{"id":7725,"date":"2025-08-26T08:57:41","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T22:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dinnertimesomewhere.com\/?p=7725"},"modified":"2025-10-23T14:46:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T03:46:49","slug":"homemade-chicken-nuggets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dinnertimesomewhere.com\/index.php\/appetizers-and-snacks-recipes\/poultry-appetizers\/homemade-chicken-nuggets\/","title":{"rendered":"Homemade Chicken Nuggets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

They\u2019re a favorite dish for kids and adults alike and are famously served in the millions at fast food chains all around the world. Yes, the hearty Chicken Nugget is an incredibly popular bite of deliciousness with its crunchy textured coating and fluffy flavored Chicken filling. However, the consistency and healthiness of fast-food Nuggets is questionable, so why not try your hand at making them yourself? Our Homemade Chicken Nuggets taste amazing, and are a much healthier option than store bought versions, making them a fantastic treat for the kids

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Jump to Recipe<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How to make Homemade Chicken Nuggets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a few different ways you can prepare Homemade Chicken Nuggets, and they really come down to two things: Are the Chicken pieces ground or whole, and what kind of coating you should use. For our recipe we\u2019re using a smooth, blitzed Chicken and coating the Nuggets in a crispy and tasty Panko Breadcrumb

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Homemade
For our Homemade Chicken Nuggets we used blitz Chicken instead of whole Chicken Pieces<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Blitzing the Chicken instead of using whole pieces<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re trying to replicate the classic Chicken Nugget that we are all familiar with from fast food restaurants. Those Chicken pieces are always ground up in a food processor instead of using whole pieces. In our opinion if you are using whole pieces of Chicken that is Popcorn Chicken, and not a Nugget

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look, we love Popcorn Chicken, it tastes amazing. In fact, we\u2019ve even got a recipe for amazing Popcorn <\/a>Chicken<\/a> here<\/a>. However, they\u2019re not Chicken Nuggets! For a true Nugget you need to use Ground Chicken

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, you can purchase Ground Chicken if you like, but I much prefer blitzing the Chicken pieces myself. Blitzing will achieve a much smoother texture that is denser than Ground Chicken, which means you\u2019ll have a meatier Chicken Nugget

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Homemade
You can use both Chicken Breast or Thighs when making our Homemade Chicken Nuggets, both will turn out great<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

You can use Chicken Breast or Thighs for this recipe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Each will produce a different texture and flavor. For a healthier option (which we opted for) we recommend using Chicken Breast. For a less healthy, but tastier option, opt for the Thighs. This is true in any Chicken dish, you\u2019ll get more flavor out of the Thighs, but they are a little fattier

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can add a load of seasoning to the Chicken Breast once it\u2019s been blitzed in the food processor. This is a great way to infuse flavor into the Chicken, so regardless of whether you use Breast or Thighs it\u2019s going to taste great

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We use a combination of Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt, and Pepper for our recipe. The flavors are great, and you can even add some of the same seasoning to the Flour breading when we coat the Homemade Chicken Nuggets right before frying

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Form the Ground Chicken Meat into Nugget shapes then coat in the breading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can shape the Nuggets however you like, but I\u2019d suggest opting for that oval-like shape that is typical of a Chicken Nugget. It\u2019s not going to change the flavor, but it\u2019s nice to have the dish resemble the familiarity of a Chicken Nugget all the same. Use about a golf-ball sized amount of Chicken and then form it into its famous rectangular shape

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Crispy
We coat our Chicken Nuggets in Panko Breadcrumbs for the ultimate in crispy coating<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Chicken meat is then coated in a classic breading of Flour (first), Egg Wash (second), and finally Panko Breadcrumbs. You\u2019ll need 3 separate bowls for each of the breading ingredients. We like to use Panko Breadcrumbs as they produce an amazingly crunchy texture. They also taste great!

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frying the Nuggets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can either shallot fry or deep fry the Nuggets for our recipe. I much prefer deep frying because it ensures an even coat through, and it\u2019ll cook faster. There\u2019s no impact to the amount of fat that ends up in the Nugget, so I much prefer deep frying

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Chicken
Serve the piping hot Nuggets with your favorite sauce such as Tomato Ketchup or Sweet and Sour Sauce<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Fill a sturdy pot with enough Oil that the Nuggets will comfortably be submerged. I like using a regular saucepan as you won\u2019t need to use as much Oil. Place it over medium high heat and bring it to 320F \u2013 350F (check using a thermometer)

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019re at the right temperature, carefully drop the Nuggets into the Oil and cook them for about 4 minutes. You don\u2019t need to stir them much as they\u2019ll cook evenly given they\u2019re completely submerged in the Oil. I\u2019d suggest batch cooking the Nuggets, so the Oil temperature doesn\u2019t drop too much when they\u2019re added to the Oil

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once cooked, remove them carefully from the oil using a spider strainer and set the Nuggets aside on a wire rack and immediately season with Salt. This will ensure the Salt sticks to them, and ensures the coating is well seasoned. They\u2019re now ready to serve with your favorite dipping sauce

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n