If you’re craving fast food but want to keep on track, you have to try out these Healthy Chicken Nuggets, Fast-Food Style! Real chicken breast is ground up to resemble the look and texture of your favorite drive-through food.
When I was a kid, if my parents gave me the option to eat McDonald’s chicken nuggets every day, I would have. Even to this day, I still get cravings for them.
Of course, indulging in that craving once in a while isn’t a bad thing. But I needed an option that I could eat as much as I wanted and still feel good about it. These Healthy Chicken Nuggets totally hit the spot!
How to make healthy chicken nuggets
The key here is grinding up the chicken breasts in a food processor. Yes–a food processor is a must! I’ve tried this with pre-ground chicken breast from the market, but that tends to be too wet to work with.
Of course, you could just cut chicken breast pieces into small chunks and use those as your “nuggets.” What sets these apart for me, though, is that dense chicken texture of fast food nuggets that only comes from making the meat into a paste. Plus, you get to season the entire center of the nugget, too. If you want to make something similar but don’t want to buy a food processor, give my Buffalo Chicken Bites a shot. You could just omit the buffalo sauce and season the breading to make them taste more like this version.
So, when you’re done grinding the meat, shape it however you like. I used a tablespoon to portion, then flatten them into a rough circle. If your meat is still kind of sticky, rub your hands with some water before forming the chicken.
I was able to get 33 nuggets at a tablespoon each. It would be fun to use cookie cutter molds to make different shapes, especially if you’re cooking with kids. My nephew loves Dyno nuggets. If I can find some small dinosaur shapes, this would be such a fun way to get him into eating a healthier version of those!
After you’ve shaped the nuggets, dredge them in cornstarch, then dip in egg wash, and coat with breadcrumbs. They bake up super quickly because they’re pretty small.
It might seem like a lot of work, but this make a really big batch. You can easily refrigerate and/or freeze them. Make a double batch for your own freezer nuggets!
storing and reheating Healthy Chicken Nuggets
We eat through these pretty quickly. They’re an easy snack or start to a lunch, so most times I’ll make the entire batch and refrigerate the rest. Reheat in the air fryer or oven at 400F for just a couple of minutes.
I love them on a salad or in a wrap with lots of veggies. They don’t keep quite as crunchy when you reheat them, but I don’t mind. The flavor and texture is still there.
You could definitely freeze these as well. I would cook them all the way through, then freeze on a cookie sheet so they are all separated. After that, add them all to a freezer back and take each out when you want to reheat. Defrost for a few minutes on your counter before cooking, or follow my same reheating instructions, adding a few more minutes.
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there.
Healthy Chicken Nuggets, Fast-Food Style
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN MIXTURE
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
FOR THE BREADING
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 large egg + 2 tsp water, whisked
- 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup panko
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional to make spicy chicken nuggets)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F or air fryer to 400F.
- Pat chicken very dry with paper towels. Put all of the chicken mixture ingredients into a food processor and blend until it forms a paste. (See picture above.)
- Form chicken mixture into shape of preference, measuring a rounded tablespoon at a time. You should be able to get 33 nuggets out of this.
- Set up your dredging station. Put cornstarch on one plate, egg and water mixture on another plate. Mix together all remaining ingredients (bread crumbs and seasonings) and place that in a third plate. Add cayenne to your bread crumb mixture if you wants spicy nuggets.
- Dip each nugget into cornstarch and lightly press to make sure cornstarch covers the chicken. Shake off excess. (See picture above.)
- Then, dip in egg mixture until just coated, and dip again into breadcrumb mixture and push into nuggets until evenly coated. Add to baking sheet or air fryer basket that has been greased with cooking spray.
- Lightly coat both sides of nuggets with cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes, flipping half way through, or air fry for 5-7 minutes, flipping half way through.
- Make sure your chicken is at 165F before serving.
Absolutely beautiful!!
Thank you!
Geri does it again!! Now I’m convinced she’s a miracle worker. I hate to admit it, but I LOVE fast food. That was always my demise doing WW. But now I can easily substitute these delicious healthy nuggets instead! I’m beyond thrilled. I sent my sisters the link to this recipe immediately after eating my first batch of nuggets. I’m so glad the recipe made so much, I’ll be having these all week. A new staple in my weekly meals!!
It’s more a question than a comment. Do you have to bread these or can you just bake them naked? I gave family Member with dietary restrictions is all. Thank you
Hi Kristen, I haven’t tried baking them without the breadcrumbs. Were you thinking of making them without the cornstarch dredge or just the breadcrumbs?