Chicken Nuggets Recipe

These homemade chicken nuggets recipe is crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and a million miles away from anything frozen.

Homemade Are the Best

Can you beat homemade chicken nuggets? We think not! With six kids, you better believe we’ve eaten a few thousand nuggets in our lifetime.

After realizing how simple this chicken recipe is, we have been making these for dinner at least once or twice a month.

Ingredients

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts – For easy cutting, partially freeze the chicken breast, this stabilizes the chicken allowing you to easily cut even pieces. Once cut allow the pieces to thaw before cooking.
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons water – or milk
• 1 cup regular or panko breadcrumbs – regular breadcrumbs coat really well while the panko crumbs offer a crispier finish. Both are delicious options.
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese – grated parmesan cheese works the best
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• teaspoon garlic salt – Try paprika or cayenne pepper, onion powder, black pepper, or lemon pepper.
• oil, for frying – Use a high smoking point oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. I have also been able to find olive oil suitable for frying.

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How to Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets

1. PREP. Cut 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces (about 1–1½ inches).
   • Place 1 cup flour in a medium bowl.
   • Combine 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons water in a second bowl and beat together.
   • In a third bowl, combine 1 cup breadcrumbs, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, and garlic salt and mix.
   • Fill a frying pan with about 2 inches of oil and heat over medium heat to 350°F.
2. NUGGETS. While oil is heating up, coat the chicken. Coat each nugget with flour, then dip into the egg mixture. Finally, coat with the breadcrumb mixture.
3. FRY. When oil is ready, place one nugget into the oil to test. It should sizzle immediately. If it darkens too quickly without cooking on the inside, then the oil is too hot. Adjust the heat accordingly.
4. Fry nuggets in batches for 3–4 minutes on each side, then place on a wire rack or paper towel–lined plate to drain before serving.

For homemade dipping sauces, try: Honey Mustard Sauce, Fry Sauce Recipe, Buffalo Sauce Recipe, Sweet and Sour Sauce, BBQ sauce, Homemade Ranch Dressing, or Chick Fil A Sauce.

5 from 51 votes

Chicken Nuggets Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna

This homemade chicken nuggets recipe is crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and a million miles away from anything frozen.

Servings: 4

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• candy and deep fry thermometer
• fine mesh strainer
• silicone tongs

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 2 tablespoons water
• ▢ 1 cup regular or panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• ▢ vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions 

• Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces (about 1-1½ inches).
• Place flour in a medium bowl.
• Combine eggs and water in a second bowl and beat together.
• In a third bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Italian seasoning and garlic salt and mix together.
• Fill a frying pan with about 2 inches of oil and heat over medium heat to 350 degrees F.
• While the oil is heating up, coat each chicken nugget with flour, then dip into the egg mixture. Finally, coat with the breadcrumb mixture.
• When oil is ready, place one nugget into the oil to test. It should sizzle immediately. If it darkens too quickly without cooking on the inside, then the oil is too hot. Adjust the heat accordingly.
• Fry nuggets in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side, then place on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain before serving.

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips.

• The flour coating is what helps keep the breading from falling off the nuggets.
• Partially freezing the chicken breasts will help you cut clean and evenly sized pieces.
• For an extra crispy crust, after the initial breading, dip the chicken back into the egg mixture and then back into the breadcrumbs.
• Maintain the oil temperature at around 350-375°F. Too low, and the nuggets will be greasy; too high, and they’ll burn.

Prep ahead. Coat the chicken pieces, place them in a single layer, cover them tightly with plastic wrap, and store them in the fridge for a few hours before frying.

Oven directions.  Place breaded nuggets on a wire racj over an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.  Spray with olive oil spray and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes.  Flip, spray again and cook for an additional 8 minutes.  Broil for a few minutes more to brown nuggets. 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. Reheat under the broiler or air fryer until warm and crisp.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 386kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 163mg, Sodium: 474mg, Potassium: 539mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 272IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 218mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

For More Chicken Recipes:

Baked Chicken Nuggets

35 mins

Copycat Chick Fil A Nuggets

25 mins

Baked Chicken Fingers

35 mins

Chicken Strips Recipe

40 mins