Skip the store-bought and make your own Homemade Chicken Nuggets at home in less than 30 minutes. They’ll make the whole family happy.
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I’m not embarrassed to admit that I am always down for a chicken nugget. They are crispy, tender and juicy. I mean, what’s not to like?!
How to Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Let’s ditch the store-bought nuggs and make ours from scratch today. Here’s what you’ll need:
Start by dicing the chicken into bite-size pieces. Set those aside and set up your breading station.
I like to use something wide and shallow for breading, such as pie plates or cake pans. It makes things way easier but if all you have are regular bowls that will work too.
Place flour into the first pie plate, the eggs and milk go into the second then more flour and the seasonings into the last one.
Start by dredging (that means lightly coating) the chicken in the plain flour. Then coat the pieces completely in egg wash then dredge through the seasoned flour.
Place the coated pieces on a plate and continue until all the chicken is done.
Heat about an inch of oil in a large skillet. Once it’s hot, you’re ready to fry. You can check if the oil is ready by dropping a pinch of flour into it. If it sizzles but doesn’t brown the flour right away, it’s ready.
Fry the chicken for about 2 minutes per side, until golden. Place a cooling rack onto a baking sheet. When the chicken is done, place it on the cooling rack to drip any excess oil off. This also helps keep it crispy verses the paper towel lined plate.
All the Dips
These nuggets are good with all your favorite dips. Barbecue, honey mustard, ranch, ketchup, whatever you like.
If you’re a true midwesterner like me, it’s all about the ranch. I especially love my jalapeno ranch with these homemade chicken nuggets.
How to Heat the Leftovers
Let’s talk about how to reheat these nuggs. If you have any leftover that is. If you use the microwave they will lose a lot of their crispiness so they are best reheated in the oven.
Heat your oven to 350 degrees and bake them for about 5 minutes to heat them through and save some of the crispiess.
If you have an air fryer, that’s an even better option. Set it to 350 degrees and heat for 3 minutes. They’ll be perfect.
More Kid Friendly Dinner Ideas:
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- Oil, for frying
Instructions
- Dice the chicken into bite-size pieces. Set aside. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and set aside.
- Set out 3 pie plates, cake pans or shallow dishes. In the first, add 1/2 cup flour. In the second dish whisk together the egg and milk. In the third dish stir together the remaining 1 cup flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and paprika.
- Coat the chicken pieces in the plain flour. Move to the egg wash and coat. Lastly, coat in the seasoned flour. Place coated pieces on a large plate. Continue until all the chicken has been coated.
- Add oil in a large skillet until it's about an inch up the pan. Heat over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add chicken in a single layer. Cook for 2 minutes per side, until golden. Remove from the pan to the cooling rack to drain excess oil. Serve hot.
