I don’t know about you, but with three kids, two dogs, a hard working husbands schedule, hockey practice, Bible studies, and more – some nights mama needs a super simple and quick recipe. Enter the best homemade chicken nuggets.
These babies are packed with protein, only a few ingredients, and are my kids and husbands favorite.
Now, you might be thinking, “Nicole, I don’t have time to make chicken nuggets homemade when I can easily buy them from Costco.”
Girl, I feel ya. I won’t lie – we keep a bag (or two) of the Kirkland chicken nuggets in our freezer at all times. These are my absolute favorite for an easy weekday lunch for the kids and are my go-to when we have play dates with 20+ kids!
But, let me be honest with you. If this wasn’t super simple, I wouldn’t be sharing. If I can do it – so can you! At least give it a try. These will for sure be your new favorite.
The Search for the Best Recipe
I first found a rendition of this recipe from a blog post I can no longer locate. I was teaching a cooking class at a homeschool co-op a couple years ago and was desperately searching for a simple chicken nugget recipe suitable for 2nd – 3rd graders to recreate.
Most recipes had tons of spices, a complicated breading routine, and wanted me to deep fry. None of that was going to happen.
When I stumbled across this specific recipe, I knew we had a winner. This was the kids’ favorite thing they made all year! It was so good I tried it out at home for my own kids. They loved it just as much.
The best part is that it’s easy enough to let my own kids help with dinner. They feel empowered and I don’t lose much sanity or need to micro manage because it is THAT SIMPLE! (My kids are currently 7, 5, 3 for reference.)
Few Ingredients. Big Flavor
For authenticity’s sake, let me share that I had wanted to try to make my own homemade nuggets for awhile. Back in 2019, my daughter experienced a health scare that scared me into rethinking what we consumed daily – from vitamins and supplements to food and household products.
Once the veil of toxicity was lifted and I realized how much garbage is in everything we consume, I started to – little by little – make healthier and intentional swaps.
But chicken nuggets are like a staple for toddlers so I was weary – physically and mentally – to try something new.
I love that this recipe is so simple in ingredients. Other than the chicken itself, salt, spices, egg and breadcrumbs are all you need!
So, lets get to the recipe!
Ingredients
- 1-2 lb Chicken Tenders (or Chicken Breasts to cut into nuggets)
- 2 Tbsp. EVOO
- 1 Tbsp. Salt
- 2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
- 2 Tbsp. Paprika
- 1/2 C. Flour
- 3-4 Eggs
- 1 Tbsp. Milk or Half & Half or Heavy Cream
- 1 C. Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 C. Italian Breadcrumbs
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Place chicken tenders (or cubed nugs) in a ziplock bag.
- Add in EVOO, salt, garlic powder, and paprika then give it a good shake to coat the chicken.
- Add in flour and shake that baby up until it’s nice and coated.
- In a small bowl add eggs and milk and whisk together.
- In a medium bowl add breadcrumbs.
- Open ziplock and (with a fork) take out one piece of chicken at a time and dip completely in egg wash, then coat in breadcrumbs.
- Place a cooling rack over a cookie sheet (I always put a piece of parchment on the cookie sheet (under the cooling rack)!
- Place each chicken on the rack (I usually have to do two batches).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until internal temp reads 165°F!
- I can usually tell they’re done because they’re a nice golden brown!
Enjoy + Share
These taste great cut up in a salad, served next to fries, or in a wrap!
Let me know if you try this and how you like it!
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Thanks for being here, friend!
