Easy homemade air fryer chicken nuggets recipe with a golden crispy coating and tender juicy chicken inside!
Healthier, more nutritious, and much tastier than store-bought chicken nuggets, I like to serve them with crunchy air fryer sweet potato fries and homemade baked beans, for a delicious weeknight dinner the kids (and adults) love!
Homemade chicken nuggets cooked in the air fryer are super easy to make, and a great recipe for getting kids involved in the kitchen.
My youngest loves dipping the chicken pieces in flour, egg, and seasoned breadcrumbs...although the worktop (and her hands) end up in a bit of a mess afterward! You can also do this bit ahead of time, or the night before, and pop them in the fridge until you're ready to bake them in the air fryer.
👩🍳 Love chicken nuggets? Try my oven-baked cornflake chicken nuggets next!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Quick & easy air fryer chicken recipe with just 7 simple ingredients (most you'll already have in your pantry).
- Healthier than store-bought chicken nuggets with less fat and fewer calories.
- No deep frying.
- Prep-ahead of time and keep them in the fridge.
- Great for batch cooking.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Chicken - use 4 lean skinless chicken breasts and cut off any excess fat with a sharp knife. Cut each breast into bitesize chunks.
Flour - plain white flour or use wholemeal flour for added nutrition.
Egg - 1 free-range egg, beaten.
Breadcrumbs - panko breadcrumbs or fine dried breadcrumbs are best. If you have coarse breadcrumbs, pulse them to a finer crumb in your food processor.
Seasonings - sea salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Other herbs and spices could be used such as dried thyme, oregano, or even cayenne pepper (if you like things spicy).
Cooking Oil Spray - lightly spray the air fryer basket to prevent the nuggets from sticking.
🥄 Equipment
Which air fryer? I use the Ninja Foodi MAX PRO Health Grill, Flat Plate and Air Fryer with 7 customisable cooking functions including grill, flat plate, air fry, roast, bake, reheat and dehydrate! It also comes with a digital cooking probe that precisely monitors your food’s temperature as it cooks!
What is an air fryer?
Air fryers are small(ish) kitchen appliances that operate like a convection oven—except in a smaller, more concentrated space.
The air is circulated at a high temperature and evenly around the food, which makes the food cook more quickly than in a conventional oven (saving energy), and helps give foods a crispy coating without the need for lots of oil and fat.
Don't forget to check out all of my easy air fryer recipes on the blog!
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Place the flour on a wide plate, the egg in a bowl, and mix the breadcrumbs with the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika in another large bowl or plate (see picture below).
Two: Bread the chicken pieces by coating them in flour (shaking off excess), turning in the egg (use a spoon to keep your hands clean), and finally rolling in the seasoned breadcrumbs.
Three: Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil spray and place chicken nuggets in the air fryer basket, in a single layer (you may need to air fry in two batches, depending on the size of your fryer). Air fry at 200C (400F) for 8-10 minutes or until crispy and the internal temperature has reached 75C (165°F). Use a meat thermometer to check.
Four: Use tongs to place the nuggets on a wire rack if not serving immediately.
💭 Expert tips
- If you don't have an air fryer, the chicken nuggets can also be baked in a preheated oven (200C/400F) for 17-20 minutes.
- Cut the chicken breasts into equal-sized pieces to ensure they cook evenly.
- If you don't have an oil spray, place some olive oil on a paper towel and wipe it onto the bottom of the air fryer basket instead.
- Make sure the chicken nuggets are in a single layer in the basket to ensure they become crispy. Don't overcrowd them, it's much better to air fry them in two batches if necessary.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the air fryer chicken nuggets with any of the following sides;
- Air fryer chips, French fries, or mashed potatoes
- Carrot fries
- Jacket potatoes
- Baked beans, peas, or sweetcorn
- Bacon mac and cheese
- In wraps with salad
- With your favourite dipping sauce such as ketchup, ranch, honey mustard, or BBQ sauce
📖 Variations
- Add grated Parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs for cheesy chicken nuggets.
- Use different herbs and spices such as dried thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, or chili powder.
- Make a double batch if you're serving a crowd.
- Make them gluten-free by using gluten-free flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs.
🥡 Storage
Store: Place leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
Reheat: In an air fryer or hot oven for 2-3 minutes.
Freeze: Allow the nuggets to cool, then freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge, then reheat in the air fryer or oven for 5 minutes, or until heated through.
❓ Frequently asked questions
As long as the chicken nuggets are in a single layer in the air fryer basket and not overcrowded, it is not usually necessary to flip them halfway through cooking.
Ensure the air fryer is at the correct temperature and the nuggets are in a single layer in the air fryer basket and not overlapping.
Yes, you can air fry frozen chicken nuggets at 200C/400F for 10-12 minutes. You can also air fry frozen veggie Quorn nuggets, but these should only take around 8 minutes to cook.
😋 More air fryer recipes
- Air fryer chicken fajitas
- Air fryer baked camembert
- Air fryer sausages
- Air fryer whole chicken
- Air fryer breakfast frittata
- Air fryer sausage rolls
- Air fryer mac and cheese
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Recipe
Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size chunks
- 75 g Plain Flour
- 1 Egg beaten
- 175 g Panko Breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
Instructions
- Spray the air fryer basket with a cooking oil spray then preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400F).
- Place the flour on a wide plate, the beaten egg in a bowl, and mix the breadcrumbs with the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika in another large bowl or plate75 g Plain Flour, 1 Egg, 175 g Panko Breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper, ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- Bread the chicken pieces by coating them first in flour (shaking off excess), turning in the egg (use a spoon to keep your hands clean), and finally rolling in the seasoned breadcrumbs.4 Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Place the chicken nuggets in the air fryer basket, in a single layer (you may need to air fry in two batches, depending on the size of your fryer). Air fry at 200C (400F) for 8-10 minutes or until crispy and the internal temperature has reached 75C (165°F). Use a meat thermometer to check.
- Use tongs to place the nuggets on a wire rack if not serving immediately.
Notes
- If you don't have an air fryer, the chicken nuggets can also be baked in a preheated oven (200C/400F) for 17-20 minutes.
- Cut the chicken breasts into equal-sized pieces to ensure they cook evenly.
- If you don't have an oil spray, place some olive oil on a paper towel and wipe it onto the bottom of the air fryer basket instead.
- Make sure the chicken nuggets are in a single layer in the basket to ensure they become crispy. Don't overcrowd them, it's much better to air fry them in two batches if necessary.
- Add grated Parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs for cheesy chicken nuggets.
- Use different herbs and spices such as dried thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, or chili powder.
- Make a double batch if you're serving a crowd.
- Make them gluten-free by using gluten-free flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Janessa
Love how crispy these turned out! Next time I'm going to give adding some parmesan to the coating a try.
Gina Abernathy
Love these homemade chicken nuggets. So much better than take out!
Stephanie
My granddaughter loved these with lots of ketchup! So much healthier for her than the fast food option. (Now if I could just get her to cut down on the ketchup a little...lol)
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
Such a great way to make a healthy version of nuggets. Thanks for this idea!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
Easy and delicious, this one is a keeper. I know I’m going to make it over and over again!
Tara
Oh wow! These chicken nuggets look so good. I just got an air fryer for Christmas. Definitely need to try this.