget when he merely picks at other food. My toddler also loved them which is rare because she never likes store bought or fast food chicken nuggets. My husband and zi had to stop ourselves from eating the rest because I primarily meal-prepped this for the children. Thank you, Min!!

So simple yet flavorful and nutritious. Kids loved them, thanks for the recipe!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/4ppbRjk6.mp4

These healthy chicken nuggets with veggies are easy to make and are a delicious addition to lunch or dinner. They are juicy and tender on the inside, and you can easily adjust how crispy you want the exterior to be for babies and toddlers.

Top 7 healthy chicken nuggets recipes from across the web

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Crispy Chicken Nuggets Air Fryer Me...

Healthy Chicken Nuggets (Baked and ...

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipe

Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets

Veggie-Loaded Chicken Bites

Healthy chicken nuggets with veggie...

Top 7 healthy chicken nuggets recipes from across the web

The most viewed healthy chicken nuggets recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Crispy Chicken Nuggets Air Fryer Me...

Healthy Chicken Nuggets (Baked and ...

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipe

Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets

Veggie-Loaded Chicken Bites

Healthy chicken nuggets with veggie...

The most viewed healthy chicken nuggets recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine