Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets (Crispy and Flavorful)

This Air Fryer chicken nuggets recipe will become your family's new favorite last-minute meal or a party appetizer! These healthy alternatives to store-bought chicken nuggets are made with real ingredients and aren't deep fried! They are crispy on the outside, tender, moist, and juicy on the inside. Absolutely tasty, and not greasy!

Today, I want to share another delicious chicken recipe to make for lunch or dinner tonight! This Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets recipe is so satisfying, the ultimate comfort food without the guilt.

This air fried chicken nuggets recipe is definitely the easiest and healthiest way to make homemade chicken nuggets from scratch! It saves time, money, and it saves fat and calories.

Also, check out this delicious AIR FRYER CHICKEN THIGHS recipe!

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love Air Fryer This Chicken Nuggets Recipe
• The Ingredients:
• How Does an Air Fryer Work:
• How to Make Chicken Nuggets in an Air Fryer:
• CHECK OUT MORE DELICIOUS CHICKEN RECIPES:
• So here's how to cook chicken nuggets in an air-fryer:
• How to Freeze Chicken Nuggets:
• How to Air Fry Frozen Chicken Nuggets:
• Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

Why You'll Love Air Fryer This Chicken Nuggets Recipe

• Quick and easy. It only takes about 8 minutes to cook the nuggets!
• Lower in fat and calories. This healthy crispy chicken nuggets recipe involves coating the cubed white meat with breadcrumbs and air "frying" using a mist of cooking spray instead of frying in lots of oil.

• Healthier and tastier than frozen and fast-food varieties. No Preservatives, No Additives, and No Artificial Ingredients added.

Now, let's talk about the ingredients and cooking process!

The Ingredients:

To make these chicken nuggets at home, you will need the following ingredients:

• Chicken breast
• Panko breadcrumbs for lighter and crunchier tasting fried (oven-fried) food. You can certainly substitute regular or seasoned breadcrumbs for Panko. However, I highly recommend using Panko to give the best crispy breading result.

• Eggs
• Milk - or use plain water
• Kosher salt. I put about a tablespoon of salt into the breading mixture. It sounds like a lot but considering you shake off the excess flour, the end result is not salty.

• All-purpose flour
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Ground paprika
• Black pepper
• Parmesan cheese

How Does an Air Fryer Work:

An air fryer is a small, turbo-powered convection oven that cooks the food by blowing hot air around it.

And, by most measures, air frying is healthier than frying in oil. It cuts calories by 70% to 80% and has a lot less fat. You can learn more about it here.

How to Make Chicken Nuggets in an Air Fryer:

The preparation and cooking process is pretty simple. Here are some important steps to prepare the chicken breast for perfect crispy chicken nuggets:

• First, you need to remove the extra fat and bones (if any) from the chicken breast then cut into nugget-size pieces.

• Second, prepare the breading mix. You will need 3 medium-sized bowls. In a first bowl, mix the flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper. In a second bowl, combine the eggs with milk. In a third bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese.

• Third, dredge the chicken in flour until is completely coated on all sides. Shake off excess flour. 

• Next, dip the chicken in the egg wash

• After that, lay the chicken nuggets in the panko bread crumbs, turn it over and press it into the breading to coat.

To air-fry the chicken nuggets, you need to work in multiple batches. Don't worry these nuggets cook quickly, you don't have to wait long to finish the second batch. while you're waiting, you can make this popular honey mustard dressing.

CHECK OUT MORE DELICIOUS CHICKEN RECIPES:

• HEALTHY BAKED CHICKEN TENDERS
• OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN BREAST
• CRISPY GRILLED CHICKEN WINGS
• GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST
• COQ AU VIN (FRENCH CHICKEN IN WINE SAUCE)
• CHINESE ROASTED CHICKEN WITH A 3-INGREDIENT SPICE RUB)
• HARISSA CHICKEN RECIPE – OVEN ROASTED!
• CREAMY CHICKEN MARSALA
• SLOW COOKER CREAMY CHICKEN WILD RICE SOUP
• GENERAL TSO’S CHICKEN (SWEET AND SAVORY DEEP-FRIED CHICKEN)
• CHICKEN IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE
• MEDITERRANEAN ROAST CHICKEN WITH VEGGIES
• THAI BASIL CHICKEN (PAD KRAPOW GAI)
• PANKO BREADED CHICKEN KATSU

So here's how to cook chicken nuggets in an air-fryer:

• First, preheat the air fryer for a few minutes (or follow the instructions and safety precautions in the product manual) and set the temperature to 400°F. In this recipe, I used the Ninja Foodi Digital Fry, Convection Oven, Toaster, Air Fryer, Flip-Away for Storage, with XL Capacity, and a Stainless Steel Finish

• After that, place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased air fryer basket in a single layer then lightly spray the nuggets with cooking spray.

• Next, cook for about 3-4 minutes then flip the nuggets and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Do not overcook it!

How to Freeze Chicken Nuggets:

These breaded chicken nuggets freeze well. Here's how to store the cooked chicken nuggets in the freezer:

• First, you need to cool them completely. For safety reasons, do not let the cooked chicken sit at room temperature for longer than two hours.
• Second, place the cooked chicken nuggets in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag.
• Third, store in the freezer. If properly stored, these nuggets will maintain the best quality for up to 3 months.

How to Air Fry Frozen Chicken Nuggets:

• Remove the nuggets from the freezer. Do not thaw!
• Next, once you’re ready to reheat, simply cook air fried chicken nuggets in the preheated air fryer for the recommended time based on your air fryer brand/user manual (they do differ). Flipping halfway through.

Well, I hope you will enjoy this recipe! If you try it, don’t forget to rate and leave a review on the recipe card/comment box below.