Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: It’s hard to tell these air fryer chicken nuggets aren’t deep fried! They get so crispy, and without all the extra oil, they’re healthier, too. Homemade chicken nuggets are easy to make.
How long it takes: 22 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: air fryer, bowls, tongs
Servings: 4 but can be doubled
Air Fryer Magic
I’ve had an air fryer for quite awhile now, and I’ll be honest. At first, we just ate more French fries and tater tots (they get SO crispy!). Since then, I’ve come to use my air fryer nearly every day for everything from boiled eggs to roasted mushrooms. I’ve had lots of requests for air fryer recipes, so today I’m featuring homemade air fryer chicken nuggets.
Air fryer chicken nuggets are always a total hit with my kids. The first time my daughter tried these chicken nuggets, she was obsessed. She kept saying that they were so tender and juicy. That’s the magic of the air fryer! The air fryer also works great for breaded pork chops and, kind of surprisingly, really perfect salmon.
Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Crispy breading, but not deep fried. These chicken nuggets are breaded in the traditional way. First they get dipped in flour, then egg, and then a seasoned bread crumb mixture. I like to use whole wheat flour and whole wheat panko bread crumbs. Taste-wise, you can’t tell the difference but it makes these nuggets more satisfying and nutritious.
Perfectly seasoned. The flour is seasoned with salt and pepper so that the chicken gets seasoned properly on that first layer. The panko gets mixed with Parmesan and dried parsley for more flavor.
Fast cooking. Air fryer chicken nuggets are fully cooked in just 7 minutes! (Looking for more “quick” chicken recipes? Try pan-fried chicken bites or, even better, garlic Parmesan chicken bites!)
Cooking Tip
I use finely grated Parmesan (yes, the kind in the green can!). Shredded Parmesan tastes great, but looks a little stringy on these nuggets. The finely grated Parmesan blends in better with the breadcrumbs.
What is an air fryer?
An air fryer is a medium-sized kitchen appliance that circulates air around food (similar to a convection oven). It cooks food quickly and gives food a crispy brown outside. It also requires far less oil than many other cooking methods. Read more about the air fryer here.
Great Air Fryer
I’ve had a couple of air fryers, and this is the one I currently own. I love it! It has a great capacity and is very user-friendly.
Recipe Variations
- Serve the nuggets with a dipping sauce. Our first choice is usually my homemade Chick-fil-A sauce. Perhaps you would enjoy yum yum sauce or bang bang sauce. Other popular choices are homemade ranch, BBQ sauce (gotcha covered with a homemade bbq sauce, too!), French fry dipping sauce, ketchup, honey, hot honey, honey mustard sauce, whatever you like!
- Change the seasoning: Add an Italian twist by mixing in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon dried oregano to the breadcrumb mixture. Give them a little heat by adding ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper to the flour.
- Make them gluten-free or without breading. Use your favorite gluten-free flour and breadcrumbs for breading. You can also make the nuggets without breading. Season the chicken with a little sprinkle of salt and pepper. The cubes cook in the same amount of time without breading, as long as they are cut in roughly the same size. They’re perfect for adding to a salad. My skillet chicken bites are popular, too.
- Bake them in your oven. Try my healthy chicken nuggets with Parmesan.
- Rather have chicken strips? Try air fryer chicken tenders, basically the same process but a different size.
- Looking for a vegetarian choice? Try making falafel or Buffalo cauliflower bites in your air fryer.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #51. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list.
Perfect Side Dishes
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (more if desired)
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper (more if desired)
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs (or regular panko)
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer at 400ºF for 5 minutes.
- Dice chicken evenly into 1-inch pieces. I like to cut it into long strips, about 1-inch wide, and then make horizontal cuts, about 1-inch apart.16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Set out three small shallow bowls. In the first bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper. In the second bowl, add egg and beat lightly. In the third bowl, combine panko, Parmesan cheese, and parsley flakes¼ cup whole wheat flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, 1 large egg, ⅔ cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs, ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- One at a time, coat chicken pieces in the flour mixture, then dip into the beaten egg, and finally coat with the panko mixture, pressing lightly to help the coating adhere.
- Place chicken nuggets in basket of air fryer, in a single layer. Spray the nuggets with olive oil spray (this helps them get golden brown and crispy). You probably won't be able to cook them all at once. Cook each batch of chicken nuggets for 7 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Do not overcook.
- Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce, such as ranch, honey mustard, honey, BBQ sauce, etc. Refer to the post for more suggestions.
Notes
- Pro tip: Don’t try to cook the nuggets all at once unless you have a very large air fryer. They should be in a single layer with space in between so there will be plenty of air circulation.
- Options: Omit the parsley flakes if you’re not a fan of green in your food. You can also change up the seasoning, maybe using my all purpose seasoning (it’s like seasoned salt) or garlic salt, instead of the salt and pepper in the recipe. If you don’t have olive oil spray, you can use non-stick baking spray.
- Gluten-free/dairy free: Use your favorite gluten-free flour and breadcrumbs for breading. To make dairy-free, omit Parmesan cheese. You can also skip the breading. Season the cubed chicken as desired and air fry.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Can I make these and freeze them for later use?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work! They will of course lose some of their texture and moisture, but in theory, it should work.
Is it ok to use regular flour and panko instead of the wheat version?
Absolutely! That will work well and taste great.
Hi Rachel,
Do you have a replacement for egg? My son is allergic to egg, soy and nuts. So cooking can get a little tough sometimes!
All help appreciated!
Thanks!
Hmm, not sure. That is very tough! My kids are allergic to nuts and sesame, but ugh…egg and soy would be so difficult! You could try a little yogurt or milk, that would likely help the breading stick. I haven’t tried it though, so I can’t guarantee it will work.
You could use melted butter, it wouldn’t be the healthiest option but it would still work and be REALLY GOOD
That would be tasty!
Hey Kyla,
I defrost frozen chicken (from costco so its just one breast) and roll them in breadcrumbs (I cut them into nugget size pieces). They don’t stick great but with some force you can definitely get it to work. Once you bread the chicken bits, make sure to freeze/cool them to so it sticks even while frying/air-frying. I have made chicken nugs in the air fryer without egg or flour numerous times now and always turns out great. Hope this helps
Can these be frozen?
I haven’t tried it, but I bet you could.
So good and so easy to make!
So glad to hear you liked them! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Much easier than most other airfryer recipes
Glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Love your app, it is very interesting and informative,thank you ❤
Thanks! :)
Could you used ground chicken and make nuggets from that ?
I haven’t tested the recipe that way, but it might work! You would probably need to add some sort of binder, eggs and breadcrumbs or something to help them hold together. Let me know if you give it a try!
these recipes make me tempted to get an air fryer.
It’s a fun and handy little appliance!
looks yummy
Thank you!