Cooking chicken nuggets in air fryer is super easy and convenient. In fact, I have formulated my own recipe to cook chicken nuggets from scratch. So, this is not the recipe that teaches you how to cook frozen chicken nuggets: rather, I will tell you how you can make your own chicken nuggets using raw chicken and spices.
The best part about this recipe is that it does not take too much of your time. In fact, the preparation as well as cooking time takes about twenty-five to thirty minutes at maximum! For further details, I suggest you keep reading down below.
Chicken Nuggets In Air Fryer
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Cutting board
- Large tray/plate
- 2 Small bowls
- 1 Flat dish
Ingredients
- 2/3 lb boneless and skinless chicken piece
- 3/4 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp vegetable cooking oil/ olive oil
Instructions
- First of all, you need to prepare your chicken breast piece and cut it into shapes of nuggets. You might not get the perfect shapes but you can try at least.Put the chicken piece on the kitchen cutting board and cut it into ¾-inch flat pieces. You should get about twenty to twenty-four nuggets from a ⅔ lb boneless chicken piece.
- Now, place the chicken pieces lying flat on a large tray or a plate and sprinkle some salt over them. Make sure that you hold the salt between your fingers and sprinkle it from a distance so that it lands evenly over the chicken. Repeat this process after flipping the chicken pieces on the other side as well.
- Now, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour over the chicken pieces as well. Toss the chicken pieces well so that they evenly get coated with the flour.
- It is time to prepare your seasoning! Take a small bowl and add ½ tablespoon salt, 1 cup plain bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, and ½ tablespoon smoked paprika into it. Mix the contents well.When the spices are mixed up well with the bread crumbs, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable cooking oil/ olive oil into the mix. Mix the contents well so that the oil is evenly coating the bread crumbs. In the meantime, take another small bowl and add ½ cup buttermilk into it.
- Now, it is time to start coating chicken pieces with the breadcrumbs. Take one chicken piece and dip it fully in the buttermilk.Then transfer the wet chicken piece into the bowl containing bread crumbs. Let the chicken piece lie flat on top of the breadcrumbs and press gently so that the crumbs stick to the piece.Then, flip the chicken piece on the other side so that the crumbs can stick to both sides of the chicken. Set the chicken nugget aside on a plate or a flat dish and repeat this process for the remaining chicken pieces as well.
- In the meantime, set the air fryer to preheat at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. After that, simply take out the air fryer basket and carefully place the chicken nuggets into it with a little distance between each nugget. The nuggets should be placed in a single layer so that they would get evenly cooked.
- Let the nuggets cook for about four minutes and then take out the basket to flip the sides of the nuggets. Replace the basket with the air fryer and let the nuggets cook for another four minutes.
- At the end, take out the air fryer basket and let it sit for four to five minutes in order to allow it to cool down. Then, transfer the nuggets into a platter and serve with your favorite sauce.
Nutrition Value
Speaking about the nutritional value of the air-fried chicken nuggets, they are comparatively healthier options than the deep-fried ones. A single serving of these chicken nuggets has about 211 calories, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of proteins, 9 grams of fats, 667 mg of sodium, and 1 gram of fiber.
FAQs
How long does it take to cook chicken nuggets in an air fryer at home?
It takes about twenty-five to thirty minutes at maximum if you are preparing nuggets from scratch. However, if you are using frozen nuggets in an air fryer then that would only take eight to ten minutes. So, it means that within only a few minutes you will have your delicious snack ready for munching!
What utensils do I need to cook chicken nuggets at home?
You only need a handful of equipment for cooking chicken nuggets at home. These equipment/tools include an air fryer, cutting board, large tray/plate, 2 small bowls, and 1 flat dish.
So, it is safe to say that air-fried chicken is super easy and quick to prepare. You don’t even need any specialized equipment for it other than an air fryer and a few kitchen essentials. In addition to that, you also need only a handful of ingredients which you can easily find in your kitchen.
The above recipe taught you to make chicken nuggets from scratch, however, you may also choose to cook partially cooked frozen chicken nuggets as well. However, if you have some time on your hands and want to do something creative with your time then I would definitely recommend you to try out the above recipe at home!
