Chicken nuggets are a freezer staple in most homes (especially those with kids!) but who knew it was so easy and tasty to make your own at home? The benefit to making your own homemade baked chicken nuggets with ground chicken is that you can control the ingredients. Have a gluten-free eater? This recipe can easily be made gluten free, and tastes equally delicious! Make a batch of homemade baked chicken nuggets to throw into the air fryer or oven for a quick healthy protein to serve alongside your favorite sides, or to top a salad. Even adults will love these homemade chicken nuggets, and they’re perfect for meal prep, too!
All about this recipe
Truthfully, I created this recipe for selfish reasons: 1) I love chicken nuggets, or breaded chicken of any kind, and 2) I am recently gluten-free and wanted to figure out a way to navigate that the best I could, which in my opinion means being in control of the ingredients. I am so happy to share this recipe because not only is it delicious, but it’s also a great healthy option for yourself (or your children!)
This recipe is a great make-ahead recipe because the chicken nuggets freeze really well. You can make a large batch of these nuggets, and then freeze them in a gallon freezer bag and pull out as needed. To reheat, I recommend using the air fryer or convection oven like you would with conventional frozen nuggets.
I absolutely love having these nuggets on hand for a quick lunch in a pinch; simply pull them out of the freezer, reheat, and make a delicious wrap, salad, or picky plate! The options are endless. Not to mention a great way to prep a healthy school lunch for the kids.
What you’ll need to make homemade baked chicken nuggets with ground chicken
Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need to make these delicious chicken nuggets. The ingredient list includes lots of pantry and fridge staples, so no worries!
- ground chicken breast
- most stores carry ground chicken breast; however if you can not find it or if it is expensive, you can take regular chicken breast and grind it in a food processor for the same effect
- slice of bread
- I used gluten-free white bread to keep this recipe gluten free
- unsweetened almond milk
- plain breadcrumbs
- I used gluten-free breadcrumbs to keep this recipe gluten free
- paprika
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- kosher salt
- ground mustard
- olive oil spray or non-stick spray
- egg
How to make homemade chicken nuggets with ground chicken
To make this recipe, start by preheating the oven to 425F.
I like to use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and topped with a wire rack for recipes like this, as it allows for the air in the oven to circulate around the chicken and get crispy. Make sure to spray the wire rack liberally with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Next, add the piece of bread to 1/2 cup of the milk to soak it. Let the bread soak in the milk until it begins to disintegrate and fall apart. In the meantime, prepare the dredging station and the meat mixture. Add the egg to the remaining milk, and whisk to incorporate. Add the spices to the breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Finally, add the remaining spices to the ground chicken, along with the soaked bread. Break the bread up with your fingers so it distributes evenly throughout the meat mixture. Using your hands, mix the meat mixture until the spices and soaked bread are thoroughly incorporated.
Using a tablespoon, scoop rounded tablespoons of the meat mixture out and create nugget shapes with the mixture (think: a meatball, except flat). You should be able to form 16 equal-sized chicken nuggets from the meat mixture. Dip each nugget into the breadcrumbs, followed by the egg mixture, and back into the breadcrumbs, tossing to coat.
Arrange the chicken nuggets on the sprayed wire rack and spray the tops with cooking spray. Bake the chicken nuggets for 15 minutes on one side, then carefully flip the nuggets over, and spray them again. Finishing baking them for another 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165F and the nuggets should be golden brown. Allow them to cool before carefully removing them from the wire rack using a spatula. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets with Ground Chicken
Equipment
- baking sheet
- wire rack
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Ground Meat Mixture
- 1 lb ground chicken breast
- 1 slice white bread, used: gluten free Schar brand
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
Egg and Breadcrumb Mixtures
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1.5 cup plain breadcrumbs, I used: Gluten Free 4C brand
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and top with a wire rack.
- Spray the wire rack liberally with non-stick cooking spray.
Ground Meat Mixture
- Place the piece of bread in a bowl with the almond milk and let it soak until it disintegrates.
- In the meantime, add the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard and salt to the ground chicken.
- Tear the soaked bread into pieces and add it to the meat.
- Using your hands, mix the meat mixture well until all ingredients are combined and evenly distributed.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop rounded tablespoons of the meat mixture out to form 16 equal sized portions.
- Form each portion into a nugget-shape (think: meatball, but flattened).
Egg and Breading
- Add the egg to the almond milk and whisk together.
- Combine the breadcrumbs with the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard and salt.
- Take each formed nugget and dip it into the breadcrumbs, followed by the egg mixture, and then into the breadcrumbs again.
Cooking Directions
- Place each nugget on the wire rack and spray with more cooking spray.
- Cook for 15 minutes, then carefully flip each nugget using a spatula, and spray them again with cooking spray.
- Cook for another 15 minutes. The nuggets should be golden brown on the outside and fully cooked on the inside.
Notes
Nutrition
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Herby Panko Crusted Chicken Tenders
Cornflake Crusted Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard
Healthy Baked Pretzel Chicken Tenders
Healthy Oven Baked Cornflake Crusted Chicken
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Just made these and they came out perfect! Made them exactly as the recipe stated and they were given 2 thumbs up by my kids and we are not even a gluten free family:)). Thanks for another great recipe!
These are soooooooo good!! Such minimal ingredients it’s amazing and they’re very easy to make! My husband said they’re amazing as well. My 14 month old loved them too. I kept walking past them while they were cooling and grabbing one to eat!
These chicken nuggets are excellent! I’ve tried other recipes before but this one is by far the best. So easy and so flavorful! Thanks Steph!
Amazing!!
These were excellent!! I paired them with Steph’s air fry French fries to make the most amazing dinner for both kids and adults. I made a double batch of the chicken and had to cook it in 2 rounds. I put the second tray of shaped nuggets into the freezer while the first batch cooked. The partially frozen chicken stayed together and was so much easier to dip into the bread crumbs and egg mixture. Will definitely be making these on repeat!
Delicious, easy to make, my 6 year old LOVES them, and I can give them to her every day without feeling guilty! SOLD!!!!!
These are OUTSTANDING. Best homemade chicken nuggets ever!
Any thoughts on using cows milk instead of almond milk? Will it change the nuggets?
What time and temperate do you reheat in the air fryer? I’m still trying to get a good handle on mine.
We love your recipes and are so thankful for you!
I made using cow’s milk and mine came out perfect!
These are OUTSTANDING! Best homemade chicken nuggets I’ve ever made.
Thank you thank you thank YOU!! I have Two picky toddlers that love chicken nuggets and I love that I know exactly what’s in these! The boys love them and they have quickly become a freezer staple!!
Made these this week for meal prep and absolutely love them! Definitely going into my meal prep rotation.
Easy and absolutely delish, I made a double batch and I’m so glad I did! I was short on qty for plain breadcrumbs at home so I rolled the nuggets in a dusting of plain flour, then the wet mixture and then the breadcrumbs and that worked perfectly. I also didn’t have white bread (I never do) so I used a comparable amount of bread alone peasant bread and just removed the tough crust and used the soft inside part. Once baked, my nuggets did not get as golden brown as Steph’s photo, but they were temp checked and fully cooked, moist on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside. These are so yummy I cannot stop eating them. Great recipe!
What a great alternative to grilled nuggets. It’s a game changer. They are so flavorful and filling. The breading on the outside is delicious. Love the size of the nuggets. A few goes a long way.
Do make sweet & sour meatballs ?
Highly recommend making! I substituted the bread crumbs with panko and still delicious! Definitely will be a weekly staples in our house!
Made these last night & they were great! My husband is a McD’s fan (ugh!), so I was worried he would say they didn’t “measure up.” But, he’s a fan of Steph’s Baked Chicken Nuggets now!! Would love it if you could post some dipping sauces to go along with these! Thank you for yet ANOTHER great keeper recipe!
95% of what I cook comes from Sweet Savory and Steph. I was never able to cook before her, and now thanks to all her amazing recipes, I feel like I can feed my family daily. This recipe was another a huge hit. Thanks, Steph!
The best chicken nuggets . Originally i made them for a very picky eater ( she loves them ), but then all the adults decide to try them and we all agreed that they test like Mcdonalds ( but healthy ) . Now its a weekly meal for all of us ar home .
Does it have to be ground chicken breast or can you just use ground chicken? I see grocery stores sell both but mine just has ground chicken. Thanks!
I tried this recipe tonight and it was just way too satly!!
I also had an issue with keeping the chicken together while breading.
The egg and milk mixture was not enough and neither was the breadcrumbs. I had to refill both bowls about halfway through.
I feel like this recipe needs to be tweaked.
Can these nuggets be frozen
30 mins is far to long becomes dry as a bone and over cooked 15 mins i find is the sweet spot and perfectly cooked
Can these be frozen?
Delicious! Admittedly added a duck egg (allergic to chicken eggs) to the meat mixture in error, but still so good! Even the kids liked it!
I made these and they tasted great! But they would not stay together during the breading process. I ended up making chicken blobs instead of nuggets.
A lot of time and struggle for nuggets. Way too wet to keep any shape like a nugget. Very difficult to coat in wet and dry mix. Only baked for 15 mins and they were done. This recipe as is needs a major revision.