Kid-friendly healthier baked homemade chicken nugget are great for lunch or weeknight meals. Done in 25 minutes. No mystery ingredient, know what's in your nuggets.
Editor's Note: Originally Published February 9, 2013. Updated with expanded options and updated photos.
I wanted a health kiddie meal that you could do over and over. I wanted a simple cook that used ingredients that can always be on hand have minimal prep and cook quickly. For the kids, I wanted great taste.
Don't go for the fast-food version of this great finger food everybody loves. You and your's deserve better.
My Rating
Really that good.
Pro Tips: Recipe Notes for Homemade Chicken Nuggets
I started with skinless boneless chicken breast and cut them into nuggets. I used egg whites as the base and then bread crumbs with Parmesan. A lot of taste there.
The Chicken
This is the place for skinless boneless chicken breasts. The skin has no place in a chicken nugget. You could use skinless chicken thighs but I prefer to cook thighs to 185 degrees.
The Coating
The coating is mainly bread crumbs with some parmesan cheese.
Most recipes recommend all Panko breadcrumbs. I feel that is a bit "rough" for nuggets. All regular bread crumbs will be very smooth. I mixture of regular and Panko fixes those issues. I suggest about 1/3 Panko and 2/3 regular flavored crumbs.
Seasoning
The Parmesan cheese adds most of the taste you need. I like to use flavored breadcrumbs. Usually, Italian or cheese flavors work well.
You can add another seasoning like some basil, garlic or Italian mix.
Freezing and Storage
With the combination of egg and chicken, I don't feel comfortable refrigerating or freezing these uncooked. While" safe", I consider it is something that is a with a smaller margin for errors higher risk than other foods. Let's just not do that.
Post cooking to an internal temperature of 165, they should be good refrigerated for 3-4 days or 3-4 months frozen.
You may officially call me "chicken."
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Preheat oven to 375 convection (400 regular).
Prep a baking tray. Line with foil for clean-up. A rack will make the nuggets crispy all around. And then a good spray of PAM. If you don't have the rack, you will need to flip the nuggets after 8-10 minutes.
Pat dry and trim two medium skinless boneless chicken breast (about 1 pound). Cut the breasts into nuggets of 1 to 1 1/2 inches, 6-7 nuggets out of each breast. Pat dry again.
Whip two egg whites or one whole egg in a shallow pan or bowl. In a second shallow pan, mix 8 tablespoons total of bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Breadcrumb note: use what you have but 1/4 to 1/2 being Panko will add some texture and crispy taste. Also, I like some Italian flavoring but your choice.
Put the chicken in the egg mixture and stir to coat. Pick up the nuggets with a fork and shake off excess egg. Move the nuggets individually to the bread crumb mixture and coat well and place on the rack. You could use a large baggie here and shake them in the bread crumbs instead.
Give the coated nuggets a light spray of PAM to prevent them from drying too much in the oven. If you have time, let sit for 5 minutes before place in oven. It will help the coating adhere better.
Bake until golden brown and the thickest is 165 temp about 15 minutes.
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Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts - trimmed
- 2 egg whites - or 1 whole egg
- 8 tablespoons bread crumbs - any combination of Panko or regular - flavored or not
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 convection (400 regular).
- Prep a baking tray. Line with foil for clean-up. A rack will make the nuggets crispy all around. And then a good spray of PAM. If you don't have the rack, you will need to flip the nuggets after 8-10 minutes.
- Pat dry and trim two medium skinless boneless chicken breast (about 1 pound). Cut the breasts into nuggets of 1 to 1 1/2 inches, 6-7 nuggets out of each breast. Pat dry again.
- Whip two egg whites or one whole egg in a shallow pan or bowl. In a second shallow pan, mix 8 tablespoons total of bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Breadcrumb note: use what you have but 1/4 to 1/2 being Panko will add some texture and crispy taste. Also, I like some Italian flavoring but your choice.
- Put the chicken in the egg mixture and stir to coat. Pick up the nuggets with a fork and shake off excess egg. Move the nuggets individually to the bread crumb mixture and coat well and place on the rack. You could use a large baggie here and shake them in the bread crumbs instead.
- Give the coated nuggets a light spray of PAM to prevent them from drying too much in the oven. If you have time, let sit for 5 minutes before place in oven. It will help the coating adhere better.
- Bake until golden brown and the thickest is 165 temp about 15 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- You may use skinless chicken thighs but need to be cooked to 185 (for texture) and will take a few minutes longer.
- You may do this without the rack, but you will need to flip the nuggets at 8-10 minutes into cooking.
- You can make the nuggets smaller if you want for little kids.
- Most kids will want a smoother coating. So more regular breadcrumbs will be smoother. The more Panko, the rougher the coating.
- If you dry the nuggets well before the egg wash and you rest the nuggets before baking after coating, the coating will stick better
- Season to your taste.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days after cooking and in the freezer for 3-4 months.
- With the combination of egg and chicken, I don't feel comfortable refrigerating or freezing uncooked.
- Good with dipping sauces.
- Nutrition is per nugget and is calculated on 6 nuggets per breast. Also, all topping is calculated as used, but obviously it won't be.
Nutrition
Originally Published February 9, 2013.
Nicki
We make a similar recipe for breaded chicken strips and breasts. Since we don’t have kids we get to play with the seasonings more. So far our favorite combo has been smoked salt, black pepper, smoked chipotle, smoked paprika, garlic, and cumin. It goes surprisingly well with the parmasean!
Alex Miller
How much is a serving?
DrDan
I redid the wording a little since it wasn't very specific. I'm now using 6 nuggets per breast and nutrition is per nugget.
Bianca
Could you make these to freeze?
DrDan
That is a yes, but. I don't like freezing things with uncooked egg. So I wouldn't freeze until I have cooked them to 165. But then I don't think the coating would be very good after freezing and reheating.
Dan
Elizabeth Lang
I've been making something very close to this for my grandchildren for years and they love them! I also found that you can freeze the finished product and reheat for a quick lunch or dinner (better freshly made but when I leave to go home I tell them it's a kiss from me when they eat them later). They are yummy.
Dr Dan
A hour in buttermilk would be good if you have it. But these are very tender and are quick and easy.
Christine Mikesell
Dad, did you try soaking the chicken in milk or anything first? I found a recipe recently that recommended doing that and it was pretty good!
Chris
Way better than frozen nuggets and only takes the same amount of time. Hard to beat that!