Homemade Chicken Nuggets

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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Grilled Chicken Tenders

Crispy Chicken Tenders

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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4.67 from 6 votes

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Kid-friendly healthier baked homemade chicken nuggets for lunch or weeknight meals. Done in 25 minutes. No mystery ingredient, know what's in your nuggets.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time25 mins

Author: Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

Course : Main Course

Cuisine : American

Keyword : Chicken Nugget, Finger Food

Servings/Adjust Amount: 12 nuggets

12

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

US Customary - Metric

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:

1. You may use skinless chicken thighs but need to be cooked to 185 (for texture) and will take a few minutes longer.
2. You may do this without the rack, but you will need to flip the nuggets at 8-10 minutes into cooking.
3. You can make the nuggets smaller if you want for little kids.
4. Most kids will want a smoother coating. So more regular breadcrumbs will be smoother. The more Panko, the rougher the coating.
5. If you dry the nuggets well before the egg wash and you rest the nuggets before baking after coating, the coating will stick better
6. Season to your taste.
7. Good refrigerated for 3-4 days after cooking and in the freezer for 3-4 months. 
8. With the combination of egg and chicken, I don't feel comfortable refrigerating or freezing uncooked.
9. Good with dipping sauces.
10. 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 Facts

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Amount Per Serving (1 nugget)

Calories 54 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Cholesterol 13mg4%

Sodium 189mg8%

Potassium 91mg3%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 15IU0%

Vitamin C 0.2mg0%

Calcium 22mg2%

Iron 0.4mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Have a question or something not clear? Ask in the comments.

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Nutrition is for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.

All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated.

Originally Published February 9, 2013.