I got a burn on my belly when I was pregnant thanks to these healthy baked chicken nuggets. I was making this exact recipe in a crop top when I bumped my 9 month belly into the HOT baking sheet. I still can see the scar post-birth and that’s one of the reasons why I’ll always remember making these delicious little tender bites.
Another reason I love them? Tony said they officially are his favorite chicken nuggets. He couldn’t stop raving about them. And that’s saying a lot considering he basically lived off fast food for a few years post-college.
HEALTHY CHICKEN NUGGETS FTW!
The first time I tested this recipe I was blown away by just how crispy and flavorful these baked chicken nuggets were. The seasoning is based off my paleo chicken tenders (which I LOVE) but this time I was going for a version that was a little crunchier and one that could even give Chick-Fil-A a run for its money.
The results were FANTASTIC. Seriously tender. So flavorful. Crispy. Perfectly dippable. Outrageously good. ALL THE ADJECTIVES.
The secret to crispy baked chicken nuggets in the oven
- Make sure your breadcrumbs are toasted. This is essential for making crispy baked chicken nuggets. You’ll just need to toast the breadcrumbs in the oven for 5 minutes or so before tossing them with the spices and then the chicken. This is a crucial step for getting that deliciously crispy texture on the outside that tastes even better than the fried version.
- Use a wire rack to bake your chicken nuggets. This will not only prevent sticking, but also allows the chicken nuggets to bake up nice and crispy on all sides. If you don’t have a wire rack, that’s okay, you can just flip them halfway through baking.
Ingredients in baked chicken nuggets
Not only is is this healthy baked chicken nuggets recipe quick to make, dairy free, perfectly spiced and requires minimal ingredients that you might even have in your kitchen right now! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Olive oil cooking spray
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- A bit of cayenne pepper (if you like a little heat)
- Eggs
- Almond milk
- Chicken breast
- Dipping sauces: honey mustard (try the homemade one in this recipe!), ketchup or your favorite BBQ sauce for dipping!
What to serve with baked chicken nuggets
Besides dipping sauces (which are obviously key) I love serving these baked chicken nuggets with a hearty salad or veggies, baked sweet potato fries, or maybe a scoop of homemade mac and cheese. CAN I GET A YUM?! Grab these recipes for your next weeknight dinner:
Balsamic Herb Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables
Brussels Sprouts Mac and Cheese
Spicy Cashew Thai Chickpea Broccoli Salad
Perfectly Crispy Roasted Potatoes
Roasted Sweet Potato & Arugula Salad with Turmeric Honey Mustard Yogurt Dressing
How to store & freeze homemade chicken nuggets
In the fridge: leftover chicken nuggets can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. To reheat, place the tots on a baking sheet and broil them on high for a couple of minutes until heated through and crispy on the outside.
To freeze & reheat:
- Let the chicken nuggets cool completely before transferring them to a cookie sheet.
- Freeze them on the cookie sheet to ensure that they don’t stick together, then transfer the frozen chicken nuggets to a freezer-safe bag or container and place in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
- To reheat, I’d recommend heating them in the oven so that they’re nice and crispy.
See how to make the best crispy baked chicken nuggets:
I hope you love these best ever crispy baked chicken nuggets as much as we do. If you make this recipe please leave a comment and rating to let me know how you liked it — I really appreciate it! xo
The BEST Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets
These are the BEST crispy baked chicken nuggets you'll ever make! This delicious, healthy chicken nuggets recipe takes just about 30 minutes from start to finish and uses super simple ingredients like panko breadcrumbs, chicken breast and spices. Serve with honey mustard, ketchup or your favorite BBQ sauce. Kid-friendly and adult approved!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into into 1 inch cubes
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
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Add panko breadcrumbs to a large baking sheet and spread out in an even layer. Spray breadcrumbs with nonstick olive oil cooking spray. Bake for 2 minutes, then stir breadcrumbs (or just give the pan a shake) and then bake for 2-3 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Keep heat in the oven.
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Transfer breadcrumbs to a medium bowl. Whisk in spices: salt, black pepper, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
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In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and almond milk. Set aside.
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Line the large baking sheet with an oven safe wire metal rack. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
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Dip each chicken cube into the egg mixture, then use a tong to grab each chicken nugget and toss into the breadcrumb mixture to completely coat with breadcrumbs. Use tongs to transfer to the wire rack, placing about 1 inch apart.
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Generously spray the tops of the chicken nuggets with nonstick spray. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked through and temp reaches 165 degrees F with a meat thermometer. Serves 4. Serve with BBQ sauce, honey mustard, ketchup or whatever sauce you’d like!
Recipe Notes
Feel free to use a gluten free panko breadcrumb if you can find them. Panko breadcrumbs are essential to the perfect crispy chicken nugget!
To store in the fridge: leftover chicken nuggets can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. To reheat, place the tots on a baking sheet and broil them on high for a couple of minutes until heated through and crispy on the outside.
To freeze & reheat:
- Let the chicken nuggets cool completely before transferring them to a cookie sheet.
- Freeze them on the cookie sheet to ensure that they don't stick together, then transfer the frozen chicken nuggets to a freezer-safe bag or container and place in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
- To reheat, I'd recommend heating them in the oven so that they're nice and crispy.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
66 comments
Do you think these could be made in the Vortex (air fryer)? If yes, what modifications need to be made?
Thank you
I haven’t tried these in an air fryer so I’m not 100% sure! Let me know if you try it!
Toast the breadcrumbs beforehand – makes so much sense! Can’t wait to try these.
Do you think these would freeze well after cooking them?
Thanks!
It’s a game changer! And I haven’t tried freezing them but I don’t see why not!
Amazing! I have tried many chicken nugget recipes and 2 things made all the difference: toasting the crumbs (why has no one else mentioned that before) and also using the wire rack. My two teenage boys were impressed and they thought they were better than the fried ones I’ve made in the past! We like things on the spicy side, so I used a garlic seasoning with a blackened red pepper seasoning in place of spices in the recipe. Bye Bye unhealthy fast food chicken nuggets! This is easy to make, just a few ingredients and delicious.
The toasted bread crumbs + wire rack are a game changer! So happy the boys love them too.
Made these last night and they satisfied my pregnancy cravings! They were super easy to make, I already had the ingredients at home and they only took 30 minutes. I will definitely be making these again!
So happy to hear that! Such a great, easy dinner 🙂
I made these for dinner tonight and they were awesome! My husband asked me to make a double batch next time and my 10 month old enjoyed them too! And congratulations on your little one!
Amazing! So happy to hear that. And thanks so much, Erin 🙂
This was an easy and delicious recipe! My daughter called them “gourmet chicken nuggets!” They came out crispy just as promised and looked super appetizing. Flavor was perfect. We served with a quick kale salad and it was great!
Amazing! So happy to hear that. Such a great weeknight dinner!
I made these tonight and they were amazing!!! I used to use a different recipe where instead of an egg mixture you dipped the nuggets in butter. I felt like I could never get them crispy enough and the were always a little greasy. These were perfect!! Crispy and so much flavor! My 7 year old said they tasted and smelled like Wendy’s nuggets!! These obviously were a lot more nutritious than a Wendy’s nugget. Thank you Monique for all you do to develop these amazing recipes!!!
This recipe was such a hit with my partner that he said I should always make these again instead of my usually grilled chicken breast’s. We both loved the crispy coating. It was fun and easy to make!
So awesome to hear that!!
Highly recommend! Quick and easy. Kid (and husband)-friendly.
So glad everyone enjoyed!
This was amazing! It was SO much easier and healthier than frying them in oil – and they actually came out crispier bc of the toasted panko and the wire rack. I added an Italian herb mix to the panko and the flavor was great. The picky eaters in my family ate them up. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Great idea with the Italian herb mix – yum! So glad the whole family loved these!
Kids and husband loved and came
Out super crispy, even on the wire rack probably should have flipped once halfway through to ensure both sides were as crispy.
So glad they both loved these! And yes, feel free to flip halfway through next time 🙂
So quick and easy to prep & so good!!!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
Yum! I would never have thought to toast the panko first and it made all the difference. I skimped a smidge on the spices as I was worried that my kids would think they were too flavorful, but next time I’ll go exactly by the directions. These are easy, tasty and crunchy! The leftovers are getting tossed into a Caesar salad for my teenage daughter’s lunch tomorrow.
It’s a game changer! And LOVE the idea of adding to a Caesar salad – yum!
Made these for dinner tonight and they were amazing!! I’ve never been able to make crispy chicken nuggets at home, but these turned out so crispy and good! This will definitely be a staple recipe for the family
Love it! So happy you enjoyed!
These baked chicken nuggets are the BOMB! I had my hesitations when making them because so many other baked chicken nugget/tender recipes online come out soggy. I think the trick is in toasting the breadcrumbs…extra flavor and extra crispy…GENIUS! I dont have an oven safe wire rack so I just baked them directly on the pan, flipping them halfway. They came out divine. Seriously can’t say enough about these nuggets. But, it’s Monique, after all. She never lets us down!
The toasting is key! So happy you loved them 🙂
Great chicken nuggets can’t wait until the weekend to see if my granddaughter likes them.
These chicken nuggets were delicious!! I made these last night. I did not have a wire rack so I turned them over a couple times!! I have a large family so I doubled the recipe. Needless to say they they all disappeared!!!
Perfect! So glad everyone loved them!
We made these for dinner last night and they were AMAZING! I am a huge chicken nugget fan but my husband usually is not and we both loved them! He even said they were the best chicken nuggets he had ever had and that we HAD to make them again soon. Thanks for the perfect recipe!! Easy and soooo yummy 🙂
Love that!! So delicious!
Monique! Another amazing recipe! My family of 5 loved these nuggets! My 12 year old asked when I can make them again!
So happy to hear that, Trish! Perfect dinner for the kiddos 🙂
Could you toast the breadcrumbs earlier in the day or does it need to be done right before you coat the nuggets?
You could absolutely toast them earlier if you’d like 🙂
Love these and so did my 1 year old and picky husband! Thank you!
So happy to hear that!
I recently found your site and this is the first of your recipes that I have tried. New follower! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out fantastic! The family loved these and it was pretty easy. Thanks for a great recipe!
Amazing! Welcome to Ambitious Kitchen 🙂 so happy you loved these and I hope you keep finding new recipes here to try!
I didn’t have Panko so I used my food processor to crush up salt and pepper kettle chips. Didn’t spray them with oil since they were already oily. They were delicious!!! I will be making these again 🙂
YUM love that idea!! Glad you enjoyed!
So good. Reheated the next day in our AirFryer and they were still so crispy. I will definitely make these again.
Perfect! Such a great dinner 🙂
These are really good, they’re easy to make but are still fun and taste amazing.
Glad you love them!
We made this recipe last night. So good! Toasting the bread crumbs prior to coating the chicken is fantastic and never occurred to me to try. This is the fourth recipe we have made from Ambitious Kitchen in the past few weeks, and all four were a hit with us. Going to try The Best Cinnamon Rolls and One Pan Caribbean Jerk Chicken next.
Such a game changer! I’m so glad you’re finding recipes here that you love 🙂 enjoy the cinnamon rolls and the jerk chicken (two of my favs!)
I opted to brine these in pickle juice for that Chick-fil-A vibe and they were so delicious! Came out crispy and golden brown and the flavor was great, will definitely be adding these to my regular recipe rotation!
Yum! Glad you enjoyed!
My 9 year old girl loves it and asking for more!
I didn’t add cayenne pepper and paprika but it’s oh still yummy!
Thank you Ambitious Kitchen 😊
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
Just made these tonight for dinner and they were delicious!! I wanted to eat all of it in one sitting but managed to resist so I don’t have to cook tomorrow night 🙂 This recipe was really easy to make and is definitely a keeper. Thank you!!!
So happy you loved these!!
Another winner, Monique! My family loved them! Was pleasantly surprised by how well they reheated too.
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
THIS IS LITERALLY THE BEST RECIPE I HAVE EVER TRIED!
HONESTLY, THIS RECIPE CAN REPLACE MC DONALDS NUGGETS (NOT KIDDING)
Amazing!! So happy to hear that, Naz!
Awesome nuggets. And they really do taste better fried.
So glad you loved them!
Wonderful recipe. The pre-bake on the panko bread crumbs gives it such a great crunch!! I added some additional spices I always add with chicken, came out awesome. Will be part of the regular rotation. My husband said it was his “favorite meal of quarantine.” Thank you!!
Absolutely! So happy you both loved these 🙂
Sorry , I really didn’t like these. Too much cayenne for little ones and otherwise just didn’t have much flavor. The search goes on for the best nuggets
Sorry to hear that! If you try them again feel free to leave out the cayenne and up any of the other spices.