Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Homemade Chicken nuggets, who doesn’t love them? Crispy, crunchy, bite-sized pieces of chicken that you can dunk into anything your heart desires makes chicken nuggets unique. Does the thought of commercial chicken nuggets scare you? Make your own.

chicken nuggets and dipping sauce in a wire basket

Chicken nuggets, who doesn’t love them? Crispy, crunchy, bite-sized pieces of chicken that you can dunk into anything your heart desires make chicken nuggets unique. If the thought of commercial chicken nuggets scares you because of what’s in them, why not make your own?

This copycat homemade chicken nuggets recipe is perfect if you have kids who love chicken nuggets and you want them to eat healthier.

Homemade chicken nuggets are made with no preservatives or fillers

Normally I like to duplicate a restaurant’s particular recipe. However, after doing some reading on the ingredients in commercial chicken nuggets, I have decided to show you how to make homemade chicken nuggets.

These nuggets contain no meat slurries, no processed meat, no preservatives, no meat glue, etc. After all, who wants to eat this stuff? When you make chicken nuggets at home, you know what goes in them.

Made from chicken breast only!

Your made-from-scratch nuggets will simply contain good chicken breast that hasn’t been processed or adulterated in any way. For this homemade chicken nugget recipe, I am using organic chicken breasts.

Yes, one of the advantages of cooking at home is that you can use organic meat that comes from animals that have been raised without hormones and antibiotics.

Can be made ahead of time, frozen, and reheated later.

You can make up a large batch of these chicken nuggets, and freeze them. Then when you and your family need a meal in a hurry, bake them up, or pop them in the microwave.

Assuming you are reheating from the frozen state, I would suggest that you place them in the oven for about 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees.

How to freeze cooked chicken nuggets

Prepare the recipe as written, allow the nuggets to cool, and then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Allow them to freeze solid, then package up into another container. Use as you need them.

What type of oil to fry chicken nuggets in?

When cooking the chicken nuggets, I’m using peanut oil; I like it best for frying. My second choice would be Crisco shortening, but you can use other vegetable oils. If you want to go organic, you could choose Spectrum brand organic shortening. I like peanut oil because it handles high heat well, and you can filter and reuse it.

homemade chicken nuggets in a basket with a dipping sauce

 

Dipping sauces for chicken nuggets

chicken nuggets and dipping sauce in a wire basket

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

You don't need to buy frozen chicken nuggets with ingredients you can't pronounce.  Make flavorful chicken nuggets from scratch. 
5 from 3 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chicken Recipes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 434kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken breast
  • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups Panko bread crumbs (optional)

Instructions

  • Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. in a shallow dish blend together flour, salt, and black pepper.
  • In another small dish add milk, and beat 1 egg into the milk until well you have a uniform mixture.
  • Place Panko bread crumbs into another shallow dish. Dredge chicken into the seasoned flour, shake off excess flour, then dip chicken into the milk and egg wash. Dredge chicken with Panko breadcrumbs. (Optional if you can not find Panko breadcrumbs, you can dredge the chicken nuggets back into the seasoned flour.). 
  • Place chicken nuggets onto a wrack and let rest a couple of minutes before frying. Heat oil to 350 degrees. When the oil is hot fry several pieces at once, do not overcrowd the pan and let the chicken nuggets touch while cooking. You will need to cook these in a couple of batches. Drain chicken nuggets on a wire rack.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 434kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 949mg | Potassium: 543mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 4.2mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maribel

    5 stars
    Love this recipe thank u. My kids love chicken nuggets but I want them to eat healthier. Can I bake these chicken nuggets rather than frying them.
    Thank u love all your recipe quick and easy thats what I needed.

  2. Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze

    I have always wanted to make homemade chicken nuggets, but never found ones that looked like the ones that are bad for you, hehe. These are the best of both worlds. They look just like them and then are healthier. Yay! Pinned! My kids and I thank you!

  3. Nancy Lee Matthews Blondin

    Thanks for the recipe. Just a suggestion about your preferred choice of shortening, the tbhq in the crisco negates some of the benefits of avoiding the restaurant version, many commercial fryer oils have it too. We love Spectrum brand organic shortening as an alternative.

    • stephaniemanley

      I actually use the Spectrum brand as well for my personal cooking. I appreciate the suggestion. I find it a great, although a little pricy alternative.

    • stephaniemanley

      Assuming you are reheating from the frozen state I would suggest that you reheat this for about 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees.

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