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About This Recipe
These baked panko chicken nuggets are a family favorite and make for the perfect protein-packed dinner any night of the week!
Seriously, what’s better than chicken nuggets? Especially homemade nuggets that are perfectly golden crisp and actually feel like they got some meat in them!!
Plus they’re made with ingredients you can feel good about. The I love to double this recipe and freeze the other half for busy weeknights. You can just pop them in the air fryer or oven like you do store bought frozen nuggets.
Even better, these nuggets go with literally everything. Classically, they’re great with simple sides like fries, sweet potato fries, roasted veggies, green beans, broccoli and carrots. But they’re great served with all kinds of summer salads too!
And don’t forget the sauces. Definitely don’t forget the sauces! Classic ketchup, mustard, ranch, BBQ sauce, chick-fil-a honey roasted BBQ sauce, or any and all the above!
Why You’ll Love These Baked Panko Chicken Nuggets
- Loved by kids and adults!
- Baked instead of fried & lower in fat than traditional nuggets.
- Real ingredients and no preservatives like from frozen.
- The perfect finger food and great for dunking in your favorite dip!
- Staple recipe to add to your list because chicken nuggets are always a good idea!
- Chicken breast – We’ll be starting out with raw chicken breast. You can also use chicken tenderloins here.
- Panko breadcrumbs – these breadcrumbs are bigger than normal Italian breadcrumbs which allows them to have more of a “crunch” and be all around crispier! You can find them next to the regular breadcrumbs at most grocery stores. Use gluten-free if needed.
- Seasonings – Grab some salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika (sweet or smoked)
- Egg
- Milk – any milk dairy or non-dairy works!
How To Make
The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through the process so you know what to expect when you’re making it!
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Add panko breadcrumbs to a large baking sheet. Spread out in an even layer and spray with cooking spray.
2. Bake for 3-4 minutes. Then, stir breadcrumbs around and bake for another 3-4 minutes or until they are golden brown.
3. Transfer breadcrumbs to a small bowl. Whisk in the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. Set aside. Whisk the egg and milk in a separate bowl and set aside.
4. Grab a cutting board and a knife and slice your raw chicken breast into cubes or pieces. Try to get them all the same size so they will cook evenly.
5. Add an oven-safe wire metal rack on top of the large baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray. Then, set the egg mixture, breadcrumbs, and baking sheet up in an assembly line. Using tongs or your fingers, dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then into the bread crumb mixture. Place the chicken onto the wire rack and repeat until all the chicken is coated.
6. Generously spray the tops of the chicken nuggets with cooking spray. Then, place them in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F. Serve with your favorite sauce! Honey mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, ranch, etc!
Store leftover baked panko chicken nuggets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
How To Reheat Chicken Nuggets
All chicken nuggets, these included, are best when reheated in the air fryer or oven!
To reheat in the air fryer: Heat air fryer to 375 degrees F. Spray air fryer basket with cooking oil and add chicken. Reheat for 3-4 minutes, tossing halfway through, or until heated through.
To reheat in the oven: Add chicken nuggets to a baking sheet. Spritz with a little cooking oil. Broil on high for a couple of minutes, until crispy on the outside and heated through.
Freezing Instructions
Allow the panko chicken nuggets to cool completely first.
Once cool, transfer nuggets to a small baking sheet or flat plate that will fit in your freezer. Freezing the nuggets separated will help keep them from sticking together.
Then once frozen you can throw them a large freezer-safe bag! Frozen chicken nuggets will stay fresh for 3-4 months.
To reheat from frozen: Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until nuggets are cooked through. For best results, bake nuggets on a wired rack placed on the baking sheet so they crisp up evenly.
If you want crispy chicken nuggets, you’ll want to use panko breadcrumbs instead of regular Italian breadcrumbs. Why? Because the texture allows for less liquid absorption, leaving the crumbs nice and crunchy when they come out of the oven.
You can still use regular breadcrumbs for these chicken nuggets, just know the texture won’t get quite as crisp but they’ll still be good!
If using regular breadcrumbs, measure using cups not weight. Many Italian bread crumbs come seasoned, so adjust salt and other seasonings as needed.
How To Get Crisp Nuggets!
- Panko! Panko breadcrumbs allow for less liquid absorption than regular Italian breadcrumbs (which is why we’re using them for this recipe!)
- Toast breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs aren’t going to crisp up nearly as much unless you toast them first. Just a few minutes in the oven before coating the nuggets makes all the difference!
- Cooking oil spray. How do we create crispy chicken nuggets with no oil in this recipe? Well technically cooking oil pray! Spray generously to evenly coat.
- Use a wire rack. This makes a huge difference in the crispiness as it allows for both sides to bake the whole time in the oven and prevents the bottom side from getting soggy. If you don’t have a wire rack, just flip the nuggets halfway through baking!
Can I use traditional breadcrumbs to make these chicken nuggets?
You can. They won’t get quite as crispy but they’ll still work fine to coat the nuggets! If using normal Italian breadcrumbs, measure using cups, not weight. Many Italian breadcrumbs come seasoned so also adjust salt to taste.
My nuggets didn’t come out crispy, what did I do wrong?
There could be a couple of culprits. First, make sure you’re using Panko breadcrumbs (not just normal breadcrumbs). Then, you’ll want to toast them BEFORE coating the chicken (they just don’t get as crispy otherwise).
Using a wire rack is also helpful so that the bottom of the chicken nuggets don’t get soggy (if you don’t have a wire rack just make sure you flip the nuggets halfway). And finally, spray generously with cooking spray!
Can I freeze these baked panko chicken nuggets?
Yes. I love making a double batch to freeze half so I have some on hand in a pinch.
To freeze, let cool completely first. Then transfer to a baking sheet (or other flat, freezer-friendly dish). We want the nuggets to stay separated to prevent them from sticking together. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. They’ll stay good for 3-4 months.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!
Baked Panko Chicken Nuggets (Freezer Friendly)
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb boneless chicken breast
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (122g)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika smoked or sweet
- 1 large egg
- 1-2 Tbsp milk dairy or nondairy
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add panko breadcrumbs to a large baking sheet. Spread into an even layer and spray carefully (not too close) with cooking spray. Bake for 3-4 minutes, stir, then bake for another 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer breadcrumbs to a small bowl. Whisk in the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and almond milk. Set aside.
- Cut chicken breast into 1-inch pieces.
- Add an oven-safe wire metal rack on top of the large baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
- Create an assembly line of the egg mixture, bread crumbs and baking sheet. Using tongs (or your fingers), dip the chicken cube into the egg mixture and then into the bread crumb mixture. Place the chicken onto the wire rack and repeat until all the chicken is coated.
- Generously spray the tops of the chicken nuggets with cooking spray then place in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Serve with your favorite sauce! Honey mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, ranch, etc!
Equipment
Notes
Store, Freeze & Reheat To store: Store leftover chicken nuggets in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Nuggets will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze. To freeze: Let cool completely first. Then transfer to a baking sheet (or other flat, freezer-friendly dish). We want the nuggets to stay separated to prevent them from sticking together. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. They’ll stay good for 3-4 months. Reheat from fridge: Place the chicken nuggets on a baking sheet and broil them on high for a couple of minutes until they’re heated through and crispy on the outside. TReheat from frozen: Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until nuggets are cooked through. For best results, bake nuggets on a wired rack placed on the baking sheet so they crisp up evenly.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
