Better than frozen chicken nuggets

Servings: 1 lb, 22 nuggets

Prep time: 15 min.

Cook time: 10 min to 25 min.

This is your sign to stop buying those frozen chicken nuggets and make this recipe to meal prep some delicious chicken nuggets with very minimum time and effort. Don't get me wrong, I am sure that there are some amazing brands out there of good quality chicken nuggets but there is nothing like knowing exactly what you are putting in the nuggets. Cost is a big one! I paid $3.56 for a tray of 1.05 lbs. of ground chicken. Plus a couple of cents of flour and other ingredients. If you are budgeting and are looking for good, cleaner and healthier options this is a great recipe. Before, I was more of a chicken tender person, but once my baby became a toddler, I realized that she enjoyed the nuggets better as they are juicer and easier for her to chew. So if you have kids or toddlers I highly encourage you to try these because you can keep them in the fridge for lunch the next day or even freeze them to re-heat for a low prep meal. With that being said, these are not only great for kids but also a great party food or an easy meal.

Options to make these delicious nuggets

You have the option of making these nuggets pan-fried, in the air fryer or oven baked. I tested the 3 methods and to keep it short and sweet, I'm jumping to my conclusion that the best ones to me are the pan fried. Yes, I know that they are not as healthy and have a bit more fat but if you use a good extra virgin olive oil, they will keep their moisture and be slightly healthier than frying them in unhealthy fats. Also something to keep in mind is that the oven baked and the air fried are also sprayed with oil to crisp.

Another thing that you can substitute is the meat. I have made these as well with a ground turkey alternative and they turn out very good as well. I personally prefer the chicken taste but the turkey ones are also a great way for your little ones to get that protein.

These nuggets will be made in the exact same way regardless of the type of ground poultry you choose and the type of method.

Before we get started, I highly recommend you to check out the mixing bowls I used for this and many other recipes. They come in a set of 6 from .5 quarts all the way to 5 quarts. 10/10 !

note: I earn a small commission with the links used to shop.

$ Budget friendly! $

As I mentioned above, my tray of 1.05 pounds of meat costed $3.56. I used the entire tray and got 22 nuggets which is a great amount of food to prep for you or the kids. My 18 month old eats two or 3 plus her sides of food so I still have 20 nuggets in my freezer to use when I am in a rush or running out of ideas on what to feed her. I looked to compare the options in my local supermarket and the organic ones are between $8-$13 for a pound to a pound and a half.

How to freeze and defrost

Once the nuggets are completely cooked, allow them to cool down completely and freeze them. I simply out them in Ziploc plastic bags laying down and you can even put parchment paper between each layer to avoid them sticking to each other. I simply put them all in a bag and freeze them. To defrost you have the following options:

Oven baked reheating:

1. Preheat the oven at 395°

2. Lay all the nuggets on a baking sheet with parchment paper

3. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for another 5-10 min. NOTE: check the nuggets around 8 minutes to see if they are ready to be flipped.

Air Fryer reheating:

1. Place the nuggets in the air fryer and reheat for 8 minutes at 350° flipping them halfway through.

Best with...

These easy nuggets are so delicious to enjoy alone with some ketchup or honey mustard. You can pair these with a variety of things. For the little ones, you can pair them with fries or sweet potatoes, steamed or roasted veggies,

For the adults, these are a great party snack with ranch, blue cheese or my favorite buffalo sauce. You can also buy Hawaiian rolls, cut them through the middle add a nugget with a slice of cheese, your favorite veggies and condiments to make some easy sliders.