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Even before we started eating real food I always thought that homemade chicken nuggets tasted much better than what you can get at most restaurants and grocery stores. And the best part is…you can freeze the leftovers!
How to Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets
So if you are in a rush simply pull a few pre-made nuggets out of the freezer and microwave them for 30 – 60 seconds for a quick and guilt-free dinner. In our house, this is the kind of “kids’ meal” that is so good the whole family eats it together.
This recipe is also fairly easy once you have the breadcrumbs made. I find that I need whole-wheat breadcrumbs on hand for all sorts of reasons so be sure to make those in advance on a rainy day and store them in the freezer as well. That way they are there and ready when you need them.
Chicken Nuggets With Whole Wheat Breading
To make a more nutritious chicken nugget for your family, we’ve decided to use whole wheat breadcrumbs for this recipe! Not only does it give the chicken a nice crispy texture, but a little more added protein to satisfy your hungriest eaters.
They’re also made a little healthier, (and easier!) by pan-frying in a skillet as opposed to deep frying. This cooking method also helps the chicken nuggets keep their crunchy and crispy breading even after freezing.
Can you Make These Nuggets in the Air Fryer?
Absolutely! Breaded foods like these do incredibly well in the air fryer, so you shouldn’t need to adapt it too much. You will however want to make sure that you line the bottom of the air fryer basket to prevent pieces of breading from falling through. If you’d like to be sure, the inside of the chicken nuggets should temp at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to Freeze This Chicken Nuggets Recipe
To freeze the leftover chicken nuggets make sure they are cooked first then layer them between sheets of wax paper in a Tupperware or other freezer-safe container. Enjoy!
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- olive oil (for cooking)
Instructions
- Chop the chicken into small chunks and sprinkle them with salt and pepper (if desired).
- Lightly beat the egg in a shallow bowl.
- In another shallow bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, paprika, and garlic powder with a fork.
- Now you are ready to bread the chicken. There is a simple technique that will make this part very easy. Make one of your hands the “wet hand” and the other one the “dry hand”. With your wet hand toss some of the chicken chunks into the egg mixture until they are coated on all sides. Then with your wet hand drop them on top of the bread crumb mixture. With your dry hand sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top of the chicken and then flip them over a few times until the pieces are coated. Put the coated pieces on a plate while you work on the rest of the chicken.
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat.
- Cook the chicken nuggets for several minutes on each side until they are golden brown. You want the nuggets to be cooked all the way through by the time they get brown on the outside. Cut one down the middle to make sure it is fully cooked.
- Transfer the nuggets to a plate lined with paper towels to help drain off any excess oil.
- Serve with organic ketchup or homemade honey mustard sauce (equal parts honey, mustard, and mayo).
And don’t forget to freeze the leftovers!
what temperature would I bake these at if I didn’t cut up the chicken and kept it once piece? is it still 400 degrees for 20 minutes?
Hi Tianda. No, you would need to cook whole breasts longer. I’d say 30 minutes or until golden brown and no longer pink in the middle. Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast to be sure. ~Amy
Our family is making the transition to eating real foods. I was worried my oldest daughter would not like these as much as the fast food versions, but she LOVES them, and we have made them 3 times since by her request. REAL is BETTER!
Hi – loved this recipe but I have a question: can you pre-make a batch of the breading (with the parmesan cheese, etc.)and store it for later use? If so, how would you store and for how long? Thank you!
Hi there, Michelle. That is not something we have done so i can only guess. I think do it would work. I would store it in the fridge and use it within a few days. ~Amy
I freeze all of the heels from our sandwich bread and will throw them in the food processor with parmesan parsley and spices. I love my homemade bread crumbs and they keep very well in the freezer!
After telling my teenage daughter how they really make McDonald’s chicken nuggets, I found this recipe. Both my kids loved it! I have to make extras so we can have leftovers!!!
I had two pans, I flipped one of them but not the other, to see if it made a difference. There wasn’t much of a difference in taste, but the ones I didn’t flip were just slightly more stuck to the pan when done. :)
Made these specifically to freeze for my little kids lunches after I have the baby in a few weeks. I baked at 400 for 25 min. Kids sampled them when done and wanted to eat them all! I used 3 chicken breasts and the called for amount of breadcrumb mix, and it almost covered it. I needed another half cup of coating. It ended up making 65 bite size pieces. Will definitely make again! So easy!
Great idea! Did you flip them during baking? Good luck with the baby!
i Tried this recipe and my whole family likes it. Thant you so much!
what brand parmesan cheese do you buy?
Hello. Just look for an organic block of parmesan. ~Amy
Can I bake the nuggests instead of frying them? What would be the oven temperature and for how long? Thanks!
Hi Monica. I’ve made a similar baked recipe and cooked them at 400 for about 20 minutes. ~Amy
Hi Celia. Coconut oil works great for this recipe. :) ~Amy
Just fried these up in coconut oil – my daughter is having a hard time with the transition to green light type foods. She’s very picky and has a hard time with texture too. She tried these right outta the pan and loves them! Thanks
I love that you always give healthy options! Esepcially kid friendly. Can you tell me what kind of cooking oil you recommend for this recipe? We use primarily coconut oil and olive oil. Would coconut oil work?
One of my favorite recipes!!!!
I haven’t tried making breadcrumbs yet, but typically I use oatbran when something calls for breadcrumbs and it works great!
Have copeied and save this recipe to make when my grandkids come to visit. (Or I just make some for myself!) I also grind my own raw chicken, turkey, beef and pork to make recipes using ground meats. I just don’t trust what may be in already ground meat in grocery stores. The grinder attachment to my KitchenAid mixer does this job effortlessly.
I use corn meal instead of breadcrumbs……sooo easy and delish!!
My kids would love these! I’ll have to try making a dairy and egg free version for them. I’ll let you know how it turns out! :)
Hi! I’m just curious how long these will stay “good” in the freezer? I am loving this site & so is my family – what a fantastic resource!! Thank you!
Hi there. We use three months as a rule of the thumb. ~Amy
Looking for more lunchbox ideas. Could these be frozen and then heated up and sent to school in an insulated thermos?? Thanks;)
Hi Sara. Yes, absolutely! :)
I double the recipe, and had TONS of breadcrumbs leftover. Then, since I had more chicken, I did another 2 lbs in the same breading, and still had lots of breadcrumbs leftover…?
For those wanting to bake them – I baked them for 20 minutes at 400F.
I’m going to throw the extras in the freezer. Do you have reheating instructions (oven, not microwave, please)?
Oh, and since I didn’t have garlic powder, I used onion powder.
I took the suggestion to put the chicken greats in the food processor first. I left out the cheese because I am currently out. Absolutely perfect! My 10 month old and 3 year yr old will scarf these down!
My son is allergic to milk so I can’t add the Parmesan cheese. Is there another spice that could replace that or should I just skip it altogether? Thanks!
Hi Susan. I would just leave out the Parmesan and see how that goes. ~Amy
Doesn’t making “nuggets” defeat the purpose of cooking real meals and teaching kids about food and the table? I bread and bake chicken breasts with a mustard-rosemary coating that sticks to the crumbs. I slice in bite-sized bits and we all eat. Thats as close as I get to a nugget.
I will do nuggets as a (bad) treat at the zoo or someplace else. But at home I just refuse. My son is 3. I take my 90 year old grandmother’s advice: “I cook, you eat. You’re a kid.” Having said that, At dinner I always make at least one thing that is familiar, that I know he likes. Risotto, saffron rice, artisan loaves, peas, or béchamel on pasta. They are all frequent. But they are real and don’t mimic “bad food.” I love your ideas (especially the lunches) but this one I just can’t do. :(
I just made these for my son who loves chicken nuggets! I am happy with the way they turned out I just made a bunch to put in the freezer for during the week!! So much better for him then the other kind! We are slowly switching over to real food… Love your website. Thank you for all the great post so far!! <3
I made these for lunch with homemade sweet potato fries and your honey mustard recipe. They were AMAZING! The flavor was awesome, and the chicken stayed very tender. My two-year-old and husband loved them. Unfortunately, they were so good there weren’t any left to freeze, so next time I’ll make a double batch.
I made these for dinner last night and they were great! It was my first time frying something so it was super exciting when I didn’t burn the house down lol! I used organic sprouted whole wheat bread for the breadcrumbs and accidentally left out the spices (oops) so I can only imagine how awesome they are with those added! I look forward to making them again, the RIGHT way lol :) Thank you!
Oh, I am so encouraged! I have tried multiple homemade chicken nugget recipes in the past, and by the end of the meal, they have always remained uneaten on my kids’ plates. Tonight, I followed your recipe and my kids gobbled them up!!!!! (My boys also loved making the breadcrumbs!) We are slowly changing our diet little by little. This recipe gets us one step closer!
I am new to Real Food, but am trying to move in that direction. A friend sent me this recipe. I just tried these tonight with my two very picky daughters and the consensus is that they are DELICIOUS! One daughter said they were definitely better than Chick Fil A and the other said they were good, but needed more salt. I froze what was leftover and will definitely be making these again.
I am making these tonight and was not sure what oil you use? Coconut or olive? Thanks!
Hi Natalie. Coconut oil is a good choice because it has a higher smoke point and it adds a bit of healthy fat. ~Amy
These are delicious! My 3 year old daughter and 1 year old twin boys couldn’t get enough. I ended up baking them at 350 for about 20 mins and added some whole wheat panko breadcrumbs to the mix for an extra crunch. (not sure if these are acceptable as “real” food) I paired this with the alfredo pasta and some frozen veggies for lunch!
Just made these for the second time. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! Decided to freeze the leftovers to eat at a later date, which is torture because they are so good as leftovers! :)
Hi Amanda. You can use the unrefined oil of your choice: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. An oil with a higher smoke point works best with a hot skillet. Hope that helps. ~Amy
What type of oil is used for these?
I have a recipe similar to this, but whenever I bread something I usually dredge the chicken or fish in plain yogurt before adding the breadcrumbs. The seasonings can be added to the yogurt, too. I made beer-breaded oven-fried catfish this way last week. :)
Made these for the first time using the suggestion to chop the meat in the food processor prior to breading to more closely approximate the processed nuggets that (sadly) my children’s palates want. My super-picky son grabbed a second nugget while proclaiming, “These are better than McDonald’s!” Warms my heart! Thanks for the great recipe! I actually used chicken thighs instead of breasts because that’s what I had on hand. Worked great! Crockpot chicken is almost ready for tonight. I love this website! Thanks!
I’m going to try these tonight! My favorite dipping sauce for chicken nuggets is something I just found…go ahead with your mayo, mustard, and honey mixture, but I like to add either blackberries or raspberries to the mix! It sounds crazy, but it tastes SO good!
I can’t wait to try these as I’ve been looking for a healthy version for my family. I want to bake them too and re-read some comments and reading different temperatures. Can you recommend an ideal cooking temp and length of time?
HI Jaimie. I’m not finding a consensus on time and temp. Seems to be 400-425 for 18-25 minutes. You might have to experiment a bit. Good luck. ~Amy
This recipe looks great. Just wondering if anyone has tried baking these? If so at what temp and how long?
Hi Jeannette. Try and let us know how they turn out! ~Amy
I sprayed them with organic olive oil and baked for 20 minutes on 375 they were just as tasty!
I am brand new at this whole food thing, we are adapting well, conidering i have a 20 month old and a 7 year old, but we live in a small town….where might we even begin to look for ‘good’ chicken?
Hi Crystal. Start here: http://www.eatwild.com/ and see what is available in your area. Most grocery stores offer organic free range options, as well. Goodluck. ~Amy
I make a more lightly breaded version of nuggets. I make homemade ‘shake & bake’ —mix whole wheat flour, cornmeal,& sugar together with seasonings and herbs. I use a cereal box liner bag (great way to recycle these) and drop the chicken pieces in and shake. I bake them on an oiled pan. I spray nuggets with olive oil before baking. I make a lot at one time. When they cool, put them into plastic snack bags (which I wash and reuse). Each bag holds about a serving. I put the little bags into a large freezer bag. I always label and date the large bags so I know what it is. These are great for a quick snack, lunch, or dinner. Reheat in the microwave, or eat cold in the summer.
Love making my own ‘fast food’.
Gail,
Would love to know the portions/spices you use for your breading mix. I would love to try this chicken nugget recipe but bread crumbs(or the bread used to make) have too much salt and I’m on a sodium restricted diet. Thanks!
Hi Catherine. I might be a little confused by your question but here are the recipe ingredients:
1 lb local or organic boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg
1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking oil
Hope that helps. You can always adapt it for your own needs. ~Amy
I want to freeze these weeks ahead of time for easy lunches. Could you tell me what method you use to reheat? Thanks so much!! Your site is amazing! Your recipes are amazing!!! We are faithful followers!! Feeding a family of 9 on real food has been easy with your help!!! :)–Sara
Hi Sara. Glad you love the blog! My preference is to put the portion I need in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven before packing lunch. ~Amy