Chicken nuggets are always a family favorite and they taste so much better made from scratch! These air fryer chicken nuggets are ready to serve in less than 30 minutes and are perfectly juicy and crispy.
If you are looking for a recipe that the whole family will love then you can’t go wrong with classic American chicken nuggets. This kid friendly recipe is made from scratch and is perfect to serve as an appetizer, lunch or dinner.
Because they are air fried, the breadcrumb coating gets wonderfully crispy whilst the chicken remains perfectly cooked and juicy. Serve them with a side of fries or your favorite dip.
If you love your air fryer, be sure to check out my Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken Recipe.
Why you will love these chicken nuggets!
- Healthier: Made from scratch with less salt and no added sugar and air fried rather than deep fried.
- Quick: These chicken nuggets are ready to serve in less than 30 minutes making them a great option when you are running short on time.
- Simple: Made with simple pantry staple ingredients, you likely don’t need to plan an extra trip to the store to make these!
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Can you make these without an air fryer?
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can sill make these chicken nuggets. You can deep fry them in an oil such as canola or vegetable or you can oven bake them.
To oven bake, pre heat the oven to 400F and place the coated chicken on to a baking sheet. Bake for around 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
What do you serve them with?
You can serves these nuggets as an appetizer with your favorite dips like honey mustard, ketchup or ranch. You can also serve them as a main with fries and a side salad or veggies.
Reheating instructions
These nuggets are best served straight out of the air fryer so that they are nice and tender and crispy. The beauty of an air fryer though is that you can reheat any leftovers in it and their wonderful crispiness comes back in a flash!
Place the cooked nuggets in a preheated air fryer at 400F and cook for around 4 to 5 minutes.
Recipe Notes
- I also tried panko crumbs, and they worked too! They have a different texture, and I liked the breadcrumb texture better. You can also add hot sauce or chili powder to the milk and seasonings mixture if you want a spicier chicken nugget.
- If in a hurry, and you aren’t concerned with how “Pretty” the nuggets look, you can pour the flour over the chicken pieces in a larger bowl and toss until they are covered. It saves a step, but I wanted to make sure all of my pieces were evenly covered.
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour divided in half
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (or make your own– see below!)
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips or 2×2 size.
Instructions
To Make Breadcrumbs
- Depending on the size of the bread, you can make your own bread crumbs from about four slices of bread. Place bread in the basket, and set time for about 5-7 minutes at 350°F, flipping over halfway. The air fryer makes the bread very crisp! Pace the crisp bread into the food processor and pulse into fine crumbs form.
For the Chicken Nuggets
- To prepare the basket: Using a pastry brush, brush oil onto the basket. (I used olive oil, but I am sure vegetable oil works just as well. This will keep the batter from sticking to the basket as it cooks.) Set the basket aside.2 tablespoons olive oil
- In a small to medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup of flour, plus all of the milk and seasonings. Using two other bowls, one filled with the other ½ cup flour, and the other with the breadcrumbs, place the bowls next to each other for easy dipping.1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup milk, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground paprika, 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Dip each piece of chicken, starting with the flour, then once coated, dip into milk/seasonings mixture, then coat each piece with bread crumbs. Place each piece into the oiled basket, without stacking. Repeat coating for each piece, until all are covered and in basket.1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Select chicken, make sure the temperature is 380°F. Cook on each side for 7 minutes. If you prefer extra crispy, you can cook an additional minute on each side.
Notes
- We also tried panko crumbs, and they worked too! They have a different texture, and we liked the breadcrumb texture better.
- You can also add hot sauce or chili powder to the milk and seasonings mixture if you want a spicier chicken nugget.
- If in a hurry, and you aren’t concerned with how “Pretty” the nuggets look, you can pour the flour over the chicken pieces in a larger bowl and toss until they are covered. It saves a step, but we wanted to make sure all of my pieces were evenly covered.
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