Our easy Homemade Chicken Nuggets are a delicious weeknight dinner that is kid-approved! This great recipe makes juicy, tender chicken on the inside and a crispy outside. Serve with any of your favorite dips for a simple dinner that the whole family will love!
The Best Homemade Chicken Nuggets
We all know that kids love those classic, fast food chicken nuggets but wouldn’t you love to make some healthy homemade chicken nuggets at home!? We are so excited to share our tried-and-true homemade chicken nugget recipe with you! They are great for a quick lunch or dinner idea, even if you have a pick eater. We love how quickly these healthy chicken nuggets have come together and are perfect for busy weeknights!
Looking for another homemade version of a kid favorite? Try our Baked Fish Nuggets!
What You Will Need
- raw chicken tenders – pick-up this cut of meat at your local grocery store or sub with some boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- ghee – use to keep this recipe Whole30/Paleo compliant or use butter, a neutral oil, or coconut oil.
- egg – an egg wash is a traditional part of this cooking process to help the breading stick.
- almond flour – the base for this breading mixture, but feel free to use regular bread crumbs or panko breadcrumbs!
- tapioca starch – a binding agent used in the breading to help hold everything together.
- garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper – a little bit of these simple seasonings that are always good!
How To Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to prepare the shallow bowls to prepare the bite-sized pieces. In one shallow bowl, you will want to whisk the egg. This will coat the chicken first.
In another shallow bowl, mix together the almond flour, tapioca starch, and seasonings. Transfer chicken from the egg wash to the flour mixture, tossing to coat.
Now bring a large skillet or frying pan to a medium high heat. Let the ghee or butter melt. Place coated chicken pieces in the hot pan in a single layer to cook on all sides until golden brown with an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (use a meat thermometer). Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack. Let them rest for 3-5 minutes at room temperature.
Pro tip: for maximum crispness you will want to make sure that you don’t crowd the pan. Leave space between pieces and cook in batches for best results.
Best Way To Serve Homemade Chicken Nuggets
There are a few different ways to serve up this classic main course! We love to dunk our homemade nuggets in all of our favorite dips, like ketchup, ranch dressing, honey mustard sauce, or BBQ sauce. Also, feel free to place these fried chicken nuggets in a large bowl and toss in barbecue sauce or buffalo sauce for some boneless chicken wings. Now, if you are looking for some side dish recipes, we recommend oven baked french fries, steamed green beans, sweet potato sticks, potato wedges, etc. Any would be great with these easy chicken nuggets!
Made this delicious recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Homemade Chicken Nuggets
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2–4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our Healthy Homemade Chicken Nuggets recipe is an easy and delicious weeknight dinner that is kid-approved!
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders, cut into 1–2 inch chunks
- 1–2 tablespoons ghee (or butter, olive oil, or coconut oil)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep: Crack egg into a shallow bowl and whisk; set aside. In another shallow bowl add almond flour, tapioca starch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Prepare Chicken: Take several pieces of chicken and place them in the egg, toss to coat. Remove chicken pieces, allowing any excess egg to run off. Place these in the almond flour mixture, lightly coating all sides. Shake off excess and place chicken on plate. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
- Cook: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat and add ghee to melt. Add the breaded chicken to the hot pan (probably done in two batches) and cook 2-3 minutes per side (depending upon how thick the pieces are). Once chicken is fully cooked (165 degree F internal temperature) remove from pan and place on a paper towel covered plate.
- Serve: Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce – like ketchup, ranch dressing, or dijon mustard.
Notes
- Chicken: If you can’t find chicken tenders, use 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut into tenders and then 1-2 inch chunks.
- Storage: leftover nuggets can be put in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz
- Calories: 327
- Sugar: 1.1 g
- Sodium: 979.1 mg
- Fat: 10.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.3 g
- Protein: 27.8 g
- Cholesterol: 109 mg
Carie Heller says
These chicken nuggets are AMAZING! A family favorite!
Sarah L. says
Seriously, how does she do it? These are incredibly delicious. I always appreciate that I won’t be faced with a difficult recipe when I make something of hers.
Michele B says
Can I bake these? What temp and for how long?
Antonella says
Hi- my kiddo is allergic to egg. Do you think the “breading” would stick with a flax egg? Is there another paleo substitute that would work?
Erin says
You could possibly try brushing on melted ghee instead? I haven’t tried it personally though!
Lori Krasny says
Can these be cooked in the air fryer? If so, how hot and how long?
Erin says
Hi Lori! I have not tested these in an air fryer yet – sorry!
Sam says
I did these in the air fryer at 380 for 12 minutes, shaking halfway through, and they turned out really well!
Erin says
Yay!! Thank you so much for sharing that with everyone 🙂 I really appreciate it – and I am so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks or taking the time to leave feedback!
Haley says
Hi! Is the starch more
for texture of flavor? I’ve never tried it before. Would I be ok without it?
Erin says
Hi Haley! The tapioca starch helps crisp up the nuggets a bit, but I think they would still turn out just fine without!!