Get my Cookbooks! Homemade Chicken Nuggets
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
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- One Pot Spaghetti
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- Baked Potato Soup
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- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
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- One Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese
-
- BEST Tomato Soup
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- Chicken Noodle Casserole
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Tried This Recipe?
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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.
These look great and I cannot wait to make them for my kids (and me)! Am I able to bake them all and then freeze any leftovers so that in a pinch I can quickly defrost them to serve or throw them in the toaster oven for a few minutes rather than having to fully bake the raw ones?
Also, can I use a milk substitute (We use Ripple “milk” for our kids.) instead of regular milk? Thanks!
Hi Rachel, you can definitely freeze and then reheat these nuggets another time! I would let them thaw gradually (my microwave has a “melt” setting that’s like 50% power), and then you can bake them or air fry them until heated through. A milk sub should be fine! 🙂
These were a huge hit with my family. Definitely will be making more and throwing in the freezer!
I’m so happy to hear that Ashley! WOO!!! These are so handy to have in the freezer. Thank you so much for the review! -Stephanie
I’ve been making these for years and but recently I’ve been making them in bulk for my very picky toddler. He has an egg allergy, so I use flaxseed “eggs”and they still come out amazing. They freeze great and he loves them!
Hi Carla!! I love that you make this in bulk for your son, you are mom of the year!! Thank you so much for sharing that flaxseed tip too, others will definitely appreciate that!! You’re the best! 🙂 -Stephanie
I have a question. Why didn’t you put the deep fried method. You put the air fryer and oven method??
Because when I’m making homemade chicken nuggets, I’m aiming to be a bit healthier than deep frying. I have only baked or air fried them. I haven’t even thought about deep frying them to be honest. I have a separate recipe for Fried Chicken Tenders that you can check out if you’d like.
Hi! Should I use pank or regular breadcrumbs?
Hi Paxton, the recipe card notates Panko breadcrumbs, make sure you’re looking at the recipe card 🙂
I have questions! 🥰 Can instant potatoes be mixed in with the chicken instead of the panade? I’m looking for a dairy free option, and the mention of starch made sense in my mind.
I also wonder if you’ve ever hidden any veggies in these? Our family has a lot of ARFID-esque food issues and throwing some spinach, broccoli, or other veggie into a food processor with the chicken seems like a fantastic idea, but I’m uncertain if it’ll work the same as my imagination says it will.
Hi Caliban! I haven’t tested this with instant potatoes instead of milk/bread, I don’t know if it would have the same binding ability, it seems that it could possibly cause them to fall apart more instead of cling together. But you could definitely use a dairy free milk or cream combined with bread or breadcrumbs. I also haven’t added any veggies but I do think that it’s a genius idea. I think steamed broccoli, very finely diced, would work well! If your nuggets feel like they need a little more binding ability, I’d add a little more bread/breadcrumbs. I’d love to hear how it goes if you do some experimenting! 🙂 I like where your heads at!
I am almost 50 and still love chicken nuggets so I have been looking for a recipe for some time now and I don’t have to look any further. Just made these today and was very pleased in how well they turned out. No changes to your recipe and there’s no need to. I will definitely make again and probably make a bunch and freeze for those times that I want nuggets. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe with all of us. 😀😋😀😋
I am sooo happy to hear that Diane!! I love a good chicken nugget myself, I always will! 😉 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
delicious i love using this recipe.
are the nutrition based off a serving size or one chicken nugget?
I’m so happy to hear that you loved it! This recipe is per serving, (or in this case, per nugget)- It makes 17 nuggets! 🙂
Made some adjustments to make these Keto and fried them in Tallow! These were amazing!!!!!
Wonderful! I’m so happy that you loved them Heather!!
Just made these and my toddler loved them! When I was forming them into nuggets, the ground chicken was super soft and sticky and difficult to work with, any tips or is that just how it is? 😆
I’m so glad that they were a hit with your toddler Nicole!! The bread/breadcrumbs should help mitigate the stickiness a bit and make them easier to work with, I don’t usually have a big issue working with the meat. I typically grind my own chicken, perhaps that helps? 🙂
This recipe was really nice, and super easy to do.. i ground chicken thigh meat (boneless of course) and followed every step though i think i added more milk accidentally.. came out great will be making these again!
I’m so happy that you loved it!!! Thank you so much for the review!! ❤️
Is that enough time to cook thigh meat ?