For a healthier way to enjoy chicken nuggets, give these crispy homemade air fryer chicken nuggets a try! Juicy and tender chicken pieces are seasoned and cooked until perfectly crispy and golden – you won’t even know that they aren’t deep fried! They take about 20 minutes from start to finish and use simple ingredients like panko breadcrumbs, spices and chicken breast. Serve with chilli mayo, ketchup or your favourite dipping sauce for kid-friendly dinners or lunchboxes (that adults will love too!).
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy – this recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and requires only ten minutes of prep time. And thanks to the air fryer, they only need about 6-8 minutes of cooking time before they are ready to eat!
- Healthy – like these pizza pockets and roast chicken, making your own foods from scratch in an air fryer is a healthier option than store-bought, fast food or fried versions. This recipe is also egg-free and can be easily made gluten-free. See notes below for a dairy-free option too.
- Delicious! These healthy chicken nuggets are so tender, so crispy, so crunchy and packed full of flavour! And they will pair so perfectly with your favourite dipping sauce.
- Kid-friendly – perfect for kids and lunchboxes, serve them on their own or with your favourite dipping sauces. Kids will love helping and making their own nuggets!
Ingredients you will need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. For full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below.
Ingredient notes
Chicken- chicken breast is used in this recipe. Due to the low cooking time, the breast stays juicy and tender. But thigh fillets can also be used, if preferred.
Cornflour/cornstarch – seasoned cornflour is used to help the buttermilk and breading mixture stick to the chicken without falling off.
Spices – a mixture of paprika, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder is used to pack maximum flavour into such a small nugget!
Buttermilk – buttermilk is used to stick to the breading mix and also add flavour. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing a cup of milk with 1-2 tsp of lemon juice or white vinegar. Give it a stir and let it set for ten minutes for instant buttermilk!
Cheese – fresh parmesan cheese is used to add savoury flavour and crunch to the breading mix that encases the nuggets. I recommend finely grating your own fresh block of cheese, rather than using pre-grated and packaged cheese. Fresh cheese will blend better into the breadcrumbs.
Breadcrumbs – a mix of regular breadcrumbs and panko crumbs are used here, for the ideal crunch and texture. I use store bought breadcrumbs most of the time, but you can also try making your own!
Oil spray – a good coating of oil spray over the nuggets helps make the delicious crispy crunch on the outer coating! I use olive oil spray, but you can also use canola or vegetable.
Step by step instructions
1. Cut up the chicken. Trim any fat from the chicken breasts. Then, chop them into nugget sized pieces (5-6 cm/2 inches). You can also cut them into chicken tenders if you prefer.
2. Mix the cornflour together with the spices and toss the chicken through the cornflour mixture. Set up a station with three bowls. One for the chicken, one for the buttermilk and one with the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Dredge the chicken through the buttermilk, making sure to coat both sides completely.
4. Bread the nuggets. Coat the chicken in the breadcrumb and parmesan mixture, again making sure to coat both sides thoroughly.
5. Add them to the pre-heated air fryer basket or rack. You will have to cook these nuggets in batches, as air fryers work best with a single layer of food. But each batch will only take 6-8 minutes, so you won’t have to wait long!
6. Coat with a layer of oil spray. Spray the nuggets with a good coating of your preferred oil spray. Air fry according to the instructions below and serve alone, or with your favourite dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Expert tips
- For extra crispy nuggets, you can toast the breadcrumbs in the oven for 5 minutes at 180C/356F before adding the parmesan and coating the chicken. This is an optional step that adds an even crunchier texture!
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use your favourite gluten-free breadcrumbs instead.
- For dairy free chicken nuggets, leave out the parmesan cheese and switch the buttermilk for 1-2 lightly whisked eggs or some homemade dairy-free buttermilk. (Mix 1 cup milk of choice with 1-2 tsp of lemon juice or white vinegar and sit for 10 minutes).
- Add a little heat by adding 1 tsp sriracha chilli sauce or a little chilli powder to the buttermilk before coating.
- Need a vegetarian option? Try these vegetarian nuggets.
- Got a hungry crowd? This recipe can be easily multiplied to make more.
FAQs
In the fridge: leftover chicken nuggets can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To re-heat, return to the air fryer and cook at 180C/356F for around 4-5 minutes, or until heated through.
In the freezer: allow the nuggets to cool completely before spreading over a baking tray in a single layer (this ensures that they don’t stick together). Place the tray in the freezer and allow the nuggets to freeze before transferring them to a freezer safe bag or container. Freeze for 2-3 months.
Remove the nuggets from the freezer. Add them to the air fryer basket and cook at 200C/400F for around 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the air fryer and serve with your favourite dipping sauce.
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Crispy Chicken Nuggets Air Fryer Method!
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts approx 500 grams/1.1 pounds
- ¼ cup cornflour/cornstarch
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½-3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- ¾ cup panko crumbs
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese freshly and finely grated
- olive oil spray or canola or vegetable oil spray
Optional, to serve
- dipping sauce of choice to serve
- chopped parsley
Instructions
- Pre-heat your air fryer to 180°C/356F for 5 minutes.
- While the air fryer is heating, trim any fat from the chicken and cut the breasts into nugget sized pieces (approx. 20 pieces), or chicken tenders if you prefer.
- In a bowl, mix the cornflour with the pepper, salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Toss the chicken pieces through the cornflour mix until they are completely coated on all sides.
- Mix the breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan together in a separate bowl. Set up a station with three bowls; one containing the chicken pieces, one for the buttermilk and one for the breadcrumb mixture.
- One by one, dredge the chicken pieces through the buttermilk until completely coated, then coat them in the breadcrumbs until covered on all sides. Rest the coated nuggets on a clean plate until they are all coated in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Arrange the nuggets in a single layer along the bottom of the air fryer basket, or on racks if your fryer has them. You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Cook the nuggets at 180°C/356F for 6-8 minutes, until the coating is crisp and the chicken has cooked through the middle (internal temperature 74°C/160F).
- Serve immediately with your favourite dipping sauces, or store them according to the notes below to enjoy later.
Notes
- Buttermilk is used in this recipe. If you don’t have any handy, you can easily make your own! Simply mix a cup of milk with 1-2 tsp of lemon juice or white vinegar, stir and allow to sit for 10 minutes before using.
- Fresh parmesan cheese is recommended over store-bought, pre-grated cheese. This is because it will incorporate better into the breadcrumb mixture.
- For extra crispy nuggets, you can toast the breadcrumbs in the oven for 5 minutes at 180C/356F before adding the parmesan and coating the chicken. This is an optional step that adds an even crunchier texture!
- Storage;
In the fridge: leftover chicken nuggets can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To re-heat, return to the air fryer and cook at 180C/356F for around 4-5 minutes, or until heated through.
In the freezer: allow the nuggets to cool completely before spreading over a baking tray in a single layer (this ensures that they don’t stick together). Place the tray in the freezer and allow the nuggets to freeze before transferring to a freezer safe bag or container. Freeze for 2-3 months. - For gluten-free nuggets, use your choice of gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of regular.
- For a dairy free option, leave out the cheese and switch the buttermilk for 1-2 lightly whisked eggs or some homemade dairy free buttermilk. Follow the instructions in step 1 of these notes, but use your favourite dairy free milk.
- Got a hungry crowd? This recipe can be easily multiplied to make more.
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