Why buy frozen chicken nuggets when you can make your own, fresh chicken nuggets at home!? Homemade food always tastes so much better than store-bought food, or frozen food anyways! Over the past several months, I’ve been making chicken nuggets multiple ways, and have found three pretty delicious methods to make the best possible chicken nuggets. Two of these ways are healthy and can be done by anyone with a stove or oven, and one recipe is made in the air fryer.
There’s also a simple way to make these gluten-free, so even gluten sensitive stomachs can enjoy some crispy and delicious chicken nuggets! Check out the recipe below, and the three different ways to make these delicious delicacies!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast or tenderloin
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1-2 eggs
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup corn starch (for gluten free)
- 1/2 cup Panko gluten free bread crumbs (for gluten free)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Vegetable oil (for stove top directions only)
Coating The Chicken Nuggets For All Cooking Methods
- Cut chicken into 2-inch by 1-inch by 1-inch cubes, or in strips no thicker than 1-inch for chicken tenders.
- Mix 1 part bread crumbs and 1 part grated parmesan cheese together (use gluten free bread crumbs and parmesan cheese for gluten free recipe). Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Coat chicken with flour evenly (for gluten free recipes, coat in corn starch).
- Dip coated chicken into egg and coat evenly.
- Remove quickly from egg, and immediately coat in bread crumb mixture
Directions for Stove Top with Oil
- Fill small pot with vegetable oil to about 1 inch in height.
- Chef’s Tip: I usually use a very small pot – no more than 5 or 6 inches in diameter. The reasoning here is that I use less vegetable oil! You can use a larger pot, but you will need to fill the pot higher with oil.
- Set heat to medium-low, and let sit for a couple minutes. Bring to just before a boil, but before oil begins popping. If popping occurs, reduce heat further.
- Using tongs, transfer coated, uncooked chicken nuggets to the oil, and fill the pot until all space is used.
- Let sit for 2-3 minutes, and then turn each nugget. Let sit for another 2-3 minutes.
- After a total of 4-6 minutes, check the chicken nuggets. They should have turned golden brown (especially is using parmesan cheese). You can cook them further if you desire; this will likely dry the chicken out a little bit more
- Remove chicken nuggets from pot, and place on plate with paper towel. Let stand before serving.
- Repeat steps 3-6 for all remaining chicken nuggets.
Directions for Oven
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- While oven is preheating, line a baking pan with parchment paper, and place chicken nuggets on the pan, leaving about an inch in between each nugget.
- Bake for 20 minutes. (High altitude may need an extra 2-4 minutes).
- Remove from oven and let stand for a couple minutes before serving with your favorite sauces!
Directions for Air Fryer
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F
- Insert chicken nuggets onto metal wire rack, spacing them evenly
- Cook for 10 minutes; check to see if they are golden brown. If they’re golden brown, then they are done! If not, add 2 more minutes.
- Remove from air fryer and let stand for a couple minutes before serving with your favorite sauces!
There you have it – three easy ways to make chicken nuggets, all with fantastic results! These methods are sure to please, so make sure you try out all of them and find your favorite way of cooking them. Let me know they were and what method you used to cook them!
Be sure to check back for more food blogs, and check out these other recipes below!
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