This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These Easy Chicken Nuggets not only deliver on the easy part of their name, but they’re insanely delicious too! They taste just as good (if not better) than fast food or store bought frozen nuggets and are made with simple ingredients. Kid’s go crazy for these!
Why I Love This Recipe
Homemade chicken nuggets are one of the most requested recipes I’ve received since I started creating family-friendly meals for Weelicious. While I’ve made Baked Chicken Nuggets before, I wanted to create a version that closely resembles the fast food nuggets everyone loves. And so, this recipe was born! Chicken nuggets and french fries are convenient and undeniably loved by kids, so naturally have I several recipes for each.
This homemade chicken nugget recipe is incredibly easy to make and offers the same crispy, delicious taste as fast food—but with healthier ingredients! It comes together in under 30 minutes using ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. Plus, you can make a large batch and freeze them for later, making these nuggets not only a budget-friendly recipe but also a huge time-saver when you need a quick meal.
The Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: The star of the show! We use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, a great protein source!
- Old Fashioned Oats: Also known as rolled oats, this ingredient helps bind the chicken nuggets together. Plus, oats are high in fiber which adds some extra nutritional benefits.
- Panko breadcrumbs: Panko is what gives these nuggets that irresistible crispy, crunchy exterior!
- Grated parmesan cheese: Parmesan adds flavor to the nuggets, but if you need these to be dairy free you can omit it.
- Seasonings: Dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt add tons of flavor to this recipe!
Variations and Substitutions
- Ground Chicken: If you don’t have a food processor, you can use ground chicken in this recipe. To do so, you’ll need to blend the oats into a finer consistency and then combine them with the ground chicken and remaining ingredients as instructed.
- Seasonings: Feel free to customize the seasonings to your taste preferences!
- Gluten Free: Use certified gluten free oats and gluten free panko to make this recipe suitable for people with gluten sensitivities.
How to Make Easy Chicken Nuggets
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the chicken chunks, oats and seasonings in a food processor until chicken is finely chopped and ingredients are combined.
Step 2: Place the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl or on a plate and stir to combine.
Step 3: With moistened hands, roll about 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture between your palms and flatten it into a nugget shape.
Step 4: Gently press nuggets into bread crumbs to evenly coat them. Place nuggets on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly spray nuggets with cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.
Recipe Tip
If you want your nuggets to be even more golden brown, place under the broiler for 2 minutes after cooking.
How to Air Fry Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Making these homemade chicken nuggets in the air fryer is super easy! Simply form the nuggets as directed, spray each one with cooking spray, and place them in your air fryer basket. Cook at 375°F for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Since every air fryer can vary, keep an eye on your nuggets while they cook to ensure perfect results!
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
How to Freeze Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Many parents keep frozen chicken nuggets on hand as a quick meal solution, but have you ever looked closely at the ingredients in your favorite brand? Are they pronounceable? Are they things you want your kids eating? I was shocked when I first checked the labels, which is why I now make extra homemade chicken nuggets to freeze. This way, I always have a batch ready for when the craving hits, and I feel good knowing exactly what’s in them!
- Before cooking, place the coated, raw nuggets on a parchment-lined baking sheet, freeze them for an hour.
- Put frozen nuggets in labeled zip-top bags and freeze for up to 4 months.
- When ready to eat, cook as directed, adding 1-2 minutes to the cooking time.
Tips and Tricks
- Use Wet Hands for Shaping: Keep your hands slightly damp while shaping the nuggets to prevent the chicken mixture from sticking to your fingers.
- Chill the Mixture: If the chicken mixture feels too soft to handle, place it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up. This makes shaping the nuggets easier and helps them hold their form while cooking.
- Coat Nuggets Evenly: To get an even coating, press the nuggets gently into the breadcrumb mixture, turning them a few times. This ensures a crispy coating all over.
More Kid-Approved Chicken Recipes
Crispy on the outside, tender inside, freshly made easy chicken nuggets your kids will beg for everyday. What could be more simple, economical, nutritious and yummy than that?
Want more Weelicious? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for all the newest recipes!
Easy Chicken Nuggets
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup old fashioned oats (also known as 5 minute oats)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor until chicken is finely chopped and ingredients are combined.
- Place the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl or on a plate and stir to combine.
- With moistened hands, roll 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture between your palms and flatten it into a “nugget” shape.
- Gently press nuggets into bread crumbs to evenly coat them.
- Place nuggets on parchment lined baking sheet and lightly spray nuggets with cooking spray.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and serve. If you want your nuggets to be more golden brown, place under the broiler for 2 minutes after cooking. Air frying instructions are in the notes below!
You could use mashed potatoes!
Can I substitute the oats for something else? We avoid oats due to them causing eczema flares in my little guy. Thanks!
Once again, another Weelicious recipe that is a total hit in our house. My 4 year old and 2 year old devoured them!!! I did add a cup of spinach to my chicken mixture and pureed it all up together for an added veggie kick to the nuggets. Delish!
Please send me weekly newsletters
Cook and then freeze! To defrost I put them directly onto a baking sheet in the oven until they’re defrosted and warmed through!
These sound great I can’t wait to try them! For making a big batch & freezing do you cook them then freeze? Or freeze them raw? I couldn’t find the answer. Thank you!
Ps. I just found your website today & there are so many recipes I can’t wait to try for my 1 yr old!
Fantastic recipes
I don’t have a real food processor, just a mini one. So I was concerned it wouldn’t grind the chicken good. But it did. The best part is, the kids liked them!! Hooray, no more store bought nuggets for us! The only thing I’m going to change for next time is to try grinding up the panko a bit. They didn’t like the “chunks” of crust.
I tried these tonight but they didn’t turn out well, too dense. Disappointing! I added an egg as someone had suggested because I was worried they would be dry. But I was wondering if you can overprocess the chicken in the food processor – could that have been what I did wrong? Next time, I think I’ll just cut up the chicken into chunks and rub them in the spice/panko/parmesan mixture instead of using the food processor at all, see how that tastes.
Right!
So its raw chicken that goes into the food processor with the other ingredients, right?
[…] Weelicious Easy Chicken Nuggets Share this:TwitterFacebookPinterestLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. Categories: Animals, Family | Tags: chickens, farm family, food, recipes | Leave a comment […]
Awesome recipe! I bought ground chicken and then used my blender(don’t have a food processor). I also added a small amount of mashed up carrots so they’d be moist.
I do have a recipe for that type of chicken nugget! http://b12.ba4.myftpupload.com/2008/05/14/wee-nuggets/ In this recipe grinding the meat and mixing it with the other ingredients and then shaping into a nugget gives it that fast food nugget (or the ones that come frozen from the grocery) texture for those that prefer that texture to just chopped chicken! 🙂
why chop and then shape into a “nugget”?
how about cutting chicken into bite size nuggets?
Kosher salt is not iodized so you could probably use the rock salt. You might need to grind it first!