Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Ground Chicken
Do your kids LOVE chicken nuggets? Or maybe you’re the chicken nugget lover? Well, I’m here to let you in on a little secret. You can whip up these delicious, EASY homemade chicken nuggets with ground chicken right at home using just 4 simple ingredients! Seriously! These nuggets are SO EASY you’ll never want to go back to buying them at the store again!
This Ground Chicken Nuggets recipe is perfect for freezing too, so make a BIG batch and freeze them up for later! This recipe is cheap to make and packed with protein, so your family will stay fueled up for a long time. You might also love these quick easy recipes!
Benefits of Homemade Ground Chicken Nuggets
We all know that cooking homemade is better than store-bought many times, but knowing how to make something like these simple chicken nuggets may seem a little overwhelming. Well, it’s not! Here are some of the reasons you might want to consider making this easy recipe.
Control Over Ingredients
You get to decide the quality of the chicken, which means you can choose lean, fresh ground chicken. Or better, you can follow this super easy way for How to Make Ground Chicken at Home…it’s super easy and cheap!
What you’ll love about making Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Tools Needed:
These chicken nuggets can be made in either the air fryer or baked in the oven. Those are the only tools you need. Unless you are making your own ground chicken, then you will need a blender or food processer.
How to Make Chicken Nuggets with Ground Chicken
So let’s make chicken nuggets your whole family will love—right from your own kitchen! Grab that ground chicken, and I’ll walk you through each easy step.
Ingredients:
These 4 ingredients are all you need unless you choose to have some add ins which I can share some of our favorites further in the post.
- Ground Chicken
- Egg ~ this is used for binding the ingredients together.
- Cheese ~ any kind you like (we like spice so I used Pepper Jack)
- Italian Seasoned Panko breadcrumbs (You can use Gluten Free!)
Optional Spices:
These Ground Chicken Nuggets are perfectly wonderful the way they are BUT if you want to kick up the flavor it’s perfectly ok!
Try these spice combos:
- 1/2 tsp of each Onion Powder & Garlic Salt
- 1/4 tsp of each Red Pepper Flakes & Smoked Paprika
Note: I used one small chicken breast, ground at home for this recipe. It made about a 1/2 pound of ground chicken. This makes 9 Crispy Golden Brown Chicken Nuggets!
Directions:
In a medium bowl or large bowl (depending on how much you are making) add ground chicken, egg and cheese. Mix. Make sure your chicken mixture is thoroughly blended.
Form your chicken nuggets. You can make these as big or small as you like. I make them about the size you might buy in the store. I mean if you want to get super creative you could even make these into shapes…but we’re going for easy right!?
TIP 1: If your chicken nuggets start to fall apart just press them back together on our baking sheet. They will cook together and stay together.
TIP 2: If your chicken nuggets fall apart and you are feeling super frustrated you can add some Panko Breadcrumbs to your mixture…it’s perfectly ok!
After forming your chicken nuggets put them into the Panko Breadcrumbs and coat both sides. The breadcrumbs will stick easily as the chicken mixture will be super moist. If adding Garlic Salt, sprinkle a little on to now.
Cooking Instructions
You have two options here: baking or air frying. Both methods will give you that crunchy texture we all love. There really is no best way…use what you have and enjoy!
- Baking Chicken Nuggets: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the nuggets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or use Olive Oil cooking spray. Pop them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping them over halfway through to ensure they cook evenly. They’re done once they’re golden brown and cooked through.
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets: If you have an air fryer, Set your air fryer to 375°F (190°C). Spray the basket (or tray) with a little non-stick Olive Oil Cooking Spray, then place the nuggets inside, make sure they don’t overlap. Cook them for about 18 minutes, turn over for even cooking and a more golden brown crust half way through.
Serving Suggestions
Here’s the fun part—serving those little golden brown nuggets! Chicken nuggets go great with all kinds of dips and our favorite sauces.
Yummy Dip Options:
- Homemade Cottage Cheese Spread: Blend together 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 clove garlic and a little dill or basil…it’s yum!
- Guacamole Dip: This easy creamy dip is a family favorite that your whole family will love!
More Homemade Dips
Bottled Dip Suggestions:
Don’t want to make a dip from scratch? There are plenty of yummy alternatives you can buy at your store! Below are just a few suggestions…use what you love!
- Honey Mustard
- BBQ sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Ketchup
- Salsa ~ any kind
- Buffalo Sauce
- Tarter Sauce
- Ranch Dressing (or any kind you like)
These nuggets can be served as a main dish alongside a fresh salad or as a finger food for parties or kids’ gatherings. They also make great school lunches that kids will actually eat! However you serve them, they’ll disappear fast!
Tips for Perfectly Cooked and Crispy Nuggets
If you are new to cooking with ground chicken, here are some tips to ensure your nuggets are juicy, tasty, and easy to prepare.
Avoid Dryness
No one likes a dry nugget, right? Chicken dries out faster than other meats because it has less fat in it. So here are some simple tips to keep them moist and delicious:
- Choose the Right Chicken: Start with fresh ground chicken—(or make your own)
- Add Moisture: In this homemade baked chicken nuggets recipe we are adding cheese and egg. This will keep your chicken moist.
- Perfect Cooking Time: Overcooking is the enemy. Keep an eye on your nuggets while they’re cooking. Aim for a golden brown color. ( see instructions above for perfect timing.)
Freezing and Reheating
Want to make your nuggets in advance or save leftovers? Freezing and reheating properly will keep them tasting just as fresh. These are just good when thawed and reheated!
- Flash Freeze: Lay your cooked nuggets in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze for an half hour. Then, transfer them to a freezer bag or any airtight container. Flash Freezing prevents them from sticking together so you can pull out just what you need.
- Reheating for Best Results: To reheat, preheat your oven to 350°F. Place the nuggets on a baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes. This method keeps them crispy on the outside and warm on the inside. Or of course, you can use your air fryer to reheat. Heat on 375 degrees for 5 minutes then check if heated through.
That’s it friends! Your family will absolutely love this recipe and it’s super easy too! There are many wonderful reviews over on Pinterest for this recipe, here are a couple of them:
What Home Cooks Like YOU are saying:
Readers who have made this recipe are raving about it! Here is what they had to say after making this recipe and feeding their family:
Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Ground Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground chicken Makes 9 Chicken Nuggets
- 3/4 cup Cheese Use any kind you like
- 1 1/2 Cup Italian Seasoned Panko Crumbs
- 1 large Egg
Instructions
- In a medium bowl or large bowl (depending on how much you are making) add ground chicken, egg and cheese. Mix. Make sure your chicken mixture is thoroughly blended.
- Form your chicken nuggets. You can make these as big or small as you like. I make them about the size you might buy in the store.
- After forming your chicken nuggets put them into the Panko Breadcrumbs and coat both sides. The breadcrumbs will stick easily as the chicken mixture will be super moist. If adding Garlic Salt, sprinkle a little on to now.
- Baking Chicken Nuggets: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the nuggets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pop them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping them over halfway through to ensure they cook evenly. They’re done once they’re golden brown and cooked through.
- Air Frying Chicken Nuggets: If you have an air fryer, you’re in for a treat! Set your air fryer to 375°F (190°C). Spray the basket (or tray) with a little non-stick spray, then place the nuggets inside, make sure they don’t overlap. Cook them for about 18 minutes, turn over for even cooking and a more golden brown crust half way through.
Notes
- Flash Freeze: Lay your cooked nuggets in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for an half hour. Then, transfer them to a freezer bag or any airtight container. Flash Freezing prevents them from sticking together so you can pull out just what you need.
- Reheating for Best Results: To reheat, preheat your oven to 350°F. Place the nuggets on a baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes. This method keeps them crispy on the outside and warm on the inside. Or of course you can use your air fryer to reheat. Heat on 375 degrees for 5 minutes then check if heated through.
Can I fry these in a skillet with oil? I don’t have an air fryer and my oven isn’t working at the moment.
Yes! You can totally fry them in oil. 🙂 Make sure they are cooked through before eating though. God Bless!
Hi! I am hoping to make these soon however my kid is allergic to egg. I know in baking, I can use apple sauce. Do you have any idea for a substitute that would be good?
Hi Kristina! I would just make them without the egg. I think that between the ground chicken and cheese, it should hold together pretty good. I don’t think I’d use applesauce (I do this in recipes too) because it’s a bit too runny for this type of recipe. Let me know if this works, I’d love to hear!
Thank you for this recipe! It’s super versatile and it’s nice to be able to make nuggets with way less ingredients than store bought that actually taste better.
Hi Abby! I’m so glad you enjoyed this super easy Chicken Nuggets recipe. I think they taste better too! God Bless!
I made these and thought for sure there would be leftovers bc I made so much but they were all gobbled up! I easily quadrupled for my family of 6 plus 1 for that meal.
Have you tried freezing these raw vs baking and then freezing?
Thanks for a yummy and simple recipe!
Hi Alisha! I’m so happy your family loved these Chicken Nuggets! Our family loves them too! Ok, I haven’t tried freezing before cooking them BUT I think you could do it. I would flash freeze them first. That means I would make them and put them onto a sheet pan then put them in your freezer for about half hour.
THEN I would transfer them to a freezer bag and put back into the freezer. Flash freezing keeps them from sticking together.
Since I haven’t tried this method I’m not sure the cooking time. I would say it’s probably the same as if you bought chicken nuggets at the store BUT with a little more cooking time as store bought nuggets are usually pre cooked. You could also thaw them for a little bit before baking.
I’m going to try the freezing out because what a GREAT idea! I’d love to hear how it goes if you try freezing before cooking too! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such a sweet comment! Blessings to you and your family!
Edit to my prior comment: I experimented with the nuggets..
I froze 6 nuggets that were cooked and also flash froze 6 nuggets that were raw/ready to bake.
Tonight when I made fresh nuggets, we cooked the experiment nuggets.
I set the raw nuggets on a tray to thaw as the oven preheated and then cooked them as the recipe directs.
On the same tray: When those raw nuggets came out at 10 minutes for their flip, I added the precooked/needed to heat nuggets to heat for the last 10 minutes.
Our results: The raw nuggets cooked up just as moist as the freshly made nuggets tonight! The precooked and reheated nuggets were a little bit dryer. For the extra work of baking, cooling, freezing and reheating as needed, it’s more work than it’s worth in my opinion.
But flash freezing the raw nuggets is definitely worth it! I’ll be doubling my quadruple batch to save the mess for a future meal!
(I reheated the cooked nuggets at the cooking temp of 400, so they may not have dried out as much if they’d been reheated at 350 as instructed.)
That’s awesome Alisha! I tried it too and it worked well! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that it worked for you also! So many will benefit from your comment!