Today we are making healthy homemade chicken nuggets! Who doesn’t love some chicken nuggets? Now, who doesn’t love the seeds oils and other additives in the frozen chicken nuggets you find at the store? Well then have I got a solution for you. These nuggets are delicious, moist (are you cringing?) and a great way to use up chicken breast you just keep forgetting to marinade.
Awhile back I decided I was cheap. Not cheap as in I’ll buy the value pack of chicken breast on my weekly grocery run. Cheap as in I want the good stuff, but I don’t want to pay top dollar, so I make it myself. Okay maybe cheap is the wrong word. Maybe frugal, but frugal doesn’t feel right either since I am willing to spend extra on things I deem worthy. Whatever the word, I don’t like spending a lot of money buying food that nourishes my family. So, I tend to make a lot of stuff from scratch around here, and that’s what we’re doing today! I cut up a whole chicken I got at a local farm (in bulk so it was a little more cost effective) and mixed some spices with some bread that would have gone to waste and voila!
So, without further ado, here is a recipe for something that I love having in the freezer for days when I just need to get lunch, or sometimes even dinner, on the table.
Ingredients for Homemade Chicken Nuggets
- 1 lb chicken breast – I ground my chicken this round, but I think I do prefer it sliced into 1 inch chunks and this recipe uses that method
- 1 cup of bread crumbs or crumbled biscuits
- 1 & 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika, but smoked actually adds flavor)
- 1/2 tsp pepper
The first time I made this recipe I didn’t have any dry sourdough bread or bread crumbs laying around, but I did have day old buttermilk biscuits. Let me tell you, those chicken nuggets were the best chicken nuggets I have ever eaten. I have been chasing that flavor ever since. Okay, I just need to make some dang biscuits.
I always use dried herbs in my recipe since we’re gonna be freezing them, but I’m sure fresh herbs would pack more flavor. I’ll try it sometime and report back!
Using ground chicken proved to be a pain in the butt, but I thought the heart shaped nuggets would be more aesthetically pleasing than the chunks of meet pictured above. I remembered a lesson I can never seem to remember in the kitchen – don’t mess with perfection!
So, how do you make Homemade Chicken Nuggets?
- Slice chicken into one inch chunks, about half an inch thick
- Add your bread crumbs or crumbled up biscuit to a small bowl
- Add all of the spices to the bowl with the crumbs
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Dip each piece of chicken in the crumb & spice mixture and place on the parchment lined baking sheet
- Place the baking sheet full of chicken nuggets in the freezer for at least 1 hour
- Once frozen remove the nuggets and put them in a gallon size freezer bag
- Store in freezer for up to three months
Cooking Your Nuggets
Once you’re ready to cook your nuggets set your oven or air fryer 375° F for 14-17 minutes until the internal temp is 165°. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
Okay, be honest – how many did you eat in one sitting? I couldn’t stop eating these when I first tried them, I won’t judge!
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
These homemade chicken nuggets are delicious, moist (are you cringing?) and a great way to use up chicken breast you just keep forgetting to marinade. Here is a recipe for something that I love having in the freezer for days when I just need to get lunch, or sometimes even dinner, on the table.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 1 cup of bread crumbs or crumbled biscuits
- 1 & 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika, but smoked actually adds flavor)
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
1. Slice chicken into one inch chunks, about half an inch thick
2. Add your bread crumbs or crumbled up biscuit to a small bowl
3. Add all of the spices to the bowl with the crumbs
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
5. Dip each piece of chicken in the crumb & spice mixture until it is fully covered and place on the parchment lined baking sheet
6. Place the baking sheet full of chicken nuggets in the freezer for at least 1 hour
7. Once frozen remove the nuggets and put them in a gallon size freezer bag
8. Store in freezer for up to three months
Notes
in lieu of dry bread, crumble up some day old biscuits for an amazing flavor
I always use dried herbs in my recipe since we're gonna be freezing them, but I'm sure fresh herbs would pack more flavor. I'll try it sometime and report back!
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