These cheesy chicken nuggets are made with a handful of kitchen staples! Crispy and cheesy, these delicious chicken nuggets are a flavorful, kid-friendly recipe that the whole family will love. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner, made in under 40 minutes and freezer-friendly!

Baked, not fried, these chicken nuggets are cheesy, crispy, and so easy to make! Everyone will be reaching for seconds!

A scalloped platter with cheesy chicken nuggets and a bowl of ketchup.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These cheesy versions of chicken nuggets really take standard nuggets to the next level! While I love making my homemade chicken nuggets, adding cheese to them is such a delicious twist!
These nuggets are both kid and adult-friendly! I’ve never turned down a chicken nugget, and neither have any kids I’ve met. Make a huge batch and watch them disappear fast.
They’re freezer-friendly! So you can easily make extra and freeze them, then pop them out into the air fryer to reheat when you need a quick, healthy-ish meal.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make cheesy chicken nuggets.

ground chicken — use your go-to ground chicken. All-breast, all-thigh, or a mix are all great options.

cheese — these chicken nuggets use both parmesan and cheddar cheese to ensure their full cheesiness! Feel free to add some more or swap out the cheese for another, such as mozzarella, provolone, swiss, etc.

eggs — you’ll need an egg for the filling as well as for the egg wash. The egg will add extra moisture and help bind the nuggets together.

seasoning — I use a blend of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and paprika to season the nuggets. Feel free to change things up! I have some suggestions down in the recipe variations, but this is my go-to blend that is always a crowd pleaser.

olive oil — I always add olive oil to my chicken meatballs for extra moisture, so I add them to these nuggets too. Don’t skip it, as it’s my super secret method of keeping the chicken from drying out as it cooks.

panko breadcrumbs — panko breadcrumbs have a light, airy, and delicate texture. Regular breadcrumbs are not as flaky as panko.

How to Make Cheesy Chicken Nuggets

Set of two photos showing ingredients added into a bowl and mixed together.

Heat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, and olive oil.

Set of two photos showing prepped bowls of egg wash and breadcrumbs and the meat mixture dipped into the egg wash.

Set of two photos showing egg wash coated nugget dipped into the breadcrumbs.

Set up your station with one plate holding the panko breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan and one plate with the beaten eggs.
Using a large cookie scoop or a tablespoon scoop, scoop and shape the chicken mixture into chicken nugget shaped balls (slightly oval and slightly flattened). Each chicken nugget should be around 2 tablespoons.
Dip the chicken into the egg wash and then into the panko breading before placing it onto the parchment-lined sheet pan. Continue with the remaining ground chicken until all the chicken mixture is used.

Set of two photos showing cheesy chicken nuggets placed on a lined sheet pan before and after baking.

Spray the chicken nuggets with some cooking spray and bake for 12 to 15 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. Flip the chicken nuggets and spray again, then bake for another 10 to 12 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) and are golden and crispy.

A plate with cheesy chicken nuggets, celery, and carrots. One nugget cut in half with half in a bowl of ketchup.

Recipe Variations

If you want these nuggets to be a bit spicy, add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the seasoning.
If you’re in a herbier mood, add dried basil, Italian seasoning, dried thyme, dried parsley, or your favorite dried herb mix to the chicken mixture.
If you want something a bit tangy, add some dried mustard powder to the mixture!
If you have the extra time and want these chicken nuggets even crispier, you can coat the chicken mixture in some flour or cornstarch before dipping it into the egg mixture and coating it with panko breadcrumbs.
For a brighter flavor, you can squeeze a lemon over the chicken nuggets before serving.
You can swap the ground chicken for ground turkey or use a mixture if you’re low on ground chicken.

Recipe Tips and Notes

Make sure you don’t overmix or overpack the chicken nugget mixture. In my experience, you need to keep a light hand or your nuggets will end up dense. However, this is a kid-friendly nugget recipe and they don’t seem to mind if they’re accidentally too dense.
Did you know that preshredded cheese has a coating on it so they don’t stick together in the package? If you have the time, I recommend shredding your own cheese. You can quickly run a block of cheese through a food processor and freeze the shredded cheese, so you can have it on hand whenever you need it!
When coating the chicken with panko crumbs, apply a bit of pressure so the crust sticks to the chicken mixture.
Your chicken is cooked through once the internal temperature has reached 165°F (74°C).
If you don’t want to use ketchup, pair these nuggets with my mint yogurt sauce or cottage cheese ranch dip.
For a healthier meal, I like to pair the cheesy nuggets with some celery and carrot sticks. I also like to pair it with some smashed broccoli or crispy roasted potatoes, but kids seem to be partial to potato wedges or fries.
This recipe makes around 22 to 24 chicken nuggets, depending on the size. You can also make them larger or smaller and just adjust the baking time by a couple of minutes.

Overhead view of a plate with cheesy chicken nuggets, celery, carrots, and a bowl of ketchup.

Make Ahead Tips

Meal Prep: Once cooled, transfer the chicken nuggets with cheese to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure they are cool, as you’ll end up with condensation and lead to soggy cutlets if they’re set in the fridge while still hot.
Reheat: For the best results when reheating, I like to heat it back up in the oven/toaster oven or air fryer so it stays super crispy. You can reheat them from frozen.
Freezer: Once cooled, transfer the crispy chicken cutlets to a freezer safe container or a freezer safe ziploc bag, making sure all the air is squeezed out if using a bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. You can reheat this directly from frozen or thawed.

Cheesy Chicken Nuggets

These cheesy chicken nuggets are made with a handful of kitchen staples! Crispy and cheesy, these delicious chicken nuggets are a flavorful, kid-friendly recipe that the whole family will love. It's the perfect weeknight dinner, made in under 40 minutes and freezer-friendly!

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 45

Servings: to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Nugget Mixture

1 pound ground chicken
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Breading

1 cup panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated parmesan cheese

For Everything Else

2 eggs, beaten
cooking spray

Instructions

Heat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, and olive oil.
Set up your station with one plate holding the panko breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan and one plate with the beaten eggs.
Using a large cookie scoop or a tablespoon scoop, scoop and shape the chicken mixture into chicken nugget shaped balls (slightly oval and slightly flattened). Each chicken nugget should be around 2 tablespoons.
Dip the chicken into the egg wash and then into the panko breading before placing it onto the parchment-lined sheet pan. Continue with the remaining ground chicken until all the chicken mixture is used.
Spray the chicken nuggets with some cooking spray and bake for 12 to 15 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. Flip the chicken nuggets and spray again, then bake for another 10 to 12 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) and are golden and crispy.

Notes

Avoid overmixing or overpacking the chicken nugget mixture, or the nuggets will be dense.

Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Nutrition Per Serving

Author: Carmy

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Nutrition Disclaimer

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