Contrary to popular belief, chicken nuggets and boneless chicken wings are not the same thing. Boneless wings are made by breading chunks of whole chicken meat, while nuggets are made by forming ground chicken into bite sized portions that are lightly coated and baked or fried until crispy.
This is why chicken nuggets have a different texture that their whole chicken counterparts.
Unfortunately, many chicken nuggets that you grab at the drive-thru or find in the freezer section of the grocery store have way more than just chicken in them and most of the added ingredients are not healthy ones.
These chicken nuggets are made using whole chicken breasts, eggs, cheddar cheese and a few simple seasonings, which make them healthy, inexpensive and easy to make right in your own kitchen.
Let’s get started…
To make about 2 dozen nuggets, you will need 2 large or 3 small cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2 eggs, 1 cup of shredded cheddar, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
For the light breading, combine 1/3 cup of grated parmesan with 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs or almond flour, if you want to keep them gluten-free. I also add some seasoning to this breading, like additional garlic and onion powder, a little more salt and black pepper and maybe a little paprika or seasoned salt. Whatever you want your breading to taste like, toss it in!
While your chicken breasts are still warm, chop them into large chunks and add them into a food processor along with 2 eggs, 1 cup of shredded cheddar, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Blend until all of the chicken has been finely ground and the other ingredients are evenly distributed.
Use a dough scoop to grab equal portions of the ground chicken mixture and form them into little nuggets.
Place the nugget into your parmesan breading and turn it over a few times to that all sides have been lightly coated. Transfer the coated nugget onto a parchment lined baking sheet and continue until all of the nuggets have been formed and coated.
Once all of the nuggets have been formed, either spray them with a good quality olive oil based cooking spray or brush them with melted butter. Bake the nuggets in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Transfer the baking sheet onto a cutting board and flip all of the nuggets. Spray or brush the other side and return them to the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until the nuggets are golden brown and crunchy.
Transfer the nuggets onto a platter with your favorite sauces (I love honey mustard and parmesan peppercorn).
These chicken nuggets have great flavor and are exactly what you would expect texture wise. They have a light, but crunchy coating that really soaks up your favorite dip or dressing perfectly.
If you are looking for a simple, healthy chicken nugget recipe with no chemicals or additives then you should definitely give these crunchy little snacks a try!
Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 3 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup of cheddar, shredded
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- a pinch of black pepper
- 1/3 cup of parmesan, grated
- 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs or almond flour
- olive oil spray or melted butter (for brushing)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Roast or pan sear 3 small boneless skinless chicken breasts until cooked through
- While still warm, slice the chicken into chunks and transfer into a food processor
- Blend until all of the chicken is in small pieces and transfer into a large bowl
- Add 2 whisked eggs, 1 cup of shredded cheddar, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix until everything is evenly distributed
- In a shallow bowl, combine 1/3 cup of grated parmesan and 1/3 cup of almond flour or breadcrumbs
- Form the chicken mixture into nuggets and coat each nugget in the parmesan mixture
- Set the nuggets on a parchment lined baking sheet
- Once all of the nuggets are formed, bake the nuggets for about 10 minutes
- Flip the nuggets and spray with non-stick spray or brush with melted butter and return to a 375 degree oven for another 8-10 minutes or until the nuggets are crisp on both sides
- Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce
