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Yield: 4
Ready In: 35 minutes
I love making kid favorites like baked chicken nuggets at home. I know what the ingredients are, the kids get to help in the kitchen – and it usually tastes better than getting take out or buying frozen, too! Crispy breaded chicken pieces like these homemade chicken nuggets are a huge favorite with my kids – sometimes I switch it up and make Crispy Oven Fried Chicken, but they love it all!If your kids enjoy fast food, surprise them with this homemade baked chicken nuggets recipe! You'll get some big smiles around the table for sure. I serve these with my homemade ranch dip and with ketchup, because a nugget without a dip is only half the fun.
Recommended Equipment:
- Sheet Pan
- Ziploc Bag
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast (I use boneless skinless)
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons ground paprika (reduce or leave out for young children)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (reduce or leave out for young children)
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder (reduce or leave out for young children)
- 2 teaspoons salt (reduce or leave out for young children)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- cooking spray (OR butter OR oil)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place a baking pan in the oven to preheat (a black pan works best).Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk until beaten.Place the breadcrumbs in a seperate shallow dish.
- Prepare chicken: Pat your chicken dry and cut into chunks or strips, then place it in a large ziploc bag. Add the flour and all seasoning including the salt and pepper in the bag with the chicken. Close the bag, letting out as much air as possible. Shake very well to evenly coat the chicken.
- Bread chicken: Open the ziploc bag and remove the chicken pieces, shaking off any excess flour. Place all of the chicken in the bowl with the eggs and toss well until all of the pieces are coated with egg. One by one, remove the chicken pieces from the bag and dredge them through the breadcrumbs, pushing down on the chicken to make sure the crumbs stick well. Set breaded chicken pieces aside on a plate.
- Bake the chicken nuggets: Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Spray with cooking spray (or melt butter/oil all over the pan). Place the nuggets on the pan, then bake in the hot oven for 8-10 minutes. Carefully flip, then finish baking for another 8-10 minutes. Finish under the broiler for a few minutes, until colden-crispy. Serve immediately with your favorite dips.
Step by Step Recipe Video
Nora’s Tips
Please note: I changed and updated this recipe once in 2017 to address concerns about it tasting bland. I updated it again to make the cooking process easier on Dec 12, 2019.
Breading the Chicken: The one thing you mustn’t do is putting any combination of flour, eggs and breadcrumbs together in the same dish/bag.
If you follow the instructions correctly you will end up with a deliciously crispy coating around the entire chicken and not just with a few bread crumbs stuck to it here and there – your kids (and any chicken nuggets loving adults in your life) will love you for it!
The beautiful thing about this?
You can’t only bread chicken but pretty much anything using this method! I even use a similar method for my Crispy Oven Fried Coconut Chicken, my Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken. Uhm, and my Garlic Parmesan Crispy Oven Fried Chicken ? But that’s how well it works!
Flipping the chicken: Be careful when flipping the chicken nuggets, if the breading sticks to the pan don’t jus rip it off but carefully slide a blunt knife or a metal spatula underneath to losen it.
Make sure to use enough cooking spray/oil/butter on the sheet pan to prevent the sticking issue!
Make the seasoning your own: I purposefully seasoned these to make them flavorful, but not spicy or overwhelmingly spiced.
This is the way I often make them for my kids, sometimes I add a little garlic and onion powder.
You can definitely switch up the seasoning though – you can add ranch seasoning, cajun seasoning or chili powder to add some heat, you can even add grated parmesan to the breadcrumbs.
Ingredient Notes:
- gluten free: readers have successfully reported making the chicken nuggets with gluten free flour and gluten free breadcrumbs for a gluten free version
- breadcrumbs: use crushed cornflakes in place of the breadcrumbs for extra crunch!
- seasoning: switch up the seasoning to fit your taste – see cooking tips for ideas.
- note about young kids: I reduce or leave out the seasoning for toddlers and very young children!
Cooking Tips:
Prepping the chicken: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before breading for the best results. Chicken that is too wet (from prior freezing etc) tends to turn out soggy.Note: Why use a dark sheet pan?
I always use a dark sheet pan (vs a silver one or a white enameled one) when I want to get something crispy out of the oven. It reflects the heat better and really helps crisping up the coating of the nuggets better than any other color. If you don’t have one, you can find one here on Amazon (this link is an affiliate link, if you click through and make a purchase, I earn a commission).CAN YOU FREEZE THESE HOMEMADE CHICKEN NUGGETS?
Can you freeze them, ha! YES you can.NORA’S TIPS TO FREEZE CHICKEN NUGGETS:
- Wait for the nuggets to cool completely before freezing them (otherwise your freezer could heat up too much and affect the other frozen goods in there).
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
- Label the bag or container with the contents, today’s date AND the use-by time (the chicken nuggets are best eaten within 3 months).
- Make sure the nuggets are piping hot and steaming all the way through before serving.
WHAT CAN YOU SERVE WITH CHICKEN NUGGETS?
Chicken nuggets aren’t just a drive-through finger food! With the right sides, you can turn them into a healthy and satisfying meal. Some of our favorites:- Green beans and mashed potatoes
- Pumpkin Cornbread and a nice coleslaw
- Corn on the cob and sweet potato fries
Nutrition
Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 1525mg | Potassium: 559mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 645IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 4mg
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Renee says
Hi, I’m definitely trying these. My son asked for homemade nuggets. What kind of bread crumbs did you use? TIA!
Nora says
Hi Renee! Just regular old breadcrumbs. I know some people have made them with panko, and some with Italian breadcrumbs, so those should work, too. My kids ask for these pretty much every birthday and absolutely love them, I hope your son will enjoy them, too!
Amellia says
Just made these a few minutes ago, SO DELICIOUS!! I’m never eating fast food chicken nuggets again!!
Nora says
Amellia, I’m SO happy to read this! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come back and leave a review – I appreciate it.
Emily says
We love these so much!! I have made so many batches and frozen them. I am a single mom and my little one asks for these. I love that I can freeze and reheat them. I would like a gluten free recipe next. Everyone has an allergy to something these days.
Nora says
Hi Emily, so happy to hear! And I LOVE that you’re freezing them, so convenient. I’m actually working on a grain free version – hopefully I’ll have the recipe perfected soon so I can share!
Dolly says
The best chicken I ever made! Thanks for posting your recipe
Nora says
Happy you liked the recipe, Dolly! And thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a review – I appreciate it!
Kathryn Olson says
I am a HUGE fan of “sheet pan dinners”…thank you Pinterest for exposure to THAT great, lifetime changing idea…but when making chicken, I have always done the whole breaded breast or tenders. I never thought about making the smaller nuggets for the grandkids! And I love your great tip of spraying a little oil on the nuggets before baking to add the extra crispiness. Thank you for this post!!
Nora says
I hope your grandkids enjoyed the nuggets, Kathryn! And I agree… Sheet pan dinners are a life changing experience, indeed! Thank you so much for your sweet comment, I appreciate your time!
Jerry says
Thank you, I have a friend that is a very small and fussy eater, he can go days without eating, but these encouraged him to eat, and he loved them and asked for more, first time asking for more food of any kind 🙂
Nora says
That’s so nice to read, Jerry. I’m glad the nuggets found a new fan. Your comment made my day – thanks for coming back to share!
Kavitha says
Hi!
I tried out your recipe today for the muggets & my son had 9 in one sitting. Uh, Awesome!!! However, I did notice they had a little flour-y taste to it.. any tips on how I can get rid of that? I did use multigrain flour instead of all-purpose & forgot the bread crumbs.. (oops)
Thanks for the recipe!
Kavitha
Tracy says
Thank you!
Tracy says
Nora,
How many nuggets can you get out of one serving? I have a small in home daycare and I’ll need to adjust the ratios. Thank you!
Nora says
Hi Tracy, it really depends on the shape and size of your chicken breasts and how large you’re cutting the nuggets. I usually get about 5 nuggets per serving, so 30 in total. Hope that helps!
Sue says
I had three pounds of chicken breast and made these. They turned out great–crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside. Now I have a lot to freeze for another night!
Nora says
Very glad the chicken nuggets were to your liking, Sue! They’re definitely a hit at our house. And yay for stocking up the freezer! – Nora x
Sarah says
These are awesome!!! I made them tonight for supper and even my picky eaters loved them!!! Will definitely be making them again!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Nora says
Sarah, I’m so happy you won your picky eaters over with this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review – I appreciate it!
Nicole Ketzenberger says
These are always a huge hit in our household! My husband loves all things Asian, so panko is a staple for us. And my stepson can’t eat red meat, so chicken is also always in the fridge or freezer. These are amazing dipped in ranch, Sriracha, or honey mustard… Fantastic recipe!
Nora says
That’s amazing, Nicole! I’m so glad your family enjoys these nuggets. My kids always go crazy for them, too 🙂 I’ll need to try dipping them in honey mustard, that sounds delicious! Thank you so much for your comment – I appreciate it!
Leslie says
These are really good, and simple to make!
Nora says
Leslie, I’m so happy you liked the chicken nuggets. Thank you so much for coming back to review the recipe, I appreciate your time!
ReneeC says
I just made this recipe because sometimes my boyfriend and I crave some chicken nuggets or tenders and these just seem like a much healthier option than grocery store or fast food options. I’m really happy with how they turned out! Nice and crunchy outside with good flavor. I’m hoping they don’t lose too much crunchiness when I freeze some of them. I added just a bit of salt to the bread crumbs to give them a tiny bit more flavor. They are great and my boyfriend will be lucky if I leave him any. Definitely a recipe worth keeping.
Nora says
I’m so happy you like the nuggets as much as we do, Renee! Thanks for leaving your comment – I appreciate it so much.
Mike says
These are really tasty! I realized today that I was spending too much money on pre-made vegetarian nuggets, and only because I like having healthy, easy food around. Noticed chicken breasts were on sale today; I now have over 4 lbs of these nuggets in the freezer in individual meal bags. I appreciate the recipe, truly!
Nora says
I’m glad you like the nuggets, Mike! That’s a lot of nuggets in your freezer – wow, I’m impressed! 🙂 Thanks for leaving a recipe review – I appreciate it so much!
Yeli says
Baking them right now, thank you for the recipe. My kids loves chicken nuggets & this is a wayyyy better option than the ones on the fast food restaurant 🙂
Nora says
I hope they turned out well for you, Yeli! Yes, it’s so nice to be able to make better versions of our kids’ favorite food at home, isn’t it? Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it 🙂
Ana Chevez says
What temperature should they be baked at?
Nora says
Hi Ana, it says in the first line of the instructions to preheat your oven to 400F. Sorry if that was unclear – hope you’ll enjoy the nuggets!
Kels says
Are these easy to freeze and heat up later? Thanks!
Nora says
They sure are! Make sure they’re cooled completely before freezing. I recommend freezing in a single layer on a cookie sheet for ~1 hour before transferring to freezer bags. You can reheat them in the microwave or for 10-15 minutes at 375 in the oven 🙂
Amanda says
Okay so I didn’t have bread crumbs so I used saltine crackers and lots of olive oil. AMAZING!!! I also left it in for 30 minutes because when I took it out the frist time it wasn’t cooked, but I’m keeping this recipe forever thanks for this!
Nora says
Ah, I’m so happy to be reading this, Amanda! Thank you for taking the time to comment – I appreciate your time!
Brenda says
These are wonderful. I appreciate the tips on the bredding. Everyone loved them, so I am making them again tonight.
Nora says
Thanks for your lovely comment, Brenda! I’m glad you’re all enjoying the homemade chicken nuggets!
Elizabeth says
Going to try this. Have you frozen them before? Did they freeze okay?
Nora says
Hi Elizabeth, I have never tried to freeze them, so I can’t say for sure how it would affect them. Let us know if you do try!
Tabatha says
I would also like to know if anyone has tried freezing them? I need a good go to option for the husband instead of bagged chicken nuggets when I work.
Ihjaz Ahmad says
Oh my goodness, this looks delicious! I’m definitely making this! thanks for sharing! A healthier option for a family favorite.
Nora says
Thanks so much! 🙂
Dana @ 3boysunprocessed says
They are beautiful! And I was always a nugget person too. *Gag* to all those nasty nuggets I ate and *Horray* to making your own and breading chicken the right way. I’ve worked in restaurants and have spend HOURS breading chicken. Yep, I’m totally a professional chicken breader.
Nora says
Thank you! I know – can’t believe how bad some ready made nuggets can get. Professional chicken breader – love it 😀
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
definitely craving chicken nuggets right now.. love that these are baked!
Nora says
I find that baking them is so much easier! Hands-off time (mostly to clean up my mess… 🙂 )
dina says
yummy chicken nuggets!
Nora says
Nuggets are the best! 😀