Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

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!

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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