Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

Name: Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 23 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 16 ounces (454 g) boneless skinless chicken breast (about 2 medium-sized chicken breasts); 1/2 cup (65 g) all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided (see note 1); 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 2 large eggs; 3/4 cup (95 g) plain dry breadcrumbs; 2 - 2 1/2 tablespoons neutral oil (avocado oil, vegetable oil, etc.) (see note 2)

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You will never go back to buying store-bought chicken nuggets after making these delicious air fryer chicken nuggets! You only need about 25 minutes to make them, and they freeze well for later!

chicken nuggets on plate with side of ketchup

I have a 5 and 3 year old, so chicken nuggets are pretty much a staple in my house. I've tried making homemade nuggets before, but my kids have always preferred the store-bought (dino shaped!) kind. But, when I made these air fryer chicken nuggets for the first time, they gobbled them up without a second glance, so I knew they were a hit. They didn't even seem to mind the lack of dino shape!

I hope these air fryer chicken nuggets are a hit with your family too. They are easy to make, with only a few basic ingredients (most of them being spices and other pantry ingredients). And, you can make them in only about 25 minutes. They also freeze well for later so you will always have some on hand for a nugget emergency!

Serve these air fryer chicken nuggets alongside my recipe for microwave butternut squash and you've got a super easy homemade meal in no time.

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Recipe ingredients

ingredients for air fryer chicken nuggets on white background with text labels

Ingredient notes

Bread crumbs: all you need are the basic, plain dried bread crumbs. If you prefer the seasoned kind, you can use that instead.

Oil: any neutral oil will do. I used avocado oil, but canola oil, vegetable oil, or safflower oil will also work.

Flour: you just need regular, all-purpose flour here.

Chicken breast: you will need boneless, skinless chicken breast. You can also substitute chicken breast tenderloins if you like.

Step by step photos

1. The first step is to prepare the 3-part breading. First comes the flour; add the flour and seasonings into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

collage of adding spices and flour to a bowl and whisking flour mixture together in bowl

2. Then crack the eggs into another medium bowl. Add a splash of water (about 2 tablespoons), and whisk to combine.

collage of adding water to bowl with two cracked eggs inside and whisking egg and water mixture together

3. The third part of the breading is - the breadcrumbs, of course! All you need to do here is add the breadcrumbs to a third medium bowl and mix in a little salt. Set the three bowls aside for now.

spoonful of salt being added into bowl of breadcrumbs

4. Next you can prepare the chicken. Just cut the chicken breasts into cubes - about 1 ½ inches (3.8 cm) in size.

chicken breast being cut into chunks on cutting board

5. Add some of the chicken to the flour mixture. You can do this about ⅓ of the chicken at a time. Since I'm lazy, I did only 2 batches. The amount you can add at a time depends on how wide your bowl is!

Toss the chicken pieces around in the flour, making sure they are evenly coated all around.

collage of adding chicken pieces to bowl of seasoned flour and tossing the pieces in the flour

6. Then, remove the chicken from the flour and shake off the excess. Add the chicken pieces to the egg mixture and toss them around so they are evenly coated in egg.

collage of adding floured chicken pieces to beaten egg and tossing pieces in the egg mixture

7. Again, remove the chicken from the egg and let the excess drip off back into the bowl. Place the chicken pieces in the breadcrumbs next. Toss the chicken pieces around so they are fully coated with the breadcrumbs.

collage of chicken pieces being added to bowl of bread crumbs and hand tossing chicken pieces with the bread crumbs

8. Remove the coated chicken pieces from the breadcrumbs and place them on a clean plate. Continue with the 3 part breading procedure until all the chicken pieces are breaded.

hand moving breaded raw chicken nugget from bowl of crumbs to plate

9. At some point mid-way through the breading process, take a little break and prep the air fryer.

Brush the surface where the food sits with some of the oil, then replace the basket and pre-heat the air fryer at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 3 - 5 minutes (or just go by how long the air fryer decides if your model has an automatic preheat function).

pastry brush spreading oil onto cooking surface of air fryer basket

10. Once all the chicken is breaded and the air fryer is preheated, add all the chicken pieces to the air fryer in a single layer. Be careful when adding since the unit will be hot.

air fryer loaded with single layer of raw breaded chicken nuggets

11. Using the brush, carefully dab oil on the tops and sides of the chicken nuggets. I say "dab" rather than "brush" because you don't want to rub off all the breading, just be gentle!

pastry brush dabbing oil onto raw nuggets resting in air fryer basket

12. Set the air fryer to cook for 8 minutes. Half-way through the cook time, use tongs to flip the nuggets, and then dab the tops again with more oil.

collage of turning nuggets in air fryer with tongs and brushing nuggets with oil

13. When the nuggets are done, they should be golden brown and cooked through, reaching a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

If they aren't cooked through after 8 minutes, you can continue to cook the nuggets in 2 minute increments, checking the temperature in between each interval to make sure they don't get overcooked.

cooked chicken nuggets being removed from air fryer

Tips and tricks

I used Diamond Crystal Kosher salt for this recipe, which is lighter and flakier than Morton Kosher salt. To substitute Morton Kosher salt or regular, fine-grained table salt, use ½ teaspoon in the flour mixture, and ¼ teaspoon in the breadcrumb mixture.

When choosing bowls for the breading, go for wide, shallow bowls if you have them (as opposed to tall and narrow). This will give you more space to toss the pieces around in the coatings.

Here's how you can avoid breading your fingers right along with the chicken: use one hand to toss the chicken in the dry ingredients (flour and breadcrumbs), and the other to dip the chicken in the egg mixture.

I tested this recipe with my Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 6 Quart Air Fryer (affiliate link). Depending on your air fryer, cook times may vary.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use non-stick spray instead of oil to cook the chicken nuggets?

If you like, you can use cooking spray instead of brushing the oil on the cooking surface and the nuggets. But, just be aware that cooking sprays containing soy lecithin can cause a sticky buildup that may degrade nonstick surfaces over time. Here is an article with more info on how soy lecithin reacts with nonstick surfaces.

If you want to avoid using soy lecithin on your air fryer but still like the convenience of a spray, look for a cooking spray without soy lecithin, or, use an oil mister.

How long will leftover chicken nuggets last in the fridge?

Leftover air fryer chicken nuggets will last 3 - 4 days in the fridge; just store them in a covered container. You can use the microwave to reheat the nuggets, or, reheat them in the air fryer! I have found that heating them at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) for 3 - 4 minutes does the trick.

Can I freeze air fryer chicken nuggets?

Yes, you can definitely freeze any leftover nuggets. If the nuggets are still hot, let them cool down before placing them in an airtight container or gallon zip top bag to freeze. The chicken nuggets will keep well in the freezer for 2 - 3 months.

I found the nuggets did stick a little if they were piled together, but were easy enough to separate when I took them out of the freezer. If you're worried about the nuggets sticking together, you can separate the layers with a piece of parchment paper.

You can reheat the frozen nuggets in the microwave, or, reheat them in the air fryer at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) for about 8 minutes, flipping the nuggets halfway through the cook time.

pile of chicken nuggets with one nugget torn in half resting on top

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