Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets

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This homemade baked chicken nugget recipe was sent to me by my friend, Mariah, back in 2016 – these crispy, tender and flavorful chicken nuggets have become a fan favourite, so we’ve since added a step-by-step how-to video to help you perfect this recipe at home!

Crispy, tender and flavorful homemade chicken nuggets - skip the frozen aisle (or the drive-thru) and make these easy homemade chicken nuggets with just a handful of everyday ingredients.

Homemade Chicken Nugget Recipe

Chicken nuggets are a food group unto themselves when it comes to most kids.

But unfortunately, most kids prefer the deep-friend, preservative-laden variety that are full of sneaky sugars, food coloring (why?) and other unsavoury ingredients.

While my favorite homemade chicken nuggets are our Copycat Chick-fil-a Nuggets, if you’re looking for a better-for-you version of the McD or frozen variety, this recipe has you covered with a tender, flavorful chicken nugget with a crispy breaded coating that can be made with everyday ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

This recipe was developed by my friend, Mariah, and while it’s been a hit with my daughter and daycare kids, I’ve also experimented with using a flour-and-cornstarch coating (as seen in our Crispiest Chicken Nuggets recipe) which I think is a better “dupe” for a McD breading, her breadcrumbs coating is more like what you’d find with frozen chicken nuggets – so, use whichever coating your kids would prefer.

When it comes to seasoning, she used dijon mustard, paprika, salt and pepper. Feel free to swap out the seasonings for what your kids like – but even my pickiest eaters enjoyed this combo, because once it’s shaped into a chicken nugget, they become a lot less picky!

Close-up of homemade chicken nuggets on a yellow plate

Can these homemade chicken nuggets be frozen? Yes, you can freeze these chicken nuggets prior to baking by placing them on a cookie tray and freezing, then transferring to a ziptop freezer bag or your preferred freezer container. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.) Use within 3 months.

Can I use a silicone baking sheet instead of tinfoil for baking? I tried this with a silicone liner once and the nuggets were mushy – they didn’t crisp up at all. I personally don’t recommend using a silicone baking sheet, and if possibly, I recommend using an airfryer.

How to make homemade chicken nuggets taste better:

  • sear the chicken nuggets in a bit of oil before baking OR use an air-fryer to give it a deep fried flavor
  • add some crushed cornflakes to the breadcrumbs to give a sweeter flavor
  • use a variety of seasonings until you find what you like: garlic salt, cayenne pepper, ranch seasoning, etc.
  • if your kids really hate the flavor of mustard, use BBQ sauce or a bit of ketchup to ensure that the chicken nuggets have the right texture and don’t dry out
  • Personally, I have not tried this, but if your kids typically eat chicken nuggets with MSG – you can slowly introduce them to homemade chicken nuggets by adding a natural MSG. While it has developed a bad reputation in the media, MSG naturally occurs when you add salt to tomatoes – something I personally do all the time and wouldn’t think twice about! The portion of the population that suffers from MSG-intolerance is equal to those who suffer from Celiac – less than 1%. If adding a natural version to your homemade nuggets is going to help you break the habit of hitting the drive-thru (where it DEFINITELY is used) I think it’s worth considering to help during the transition period – and then, you can always reduce it and then exclude it as your kids develop a preference for homemade nuggets.

Check out our quick recipe video to see how to make these easy homemade chicken nuggets – and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe card:

Ingredients for Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Scroll down to get the full ingredient measurements.

Side note: You can use any spices that you would like to, but if you exclude the mustard – be sure to use another “wet” seasoning like BBQ sauce.

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Homemade chicken nuggets on a yellow plate on a dark background

How to Make Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

process shots of making homemade chicken nuggets

If you need to cook your chicken, do so. Boiling works well. I like to use leftover chicken from other recipes to whip these up.

Place your chicken with the rest of the ingredients minus the bread crumbs in a food processor or small blender and blend it until it’s smooth and mixed in well.

process shots of making homemade chicken nuggets

If you want to wear gloves to touch the mixture, now is the time to put them on. Take the mixture out of the blender or processor and start making little balls with it. Make them equal in size.

Take each ball and flatten it a bit with your hand, roll it around in bread crumbs and place it on a cookie sheet. No need to grease it, but you can use tin foil if you prefer.

process shots of making homemade chicken nuggets

Bake the nuggets at 350 degrees in the oven for 14 minutes, 7 minutes on each side.

Since the chicken was precooked, you do not need to worry about it not being done, but make sure they are to your liking.

Pin this homemade chicken nugget recipe:
How to make healthy, homemade chicken nuggets that both kids and grown-ups will love. Paprika & dijon mustard are used to give the chicken nuggets a delicious, unexpected flavor

Here’s your free printable recipe for healthy, homemade chicken nuggets:

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Yield: 36 Nuggets, 9 servings

Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets

Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets

Crispy, tender and flavorful homemade chicken nuggets - skip the frozen aisle (or the drive-thru) and make these easy homemade chicken nuggets with just a handful of everyday ingredients.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1lb Chicken, already cooked
  • 1 Egg
  • ½ Cup Bread Crumbs
  • 2 TBS Dijon Mustard
  • ½ tsp Paprika
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. If you need to cook your chicken, do so. Boiling works well. I like to use leftover chicken from other recipes to whip these up.
  3. Place your chicken with the rest of the ingredients minus the bread crumbs in a food processor or small blender and blend it until it’s smooth and mixed in well.
  4. If you want to wear gloves to touch the mixture, now is the time to put them on. Take the mixture out of the blender or processor and start making little balls with it. Make them equal in size.
  5. Take each ball and flatten it a bit with your hand, roll it around in bread crumbs and place it on a cookie sheet. No need to grease it, but you can use tin foil if you prefer.
  6. Bake the nuggets at 350 degrees in the oven for 14 minutes, 7 minutes on each side.
  7. Since the chicken was precooked, you do not need to worry about it not being done, but make sure they are to your liking.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 36Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 61mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 3g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.

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healthy homemade chicken nuggets recipe

This homemade chicken nugget recipe is perfect for pleasing picky eaters and still ensuring that what you’re feeding your kids is healthy.

For more kid-friendly chicken dishes, check out our Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings recipe or our Crockpot Chicken Parmesan Pasta recipe.

Slow cooker Chicken Parm Pasta

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