Homemade Chicken Nuggets Recipe

There is no question that all humans younger than 10 years old seem to love chicken nuggets, French fries, macaroni & cheese and hot dogs. How does that happen? Even if you don’t venture out to fast food restaurants, chances are your kids are going to taste one of those four things at a picnic, reunion or friend’s house. Then they are hooked. By why the despair? Making the homemade version of these foods is both easy AND affordable. Today, I’m going to show you a quick and simple recipe for making homemade chicken nuggets.

These guys are really good…and good for you! I obtained the recipe from “The Daily Record,” a newspaper serving Wayne and Holmes counties. I have no idea how old the article is – maybe 20 years?  It was found in my grandmother’s collection and I was immediately attracted to its simplicity and wholesome character. There is not one ingredient that you can’t pronounce, they are baked instead of fried and they can even be made dairy free! Crispy, crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. Dipped in a little ketchup or homemade barbecue sauce and your kids will love them…YOU will love them!

Come on in to my kitchen!

Here are the ingredients… all-purpose flour, onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper, milk (I’m substituting almond mild to make it dairy free), 1 lb thawed boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenders, panko bread crumbs and cooking spray. If you want your nuggets to take on the infamous brown hue from the fried version, you’ll want to use whole wheat panko. I only had regular panko on hand, so my nuggets will look more white than brown. They will taste the same, but this warning is for those visually picky children 😉

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Next, cut up your chicken into 1 ½ inch pieces. I didn’t have quite a full pound, but when served with other sides for dinner, it was plenty!

In a medium bowl, whisk together ¼ cup flour, 1 tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp. garlic powder, ¼ tsp. sea salt, and ¼ tsp. black pepper. This recipe is really flexible. If you’d like more spice or color in your nuggets, simply add things here like dried parsley, dried mustard or even cayenne pepper if your family likes heat!

Set yourself up an assembly line. Bowl one has the flour/spice mixture, bowl two has ¼ cup milk and bowl three has ½ cup panko bread crumbs.

Start by tossing the chicken in the flour/spice mixture, followed by the milk and lastly, rolling them into the bread crumbs. Lay them evenly on the papered baking sheet.

Spray the nuggets with a thin coating of cooking spray. Olive oil spray works best because it won’t turn brown on the parchment, but if you only have canola or vegetable spray, that is fine!

Bake in your preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. They will be moist on the inside, but crunchy on the outside.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and a nice salad or some seasoned potatoes on the side. You have a complete meal and it was put together in 30 minutes!

Enjoy!

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Meredith is a pastor’s wife and stay-at-home mom living in NW Ohio. She loves to adapt recipes to her family’s eclectic tastes and is learning to provide nourishment for any bellies who walk through the door at a moment’s notice. If not in the kitchen, you’ll find Meredith in front of her sewing machine or spending quality time with her home and church families. Life goes by so fast!