Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Ground Chicken (in Oven)

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This is an easy way of how to make homemade chicken nuggets with ground chicken for toddlers. With hidden vegetables inside, it is a healthy way to make homemade nuggets in your oven to extra crispy, just like McDonalds!

Ok let’s be honest, this is likely your toddlers favorite food group. Anything shaped into a nugget is a win and they don’t flinch before digging in. If you make them yourself you can be rest assured that healthy ingredients will be integrated for their bellies. Especially if they have allergies, this is a great way to tailor it just for them.

They are easy to tweak to your liking or dietary needs, you could use ground turkey or even sausage instead. I don’t know about y’all but over the years McDonalds nuggets and other fast food joints have definitely changed. They taste a lot more processed now and aren’t my favorite at all. If you’re with me you should give this one a whirl.

Various ingredients, including eggs, carrot, oil, seasonings, flour, and ground chicken for Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Ground Chicken, arranged on a white countertop.

Ingredient Notes

As expected the main ingredient to start with would be a package of Ground chicken (or even ground turkey works). We use this to make Ground Chicken Sloppy Joes too. Keep in mind this is looser than beef and more wet but the breading will help with binding it together.

Eggs will help to gather all of the items together and bake into the shape desired. We prefer organic free range, large sizes for the richest flavor and best outcome.

Seasonings we add is garlic powder, white pepper, salt, pepper and anything else you usually add when making something like a meatloaf mixture.

How to Bread Homemade Chicken Nuggets

You are going to want to start with some Italian breadcrumbs. Those are better than Panko because they are thicker and will soak up more of the liquid in the meat, a bit of cornstarch and all purpose flour will solidify them as well.

Why won’t my breading stick?

If you coat but they feel still really lose to pick up and transfer to your baking sheet, pan or air fryer you can; bread, set on sheet pan and refrigerate for an hour to firm it up a bit more.

Substitutions and Variations

You can make these a gluten free option with the following substitutions. Of course you should ensure that the brand of meat you bought is GF, but the main ingredients that would need to be changed would be; Panko GF breadcrumbs would be best. Almond flour or your favorite GF flour is a great flour substitute. Arrowroot can be used as a thickener instead of cornstarch

How to Hide Vegetables in Chicken Nuggets

To make things faster use a food processor if you want to add shredded carrots or zucchini. Press into a few paper towels to remove moisture, then throw them all in and make it real fine at first, then you can adjust later as they get used to the flavor. Blend chicken mixture in a bowl and just incorporate together. Have baking sheet ready after you form them into nugget shapes.

This is a great way to get kids to eat vegetables. I have three girls who used to ewwwww every time I served carrots or anything else out of the ground for dinner. Once I started integrating shredded pieces into other foods though (and telling them after they said they loved it) they over time gained a love for them.

How Long to Cook Homemade Chicken Nuggets in Oven

The timing will depend on the method you choose and the texture you desire. Baked you will preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Liberally spray the nuggets with cooking spray on the tops and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Air Fryer Directions

Preheat air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes. Spray chicken with olive oil spray. When full but not overlapping cook for 8-12 minutes (depending on size) flipping pieces over halfway through. For extra crispy pieces spray with olive oil again after flipping over at minute 4. You could throw them into your Ninja Foodi and air crisp as well.

Pan Fried (option)

In a frying pan, add oil and heat over high / medium heat. Add breaded nuggets and fry for 2-3 minutes cooking time on both sides until golden brown. Place on a few paper towels to remove excess oil.

Tip: Ideally you should flip all of them over to the other side halfway through the baking time to get really crispy on the outside. Serve with chicken nugget dipping sauce options of all kind and enjoy.

FAQ

What can you use other than breadcrumbs to make homemade chicken nuggets?

Your best option is to crush crackers (Ritz or another butter cracker are best) into a sand-like texture. Then measure once crushed to use instead of breadcrumbs to make chicken nuggets with ground chicken.

What can you use other than eggs to make homemade chicken nuggets?

I have actually substituted bbq sauce instead and they turned out great, with even more flavor actually! You would use about 2 tbsp of sauce per egg to substitute.

My homemade chicken nuggets won’t stick together, how do I fix it?

The most common issue when this occurs is that it needs more binder. Add 1 tbsp more breadcrumbs or crushed crackers at a time, mix, and try to form into ovals again. If still wet, add another tbsp and try again!

Can I freeze raw homemade chicken nuggets?

Yes you can! If you love batch cooking you could easily double or triple it, lay on a sheet pan when prepared, freeze before frying until solid, then throw them into a freezer bag. Take a few out later to cook when you’re ready. You do not want to cook and then freeze or they won’t come out quite as well.

How do you cook frozen homemade chicken nuggets?

The best way to reheat is to use your air fryer and follow our air fryer frozen chicken nuggets directions. It is the best way to ensure that the breading on the outside comes out as crispy as possible with the centers cooking all the way thru.