The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
These homemade Chicken Nuggets are made with ground chicken and panko breadcrumbs. They can be oven baked, fried, or cooked in the air fryer. Your kids will love to eat these and can even help you make them!
Serve these nuggets with Buttered Noodles, Potato Wedges, French Fries, or Broccoli Mac and Cheese!
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
If my daughter asks for Chicken Nuggets for dinner one more time, I think she is going to turn into one. 👀 So needless to say, I much prefer to make homemade chicken nuggets from real chicken. I like to buy my own organic free range chicken and grind it myself in the food processor, but you can also purchase ground chicken at the store and skip that step!
These are made with an easy panade (a simple mixture of milk and bread), which keeps the meat nice and juicy (vs. heavy and dense). When meat cooks, the proteins expand and contract and in doing so, moisture escapes. The starch in the panade turns to a gel when cooked and lubricates the fibers in the meat as it cooks.
I like to brush these nuggets with a little bit of butter to get them extra golden and flavorful, but a light coating of cooking spray will also work!
Let’s get into everything you need to know so that you can make these in bulk and freeze them for easy chicken nugget dinners for you and the kids! (I love freezer food.)
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Combine the bread, milk, garlic salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. (This is called a panade and it keeps the chicken juicy/prevents it from becoming dense when it cooks.)
Add the ground chicken to a large bowl and use your hands to gently incorporate the panade. Don’t overmix.
Use a Tablespoon to scoop up the chicken and form nugget shapes.
Brush whisked egg over the nuggets and coat in breadcrumb mixture.
Bake at 375° for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush each side with melted butter. Bake for 8 more minutes. Let them rest for a few minutes prior to serving.
To Fry in a Skillet
- Heat 1 inch of vegetable or canola oil in a dutch oven to 350 degrees.
- Fry the chicken in batches on each side until golden, 2-3 minutes per side.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan or the edges won’t get crispy. Use kitchen tongs to remove and set on a wire cooling rack.
Air Fryer Method
- Brush the top and bottom of the nuggets with 3 TBS butter or spray with canola oil.
- Air fry at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Flip them halfway through.
To Bake From Frozen
- If you plan on freezing, flash freeze the unbaked nuggets on a plate in the freezer for an hour, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Pro Tips
- You can make your own ground chicken by placing cubes of chicken breasts in a food processor and pulsing to the right consistency. (You’ll need about 2 small chicken breasts for a pound.) Boneless chicken thighs can also be used.
- Crushed Cornflakes can be used instead of breadcrumbs if desired. They are more golden in color so the butter is not as necessary for color but can still be added for taste.
Storage
Refrigerating Leftovers: These are best if enjoyed fresh from the oven, however you can refrigerate them for up to 3 days and reheat in a 350° oven.
Freezing: Flash freeze the unbaked nuggets on a plate in the freezer for an hour, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. See section above for instructions on baking from frozen.
Try These Next
-
- One Pot Spaghetti
-
- Baked Potato Soup
-
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
-
- One Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese
-
- BEST Tomato Soup
-
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
Get My Free Meal Plan
I’ve got a Free Meal Plan with 7 of my super popular recipes (complete with grocery list)! Sign up for my email list and I’ll send it over now along with weekly dinner recipes!
And follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chicken, see notes
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 1 slice bread, or 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg, whisked
- 3 Tablespoons melted butter, or canola oil spray
Breading
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Add the bread to a bowl and pour the milk on top. Let it absorb for 2-3 minutes. (Note: If using breadcrumbs instead of bread, you my need to add 1-2 more tablespoons of milk.) Add the garlic salt and black pepper. Use your hands to combine. This is called a panade and it keeps the chicken nuggets juicy. (vs. hard and dense.)
- Add the ground chicken to a large bowl and add the panade. Use your hands to mix until just combined, don’t overmix. Take a tablespoon and scoop out the chicken. Form into nuggets and set aside.
- Combine the breading mix on a large plate and set aside.
- Brush each side of the nuggets with the whisked egg. Transfer them to the breading plate and generously coat each one until completely covered. Place on a baking sheet.
- Brush half of the melted butter on the top of the nuggets, this helps them turn a nice golden brown. You can also use canola oil spray but they won’t get quite as golden. If some nuggets are darker than others, place the darker ones in the middle of the baking sheet and the lighter ones along the edge.
- Bake for 7 minutes and remove from the oven.
- Brush each side with more melted butter and bake for 8 more minutes. (You can use canola oil spray if preferred but they won’t get quite as golden.)
- Remove and let them rest for a few minutes prior to serving.
Notes
Crushed Cornflakes can be used instead of breadcrumbs if desired. They are more golden in color so the butter is not as necessary for color but can still be added for taste.
The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Air Fryer Method:
Brush the top and bottom of the nuggets with 3 TBS butter or spray with canola oil. Air fry at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Flip them halfway through.
To Freeze: If you plan on freezing, flash freeze the unbaked nuggets on a plate in the freezer for an hour, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
To Bake From Frozen: Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
I was looking for a preservative-free chicken nugget for my picky eaters. I am freezing all of the nuggets I make. Should I put the butter on before I freeze?
Hi Erica! I’m so happy that you love this recipe, thank you so much for the review! I would wait on the butter until you’re ready to bake them! 🙂
The chicken didn’t dry out like in another recipe I tried. I changed the recipe a bit because I didn’t have everything so the color was a little sad lol but the taste was really good
I’m so happy that they were juicy and delicious Natalie! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review as well, you’re the best!
Hello Stephanie, I made these chicken nuggets to you specs, but I added 1 tsp of copy cat kfc coating (found online) to the chicken panade and then 2 tsp to the bread crumb coating. My husband and son raved about how good they were, next thing you know they buy 2 pounds of ground chicken so I can make more. I’ve got to say, I didn’t care for all the spices but they did and that’s what counts. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I’m so happy that it was a hit with your husband and son Shelly, thank you so much!!
I made these tonight! They were very tasty and pretty easy to make. I baked them, but will also try air frying and frying. One batch is more than enough for 4 people.
I’m so happy they were a success Jill, nice work! My daughter is obsessed with these. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!🩷
Such a fun recipe! I currently have gestational diabetes and was looking for a craving fix. I’m also trying to use up ingredients I already have, so I defrosted some chicken breasts. I doubled the recipe for leftovers(the less dishes the better), and blended 2 lbs chicken breast with a little less than a cup of milk(I was worried about the appliance motor). After blended, I added the rest of what was needed to make the panade.
Followed the recipe for baking, and they’re so easy and convenient. The best thing is, I know what’s in them has minimal preservatives for my figurative bun in the oven!
I’m so happy this helped fulfill a craving Allison! I love serving this to my daughter knowing that there’s minimal preservatives. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!💖
If using Italian bread crumbs do u still add the milk?
Thanks
Hi Marlene, yes you do still add the milk! 🙂
Can parsemsan cheese that used to top on spaghetti be used
Yes, that will work!!
Amazing! Super easy recipe. My youngest, who doesn’t like to help cook, made the recipe with me in 15 minutes. He said it was fun and wanted to help again. I used store bought ground chicken to make it easier. Very tasty. I will definitely add to my dinner rotation. Thanks!
You’re very welcome! It’s so sweet your youngest helped out. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!😀
Do you leave the crust on the bread slice?
Yes I do!
Another fantastic recipe from Stephanie! My picker eater loves these; it came out awesome the first time and keeps getting better. I’ve processed an equal weight of pita bread instead of a bread slice and it came out great; substituting some Cheerios for some of the bread when making the panade was delicious as well.
The only thing I’ve noticed, maybe it’s me but I wind up needing more than 3 tablespoons of melted butter, but it’s easy to melt some more. I’m using the air fryer and being generous with the butter really makes these shine.
I’m so happy that you love the recipe Nathan!! Thank you for sharing your substitutions so that others can make do with what they may have on hand! I agree that additional butter is excellent and I often do the same thing 😉 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! -Stephanie