Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Article by Layla Khoury-Hanold

Chicken nuggets are a crowd-pleasing dish for kids and adults alike, whether they’re served for a quick weeknight supper or game day snacking. And while it’s easy to reach for a bag of frozen nuggets, it’s simple to make chicken nuggets at home with just a few ingredients. With Melissa d’Arabian’s recipe, you’ll learn how to make homemade chicken nuggets in 25 minutes, including how to evenly season and bread the chicken, the key technique to ensure even browning and how to get a crispy finish.

How to Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets Like a Pro

Use a resealable bag to evenly season the chicken pieces. Shaking the chicken in a resealable bag with garlic powder, salt and pepper ensures that the pieces are evenly seasoned (plus it’s one less dish to wash).

Bread the chicken using a dry-wet-dry method. Dredging the chicken chunks in flour, followed by egg mixture, then breadcrumbs will ensure that they’re evenly coated and that the breadcrumbs adhere to the meat.

Work in batches to brown the chicken nuggets. Work in batches to avoid crowding the pan to ensure that the nuggets cook and brown evenly.

Drain the chicken nuggets on a paper towel-lined plate. This will help remove any excess oil from the nuggets and guarantee a crisp bite.

What Are in Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients that are in chicken nuggets include chicken (either chicken breast or thigh pieces or ground chicken), breadcrumbs, eggs, flour, salt, pepper and other seasoning like garlic powder. Chicken nuggets are chicken pieces (or nuggets formed from ground chicken) that are seasoned, breaded and fried or baked.

Dip for Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets go with a variety of dipping sauces, including ketchup, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, ranch, sweet and sour sauce or spicy mayo. Try making these dip recipes, such as Homemade Ketchup, The Best Barbecue Sauce, Blue Ranch Dipping Sauce, Sweet Chili Mayo Dipping Sauce, Tangy Dijonaise Dipping Sauce or Melissa’s Creamy Mustard Dipping Sauce.

What to Serve with Chicken Nuggets

Serve chicken nuggets with side dishes such as French fries, tater tots, sweet potato fries, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and vegetable sides like carrot sticks, green beans or broccoli. Try making these easy sides recipes, including our Air Fryer French Fries, Oven Sweet Potato Fries, 5-Ingredient Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, The Best Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli Gratin.