These homemade chicken nuggets are easy to make and guaranteed to be a family favorite. Make extra to freeze for a quick meal later on and skip the drive-thru! Now your only dilemma is whether to dip these yummy nuggets in BBQ sauce or ranch…
Over time, I’m slowly re-making some of my family’s favorite convenience meals into healthier homemade versions.
So far I’ve recreated Homemade Hot Pockets, Homemade Instant Oatmeal, Homemade Spaghetti-o’s, Homemade Lunch Meat, Homemade Peanut Butter Cups, and Homemade Donuts…just to name a few.
But no list of kids’ favorite foods is complete without chicken nuggets, so I had to find the perfect, healthy, homemade version of this fast food restaurant staple to satisfy our craving.
Well folks, add these chicken nuggets to your next meal plan because they’re absolutely fantastic!
HOMEMADE CHICKEN NUGGETS RECIPE
What makes these homemade chicken nuggets so fabulous? They are:
- Healthier. Fast food nuggets are fried in unhealthy oils and are loaded with additives. These homemade chicken nuggets contain simple, real food ingredients and are fried using healthy oils.
- Ready in less than 30 minutes.
- Flavorful. The spices in this recipe make these nuggets juicy and flavorful – they totally beat the taste of conventional nuggets.
- A kid favorite. Your kids will beg for more (and probably your spouse too)!
- Freezer friendly. This recipe is easy to double or triple for an easy future meal and saying yes to freezer chicken nuggets is a win for everyone.
CHICKEN NUGGETS RECIPE INGREDIENTS
- Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Eggs
- Breadcrumbs. You can buy them or make your own following this recipe.
- Salt
- Paprika
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Flour. I use all-purpose einkorn flour, but you can use whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour as well.
- Cooking oil such as coconut oil or avocado oil
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A QUICK NOTE ON CHICKEN
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CHICKEN NUGGET RECIPE NOTES
The hardest part about making homemade chicken nuggets is two-fold:
- First, the cooking technique. Fast-food chicken nuggets are fried, and your kids or spouse will taste the difference if you make baked chicken nuggets instead. But you can totally fry them with coconut oil or avocado oil and you’re not only making a better dinner than the drive-thru, but you’re cooking with healthy fats, so you can fry without guilt!
- Second, the seasoning. Salt and pepper are your BFFs for seasoning, but homemade chicken nuggets require a little more oomph if you’re going to win over drive-thru nugget fans. Don’t be scared of the amount of seasoning in this nugget recipe. Trust me – they’re going to be AWESOME.
Plan to make extras and follow the steps below to freeze them so you have supply to meet the demand!
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE NUGGETS
Step 1. Pound down the chicken. Unroll a 12” section of plastic wrap and place it on the cutting board. Place one chicken breast on one end of the plastic wrap and fold the other end over. Using a meat mallet (I have this one) or a very heavy spoon or rolling pin, beat the chicken until the entire piece is even in thickness. I aim for ½” to ¾” thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
Step 2. Cut the chicken into equal pieces, about 1 ½” in size.
Step 3. Preheat a cast iron skillet, or another heavy-bottomed skillet to medium heat and add the cooking oil.
Step 4. In a shallow dish or bowl, crack 1 egg and add 1 teaspoon of water, ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Use a whisk to mix well.
Step 5. In another shallow dish or bowl, measure 1 cup of bread crumbs, ½ cup flour, and 1 teaspoon each of salt, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix well.
Step 6. Working in batches, move the cut chicken pieces into the egg mixture and coat thoroughly. Then move the chicken to the breadcrumb mixture and coat thoroughly.
Step 7. Add the chicken nuggets to the hot skillet in a single layer and cook until the sides begin to turn golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.
Step 8. Using tongs, flip each nugget over and cook until finished and both sides are dark golden brown, about 2-4 minutes.
Step 9. Remove the homemade nuggets to a plate lined with a paper towel or napkin to allow any excess oil to drain.
Step 10. Repeat with the remaining chicken, using additional egg, water, breadcrumbs, flour, spices, and cooking oil as necessary. (If you need just a little bit more of the breadcrumbs mixture, use ½ cup breadcrumbs, ¼ cup flour, and ½ tsp of each of salt, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.)
Step 11. Serve warm or freeze for later. Store any leftover chicken nuggets in an airtight container in the fridge.
HOW TO FREEZE HOMEMADE CHICKEN NUGGETS
Step 1. Make as many chicken nuggets as you want (I recommend doubling or tripling the recipe because you’re going to get requests for these often!).
Step 2. Freeze extra nuggets on a cooling rack (I have these) or on a cookie sheet for 30-60 minutes. (You can skip this step, but your nuggets will end up sticking together, and you’ll pull the breading off when you tear them apart later).
Step 3. Move the freezer chicken nuggets from the cooling rack to a freezer-safe container. At this step, I recommend portioning out enough to cover one meal. That way you’re not thawing more than you need later.
Step 4. To reheat frozen chicken nuggets, preheat the oven to 375F and bake for 10-15 minutes. No need to thaw first!
CHICKEN NUGGEST FAQS
Are homemade chicken nuggets healthy?
Absolutely! Homemade chicken nuggets are packed with protein and healthy fats without the additives and preservatives you find in commercial chicken nuggets. These nuggets are made with simple real food ingredients like chicken breast and a variety of flavorful spices.
What goes with homemade chicken nuggets?
Adding a salad and a carbohydrate side is a great way to round out this meal. Try these Easy Potato Skins or Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese for a great, kid-friendly side dish! This Sweet Kale Salad is another great option!
Can I make air fryer chicken nuggets?
I haven’t tried to make air fryer chicken nuggets before, but I would guess you probably could. I would coat them in the egg mixture and the breadcrumb mixture, and then give them a light spray with olive oil before air frying.
Can I use ground chicken to make nuggets?
Some homemade chicken nugget recipes call for ground chicken. I prefer to use chicken breast because that’s what I’m more likely to have on hand. If you would like to substitute ground chicken in this recipe, you’ll need to make your ground chicken into tablespoon-sized nuggets before dunking in the egg mixture and the breadcrumb mixture, and you’ll need to be a bit gentler with them before they cook so they don’t fall apart.
Can I make nuggets without breadcrumbs?
If you prefer grilled chicken nuggets like Chick-fil-A makes, you can skip the egg and breadcrumb coating steps in this chicken nuggets recipe. Simply season your chicken pieces well and fry in the oil until cooked through.
CHICKEN NUGGET SAUCE OPTIONS
If you are taking the time to make homemade nuggets, then you need your favorite dipping sauce too! Try any of these homemade sauces for even more yummy flavor:
- Secret Recipe Buffalo Wing Sauce
- Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing
- Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Homemade Ketchup
- Magic Thai Peanut Sauce
- Homemade Caesar Dressing
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These homemade chicken nuggets are easy to make and guaranteed to be a family favorite. Make extra to freeze for a quick meal later on and skip the drive-thru! Now your only dilemma is whether to dip these yummy nuggets in BBQ sauce or ranch…
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Pan fry
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts (about 1 – 1 ½ lbs)
- 1 – 2 eggs
- 1 – 2 tsp water
- 1 – 2 cups breadcrumbs (make your own with this easy recipe)
- ½ – 1 cup flour (I used all-purpose einkorn flour, but you can use whole wheat)
- 1 – 2 tsp each: salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder
- ½ – 1 tsp each: salt and pepper
- 2 – 4 Tbsp healthy cooking oil (coconut oil or avocado oil recommended)
Instructions
- Unroll a 12” section of plastic wrap and place it on the cutting board. Place one chicken breast on one end of the plastic wrap and fold the other end over. Using a meat mallet (I have this one) or very heavy spoon or rolling pin, beat the chicken until the entire piece is even in thickness all over. I aim for ½” to ¾” thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Cut the chicken into equal sizes, about 1 ½” in size.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet, or another heavy bottomed skillet to medium heat and add 2 Tbsp healthy cooking oil.
- In a shallow dish, crack 1 egg and add 1 tsp water, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Use a whisk to mix well.
- In another shallow dish, measure 1 cup of breadcrumbs, ½ cup flour and 1 tsp each salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix well.
- Working in batches, move the cut chicken pieces into the egg mixture and coat thoroughly.
- Then move the chicken to the breadcrumb mixture and coat thoroughly.
- Add to the skillet in a single layer and cook until the sides begin to turn golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.
- Using tongs, flip each nugget over and cook until finished and both sides are dark golden brown, about 2-4 minutes.
- Remove the nuggets to a plate lined with a paper towel or napkin to allow excess oil to drain.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken, using additional egg, water, breadcrumbs, flour, spices and cooking oil as necessary. (If you need just a little bit more of the breadcrumbs mixture, use ½ cup breadcrumbs, ¼ cup flour, ½ tsp of each salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder.)
- Serve warm, or freeze for later. Store any leftover chicken nuggets in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- Salt and pepper are your BFFs for seasoning, but homemade chicken nuggets require a little more oomph if you’re going to win over drive-thru nugget fans. Don’t be scared of the amount of seasoning in this nugget recipe. Trust me – they’re going to be AWESOME.
Nutrition
- Calories: 660-770
- Fat: 27 grams
Do you reheat from frozen or from thawed? If thawed how long do they need to thaw.
Hello Jo!
This recipe is best when you reheat from frozen. To reheat, preheat the oven to 375F and bake for 10-15 minutes.
I thought so but this sentence before it confused me. “ That way you’re not thawing more than you need later on.”
Thank you for confirming. 🙂
I am going to try this recipe with turkey cutlets because my son is allergic to chicken, but he’s also highly allergic to eggs. Is there something I should use to replace eggs? Egg replacement powder will not work, he doesn’t like it. Sorry to be a pain. 😁 Thank you in advance.
Hi Pam!
Some great egg replacements for chicken nuggets are buttermilk, tomato paste, olive oil, and chia seeds. I hope this helps. 🙂
Has anyone tried these in an air fryer? I love the recipe just wanting to get away from frying them on the stove.
Hi Codey, Check out our friend’s recipe over at https://www.kitchenstewardship.com/air-fryer-chicken-recipe/
Should the nuggets be cooked through before freezing or are you just browning them and freezinguncooked. Thanks, Lynn
Hi Lynn,
The chicken nuggets should be fully cooked before freezing.
Do you cook these before freezing?? Or freeze raw then bake in the oven?
HI Imogen,
I cook them first, then freeze them. Just remember to freeze them on a cooling rack or cookie sheet so that they do not freeze together. Then, transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi,
This might be a dumb question ☺️ but if you have something like your recipe for the homemade Italian breadcrumbs do you still add the additional seasonings; peprika, etc? I wasn’t sure if you use both or one or the other? I’m excited to try these for my toddler but have never made nuggets before. Thank you! I’m excited to try making the breadcrumbs too.
Hi Angela! I would add the extra seasonings. The seasoning in breadcrumbs is so you’re not eating plain bread, and they won’t add a ton of flavor to the end product of something. I hope you like them!
Do you freeze after cooking or before?
After!
Hi Tiffany,
Thx for this recipe. Do you think there would be another way to make these without the egg since my daughter is allergic to eggs/dairy? I wondered if I could dip them in coconut or almond milk instead? Thx for your input 🙂
I haven’t tested it personally Robin, but you could probably do either one!
Robin, a flax or chia egg substitute would probably work better than any kind of non dairy milk. Just google “flax egg recipe” or “chia egg recipe”, and I would grind either one of them extra fine before adding the liquid. Good luck!
I just want you to know that occasionally our family has homemade Chick fil A night and this is our go-to recipe! Actually we had it last night with these nuggets and your potato wedges (and my husband mixed up some mean CFA sauce)!
Oh wow, what a compliment! Thank you Heidi! ♥ I think I need to borrow your homemade Chik-fil-A night idea for our own meal plan. 😉
I made these for my family and I got the seal of approval from my2 year old Grandson, he told me my chicken nuggets were yummy for his tummy, lol 😉, so they will become a go to in my house and thanks for letting us know they freeze great cause will have to double or triple next time for sure. Thanks for sharing.b😛😝😋😊
You’re so very welcome Robin!
AMAZING. I couldn’t stop eating them…kids loved them too!! Thanks for posting!
You’re very welcome!
These are the best homemade nuggets I’ve ever made! Thank you so much for the recipe. Even my fussy other half approves ALOT. I can’t sign up to your minicourse though, it keeps failing!
I’m glad you like the nuggets!
I attempted to sign you up for the mini course. Let us know if you didn’t get an email about it!
These were delicious! I have 4 boys and they all devoured them. But the real test was that my husband and I loved them too!
Wonderful! I’m so glad the whole family liked them. 🙂
These turned out fantastic! I’m gluten free so I subbed the flour and breadcrumbs for gluten free flour, breadcrumbs, and cereal. They turned out spectacularly. We even tested a small frozen batch for a midnight snack.
Thanks so much for this!
You’re very welcome Christina!
Made these tonight and they were amazing! The only thing I did different was using ghee to fry because I am low on coconut oil. Next time I need to double them because everyone scarfed them down. 😁😁
I have the same problem too!
Excited to try this! With a toddler chicken nuggets are basically a staple around here. But whenever we buy them I’m always thinking about how much better (and healthier) it would be if I found the perfect homemade chicken nugget recipe.
Can you tell me how many chicken nuggets this makes? Also, in the recipe it says “1-2”, “1/2-1”, etc. for each of the ingredients, can you explain the large range for the ingredients? Is it based on if you use 1 or 2 chicken breasts? I want to get the ratio right.
Thanks!
Sarah
Hi Sarah!! I honestly can’t tell you how many this makes – my kids and hubby are always snacking on them as they come out the pan, LOL! Plus with the different size of breasts, different thickness, etc. If I had to guess, I’d say 25-30 ish?
As for the ingredients, if you notice, the range for each one is doubled. Basically, start at the low end. Then if you run low on egg wash or spices, you can make it again. Once you make this recipe the first time, you’ll know whether or not you’ll need to use the low end or high end of ingredient measurements. This will also depend on how much chicken you use too. I just didn’t want you guys to waste ingredients on egg wash or breading, and then not have a use for the extras!!
Hi, would it be black or white pepper powder?
Black!
I absolutely looooove chicken nuggets! I usually buy the frozen ones from Foster Farms at either Albertsons or Safeway. My ex-stepdad used to buy a big bag of them for me at Costco. I wish I could shop there, but it seems you have to have a membership, which is a bit spendy! Another downside to the bags I buy is they only last for a few servings. I would buy the big bags again, but the problem with that is I live in a studio apartment, and my freezer is so small! Right this moment, it’s practically stuffed to the ceiling! This is because most of the things I make, I usually freeze half the batches so they last longer. I wonder how I could make a homemade version that tastes like the ones from Foster Farms, without any preservatives? Also, how do they make all those cool chicken nugget shapes?
I’m afraid if I tell you how they make the cool chicken nugget shapes, you won’t want to eat them every again. 🙂 These chicken nuggets are really good – I encourage you to give them a shot!
And why would you think I wouldn’t want to eat them ever again? I was just curious about the shapes, since if I make the homemade version you’re describing, I’d like to make the familiar shapes. I know one of them is round, or maybe it’s oval, and another is sort of rectangular with a little handle, at least to me that’s what the shape feels like, and I think another of the shapes might be square. I don’t know, I’m just taking a guess.
I think nuggets that are made into shapes are highly processed.
Couldn’t I try making shapes with your recipe? How would I make them? Would I have to use a knife? Cookie cutters? A special pan? I’m confused!
You could try making shapes if you started with ground chicken, but not with chicken breasts.
I suppose you could cut the chicken into shapes, but I don’t know that it would hold it. Typically, shaped nuggets are made by blending or processing the meat so it will fit in a mold. I’ve never done it myself so I’m not sure how exactly it would work.
I’ve made chicken nuggets by pureeing the chicken and seasonings with some mashed potatoes in a food processor. If you do that, the nuggets can be shaped as you like, and the texture is similar to what you’d get from typical processed nuggets. You could follow the suggestion to just use ground chicken, but I’ve never tried that, so I don’t know how the texture would be without the potatoes.
My son and I found this recipe this morning and are already looking forward to making it! Thanks!
I hope you guys love it as much as we do Kitchen Fairy!!