Baked Chicken Nuggets

What is it about chicken nuggets that draw a kid’s interest? If you are at one of the many popular fast food restaurants (bleh) it could be the promise of a small toy; or maybe it’s the environment or colorful packaging.

Children may say it’s because they like the flavor, and maybe they do. But the mom in me thinks fast food chicken nuggets are highly overrated, and cringes at where they fall nutritionally. Even if you buy frozen chicken nuggets at the grocery store, you will often see more added fat, sodium, and other not-so-healthy additives than if you made them at home.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Why not try your hand at making these baked chicken nuggets in your own kitchen? It’s not hard. You end up with tasty chicken nuggets made from unprocessed chicken (not ground) and coated with a crunchy, seasoned panko breading. You control the added ingredients, and kids love them – adults too. What’s not to like about this?

Furthermore, you can prep the ingredients ahead of time, making the final preparation time faster and more convenient. Just buy fresh chicken tenderloins, cut them into bite-sized pieces, and freeze in the amounts you need for a meal. The breading and spices can be mixed ahead of time as well and sealed in sandwich bags. When you are ready to make chicken nuggets, just thaw the already-cut chicken pieces and use a bag of the prepared breading. Easy as pie . . . actually, easier than pie . . . and faster . . . and healthier . . . and tastier. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Bite-sized pieces of tasty chicken are baked in a crispy, seasoned breading for a delicious, kid-friendly entrée.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken
Servings: 4
Author: Marie

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 3/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. Panko bread crumbs
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. ground sage
  • 1/4 tsp. parsley
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. reduced sodium soy sauce

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 375° F. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick pan spray.
  • Cut chicken tenderloins into bite-sized chunks (1-2 inches), keeping the pieces all similar in size.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the Panko bread crumbs, garlic powder, Kosher salt, pepper, sage, and parsley.
  • Beat the egg with the soy sauce in a separate bowl.
  • Prepare nuggets by dipping each unbreaded nugget into the egg/soy sauce mixture and the roll in the prepared breading till the nugget is evenly coated.
  • Place nuggets onto the foil-lined baking sheet.
  • Bake at 375° F for 30-35 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
  • Remove from oven and serve immediately.

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77 Comments

  1. These are my favorite type of chicken nuggets to make at home. I have a similar recipe I use, but I will try yours out next go-around! I love how crispy panko gets. So, delicious. Thank you for sharing!

    1. I like the crunch that the panko breading adds too. Making them at home is so versatile. You can season them however you like. Thanks for stopping by!

  2. Such a great recipe, Marie. And I agree, both kids and adults alike would love this. I like the idea of freezing them, too. Thanks for a healthy, fun dish!

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  4. Ooh, will have to try this the next time I get a hankering for chicken fingers! I don’t know why “nuggets” gross me out but “chicken fingers” are delicious, lol! Thanks for posting.

    1. I think you could make the chicken pieces a little larger and just bake a little longer if you want “chicken fingers”. Thanks for visiting!

  5. It is so nice to find a healthy Chicken Nugget recipe as it is all my son want’s to eat and I hate buying them at places like McDonald’s as we all know they are not good for us or our children. Plus the ones made in the store are not as healthy as they should be. But with this recipe I know my son will be eating healthy and I can even make them for him to take to lunch at school. So thank you for sharing them with us.

    1. That’s a great idea, Glenda, to make them ahead and send them to school with your son! Thanks for visiting. 🙂

  6. I love chicken nuggets but refuse to go to fast food restaurants. I make almost all our food at home from scratch now. I will definitely give this a try. We don’t have any little ones around but that doesn’t mean we won’t enjoy them ourselves 😀

  7. These look MUCH better than the junk that passes for “chicken nuggets” at McDonalds or similar fast food joints. They look perfectly crisp and appetizing, without any fat oozing off of it. It’s great! I am trying to get my father (who had a heart attack last year) to eat healthier, since he’s quite fond of comfort food. I’ll have to share this recipe with him. Thank you!

    1. Thanks for sharing with your father. It’s a step in the right direction. I used to tell my cardiac rehab clients to take it one step at a time and make it a lifestyle change. Hope he’s doing well!

  8. My “kids” are now 15 – 21 and they’d still love these! I used to make Shake-n-Bake (all too) frequently 🙂 and stopped because I much prefer cleaner recipes. Not only is your recipe cleaner but it will be so much more flavorful. Thanks so much!

  9. I love this idea. I can’t stand the nuggets in the store and this one is baked and looks super crispy. I think this would turn my anti-nugget sister into a believer.

    1. Lori – Try making them for your sister and let me know how she likes them. It’s so much better than store-bought or restaurant nuggets. Thanks for stopping!

  10. Thanks! Copied the recipe and pinned it too. Will be giving this a try soon. Trix may be for kids but chicken nuggets are for everyone! Yum!

    1. Katrina – Yes! Chicken nuggets can be enjoyed by anyone when you make them at home. Thanks for visiting and pinning it!

  11. I don’t have kids, but I do have a young nephew who loves chicken nuggets. I should pass on this recipe to his parents, since we are all trying to eat healthier choices. Thanks for the recipe.

  12. Your chicken nuggets look better than any I have ever seen. I have a Panko breaded chicken recipe that I make often but it has ever occurred to me to cut the chicken up and try the same recipe for nuggets. This is one of those “why didn’t I think of that moments”. That’s why I love blogs. Great ideas from a lot of people.
    Debra
    NCborn.com

    1. Debra – I agree with you so much. I learn a lot from other people/blogs and often have that same “aha” moment of “why didn’t I think of that.” You’re not alone. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoy them!

  13. I’m going to have to try your recipe. I make my own but I use ground chicken (they will do it at my local grocery store) and coconut flakes in the outside crunchy part. So awesome! You are right! Making your own is not as easy as throwing some frozen ones on a sheet but they are so much better and not difficult. My daughter will eat way more of the ones I make than the frozen ones.

  14. OH MY!! These look so good. I would of course have to try it with tofu. I no longer can eat meat, but I bet it would be good. My husband, every now and then, craves chicken nuggets. lol. I will have to try this recipe the next time. Thank you so much!

    1. You’ll have to let me know how it works with tofu. I would never have thought of doing that but it sounds good too. Thanks for stopping!

  15. Amazing how easy and how much healthier it is to make your own “fast food” is, isn’t it? I would also use this for a baked fish stick too – I think that would be quite tasty!

  16. I love homemade chicken nuggets. These look amazing. I wish I could reach right through the screen for a few. Is it dinnertime yet?

  17. Thank you for the recipe. They look delicious and I will definitely give them a try. I cannot stand what you are forced to get at a fast-food restaurant!

  18. Wow, seriously, if I knew how easy these were to make I would have done so a long time ago! Can’t wait to try them, pinning 🙂

  19. It’s actually really scary what chicken nuggets are made of. This isn’t hard to make why aren’t more restaurants making this? 😛

    1. I know what you mean! It’s not hard and I wish more restaurants would make them from scratch as it’s much healthier.

  20. This really sounds simple! (and healthy and yummy). I’ve always been afraid to make my own. Thanks for this recipe!

    1. Debbie, no need to be afraid of making your own. They’re not difficult at all and I’m sure you can do it! Enjoy!

  21. I LOVE chicken nuggets and my mom used to bake them like this when I was a kid — great reminder and they look delicious! 🙂

  22. Thanks for the recipe, I have two little chicken nugget eating kids at home and I am always looking for healthier options for them. They look delicious, we will have to try the recipe this weekend.

  23. My granddaughter loves chicken nuggets. For the longest time, that was the only meat she would eat. At 6, she still doesn’t eat a lot of meat but loves her chicken nuggets! I’ll have to make these for her when she comes over next week.

    1. Karen, I’m glad your granddaughter likes chicken and I hope she enjoys these nuggets. Let me know how they turn out!

  24. Hi Marie,

    Everyone all the way up to our dog (probably even our turtle) is a chicken nugget lover in the house! I cannot wait to try these personally. One of my children is allergic to gluten, so we have made chicken nuggets before using shredded up chex, natural potato chips, and Italian seasoning.

    Thanks for the article!

    Alexander

  25. These look great and I WILL make them. My kids will love them and they look quick and easy, always a plus

  26. My toddler just adores nuggets, though I would be more likely to eat them if I made my own. Yours look delicious! Love the idea of using Panko for the added crunch outside. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

  27. Yum! My kids would love these and they seem really easy to make! Thanks for the recipe! I’ll be adding these to my rotation!

  28. Looks delicious. I’ve noticed lately that fast food restaurants have over the daily allotted amount of sodium in one kids meal. It’s awesome that this is relatively low sodium and way better than the processed meat used in fast food nuggets. Thanks for posting!

    1. You’re right, fast food does have a lot of sodium in the typical fast food meal. That’s just one reason I like making these at home, but I think they taste better too. Thanks for stopping by!

  29. My kids would love these as they are chicken nugget-aholics…I’ve never tried to use panko before, so it’ll be a first for me!

  30. These look yummy! Definitely putting these on my must make list, I’m all about simple ingredient recipes.

  31. Before my youngest was born, my oldest would refer to my bump as ‘nugget’. I think my youngest took it a bit too literally as his favorite food in all the world is chicken nuggets. I love your take on the recipe, oven baked is so much better. I use cornflakes or Rice Krispies for my coating, mixed with a little paprika, as getting good quality breadcrumbs can sometimes be difficult to find in Kuwait. Thanks for sharing.

  32. I have been wanting to make homemade chicken nuggets for a long time and just haven’t gotten around to it. I am pinning this recipe to try later!

  33. I love chicken nuggets and so do my grandchildren. I am definitely going to bookmark this recipe as I am always looking for healthy foods for them. Thank you.

  34. Yummy! Maybe these will b lunch today. I make a similar baked chicken strip recipe, but first dip in flour, which adds extra crispiness and I also add lots of paprika and replace the soya sauce with mayo (but I would like to try the soya sauce version).

  35. Just a question because i have heard of Panko bread crumbs but have never used them: Is it possible to get whole wheat or whole grain panko?

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