Swap out your frozen store-bought chicken nuggets and make these super-easy homemade air fryer chicken nuggets instead! All you need are 5 ingredients to make these homemade nuggets.
I will admit that I have a chicken nugget addiction. My friend Brendon and I often joke about having a giant chicken nugget mountain for our funerals.
While I don’t mind buying pre-made chicken nuggets, sometimes it just tastes better from scratch. Plus, it’s not that much more effort, and it’s much cheaper. I simply make a huge batch whenever I have the time and pop them in the freezer for when I’m craving some.
When I’m making chicken nuggets, I love using my air fryer because it doesn’t require preheating and cooks the chicken bites faster, as I’m pretty impatient when it comes to getting my nuggets! If you do not have an air fryer, check out my post on making homemade chicken nuggets in the oven.
These homemade chicken nuggets are perfect as a meal or as a snack! It’s perfect for both adults and little ones. They are so delightfully crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, thanks to the air fryer!
What You’ll Need to Make Chicken Nuggets in an Air Fryer
chicken breasts — I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut them into 1″ to 1.5″ cubes. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if that’s what you have on hand.
olive oil — I use olive oil but you can use any neutral oil of your choice such as avocado oil.
panko — I prefer using panko breadcrumbs over traditional breadcrumbs as they yield a crispier, less greasy, and lighter coating. I like to use this Kikkoman version as I get it in bulk at Costco.
parmesan — adding parmesan to your breadcrumbs adds a mouthwatering salty flavor and crisps up delightfully in the air fryer.
sweet paprika — this is optional, but I like to add a bit of paprika. If you have kids who aren’t super picky, you can add some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and additional seasoning!
cooking spray/oil spray for the air fryer
Originally, this recipe was tested in a Philips TurboStar XXL in 2019. Since then, I’ve switched to a 5.8QT Cosori Air Fryer.
How To Make Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets from Scratch
- Cut up your chicken breasts into 1″ to 1.5″ cubes and set them aside.
- Set up your station with one bowl holding your olive oil, and the other holding your panko, parmesan, and paprika mix.
- Spritz the inside of your air fryer lightly with some oil.
- Dip your chicken cube into the olive oil, then place it into your coating. Make sure your nugget is well-coated and place it into the air fryer. Repeat until your air fryer is full.
- Set your air fryer to 400°F and cook your homemade chicken nuggets for 8 minutes.
- Serve with your choice of dip.
Make Ahead Tips
This homemade air fryer chicken bites recipe can easily become a make-ahead freezer meal.
- After air frying them, let them cool and freeze the chicken nuggets in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Once frozen, transfer them to an air tight freezer-friendly bag or container.
- When ready to enjoy, use as you would with store-bought nuggets by reheating them in your air fryer or oven for a couple of minutes until they’re warmed through.
Serving Ideas
So if you prefer to make these crispy air fryer chicken nuggets as part of a meal and not just eat them as is, here are some fun ideas!
- Add the chicken nuggets to a salad like my chicken cobb salad or spinach strawberry chicken salad for a hearty meal.
- Add them to flatbread or a wrap! Try my flatbread recipe made with cottage cheese. You can even add them to pita bread!
- Make them into sandwiches. Use slider buns and make my chicken pesto sandwich for an easy appetizer.
Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipes
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Cut up your chicken breasts into 1″ to 1.5″ cubes and set them aside.
- Set up your station with one bowl holding your olive oil, and the other holding your panko, parmesan, and paprika mix.
- Spritz the inside of the air fryer basket lightly with some oil.
- Dip your chicken cube into the olive oil, then place it into your coating. Make sure your nugget is well coated and place it into the air fryer. Repeat until your air fryer is full. Do not over crowd the air fryer, air fry in batches if needed.
- Set your air fryer to 400°F and cook your homemade chicken nuggets for 8 minutes.
- Serve with your choice of dip.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
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Debbie says
I’m an Airfryer novice this was super easy and my husband who has decided he no longer likes chicken, loves it! Thank you for posting.
Carmy says
So glad you and your husband enjoyed it Debbie!
John Devero says
If reheating from frozen do you need to thaw first and what time and temp yo reheat?
Carmy says
Hi John, to reheat from frozen, I do not thaw them first. I place them frozen into my air fryer. I usually reheat between 350F-400F. I check after 3-5 minutes to see if they’ve heated through.
TC says
This is a great recipe for a novice air fryer! Only comments I’d make is that this created far more breading mix than needed, and could probably be cut down by 1/3. Also, on my subsequent batches I added 1 tsp salt and 1/2 cayenne pepper and those really jazzed it up.
Carmy says
thank you for your feedback! The cayenne pepper sounds like a great touch!
Chloe says
I’m 26 years old and have twin toddlers that are very picky eaters, and they absolutely loved these.
Carmy says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear they loved this air fryer chicken nuggets!!