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Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

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Healthy, Buffalo Chicken Nuggets baked in the oven are spicy and delicious! Crispy and golden on the outside with tender chicken breast on the inside, so good!

A plate of crispy baked buffalo chicken nuggets with carrots and celery sticks and creamy dipping sauce
Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

I took my Baked Chicken Nugget recipe and added buffalo sauce, they turned out so good! Buffalo sauce makes everything better, right?! Perfect dipped in blue cheese dressing. Some favorite buffalo chicken recipes are Buffalo Chicken Strips, Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Poppers and if you want a buffalo chicken appetizer, try this buffalo chicken dip, it’s my favorite!

We eat a lot of homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets for lunch in my house. Madison loves them, I love them and they’re so easy to make. Every now and then I take my standard recipe and change it up. This week I thought why not try it with hot sauce – we loved them! Not overly spicy, but enough to know it’s there. You could of course kick it up a notch by using tabsaco sauce and adding some ground cayenne pepper to the seasoning.

A plate of crispy breaded buffalo chicken nuggets with celery and carrot sticks and creamy dipping sauce.

Serve them with celery and carrots if you wish, and my homemade Low Fat Blue Cheese Dressing.

You may also enjoy these family-friendly chicken recipes:

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Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

5 from 21 votes
2
Cals:211
Protein:28
Carbs:11
Fat:6
Healthy, Buffalo Chicken Nuggets baked in the oven are spicy and delicious! Crispy and golden on the outside with tender chicken breast on the inside, so good!
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: American
Healthy, Buffalo Chicken Nuggets baked in the oven are spicy and delicious! Crispy and golden on the outside with tender chicken breast on the inside, so good!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 10 nuggets

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder, use ground cayenne to make it hotter
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, or gluten-free crumbs
  • 1/4 cup panko
  • olive oil spray
  • 2 tbsp Frank's Hot Sauce, or your favorite hot sauce
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 40 small bite sized pieces
  • 4 celery stalks, trimmed to 4 inch strips
  • optional: 1/2 cup skinny blue cheese dressing, additional points

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.
  • Combine garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, bread crumbs and panko in a medium bowl and toss well.
  • Place the hot sauce in another medium bowl with the oil.
  • Dip the chicken into the hot sauce mix, then into the crumbs and place on the baking sheet.
  • Spray the top generously with olive oil spray then bake 8 - 10 minutes. Turn over then cook another 4 - 5 minutes or until cooked though.
  • Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing if desired.

Last Step:

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Nutrition

Serving: 10 nuggets, Calories: 211 kcal, Carbohydrates: 11 g, Protein: 28 g, Fat: 6 g, Cholesterol: 83 mg, Sodium: 379 mg, Fiber: 2 g

Categories:

A bowl of cubed raw chicken with hot sauce and a bowl of breading mixture.
A baking sheet with uncooked breaded chunks of chicken.

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Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets – healthy baked chicken nuggets with a touch of heat!

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157 comments on “Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets”

  1. My super-picky family absolutely loved this recipe! I’m adding it to our meal rotation from now on. Thanks so much for making dinner easier!

  2. Whoops I did it again !!! Recipe for four and the two of us ate it all. I guess I could make half of the recipe but I love your recipes to much. Its worth giving up a second glass of wine

  3. Loved this and all your reipces. This is my “chicken wings” for super bowl Sunday, but with a lot less points

  4. Used a pounded chicken breast to make it easier, and it was still delicious! Easy, easy recipe and super tasty.

  5. Avatar photo
    Melissa Smith

    These were easy and delicious.  I only used panko  breadcrumbs and the recipe turned out great.  Thanks for an easy delicious way to mix up my weight watchers meals.

  6. I’ve made these 3x in the last week. They are so delicious. I’m thinking what a perfect SUPER BOWL appetizer to share with different dipping sauces. I’ll be making these again and again.

  7. I made these in my air fryer combining this recipe and the instructions for the Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets.  They were so delicious!!  A big hit with my family. The cayenne added just the right amount of heat.  Thank you for the recipe!

      1. https://www.skinnytaste.com/air-fryer-chicken-nuggets/
        I used the directions on this recipe.

  8. These always taste delicious but can’t get them to come as crunchy looking, the breading doesn’t stick.

  9. I made this recipe and it came out amazing!! Highly recommend! Super easy and quick and delicious.

  10. Can you do these in an air fryer? I just got one and am still getting used to it.
    Love your meal plans! Make my life so much easier!!!!

    1. I just got an air fryer as well never used it before and i think this would be a great first user recipe … how long did you air fry them for ??? Thanks

  11. Avatar photo
    Nadelia Carrasco

    Made these today and they are delicious!  I had run out of breadcrumbs but since I usually have chicharrones on hand, I crushed them up, breaded the chicken with that and they were delicious!!  Wow!! 

  12. Absolutely excellent. Tons of flavor. I added the cayenne and it was perfectly spiced. Crunchy and moist at the same time. Unbelievable!

  13. I tried to scan through the comments to see if this has been asked already, but I don’t see it. Has anyone tried making these in an air fryer? I think I would need to maybe make it in two batches, but I bet it would be good. I don’t know if this would add to the points significantly .. my air fryer is still in the box.

  14. Very Good!! Something different to do with chicken. Frank’s Hot Sauce makes it spicy but not too spicy. Nuggets are nice dipped in ranch dressing as well.

  15. First came across your “Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets” recipe, but wanted a buffalo kick, so I did these in the air fryer and they came out amazing!!! Thank you, thank you!!

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  17. This is a great change from traditional chicken nuggets-my husband and I loved these. My daughter prefers the regular, but these taste great and have a little kick! Loved this recipe-easy and delicious. 

  18. Avatar photo
    Monica Benavidez (monicawantsit.com)

    These were delicious! I made them using chicken tenders for my salads for work, and I am IN LOVE! I put them over a simple spring mix with tomatoes and cucumbers and a side of ranch.

  19. Tried to add a pic but couldn’t. Just finished making them and had no issues with the recipe. I added some freshly dried thyme to 1/2 batch and the flavor was amped up! Will add other herbs next time! 

  20. Hey Gina! I was planning to make these tonight and I cannot wait to try them. QUESTION- when I put this recipe into the recipe builder mine comes out to 3 freestyle points per serving (as opposed to your 2 points per serving). The only ingredients that carry points are panko, italian breadcrumbs, and EVOO. EVOO is 3 points per 2 tsp. That’s a pretty finite measurement. And EVERY panko I can find in the WW system comes out to 3 points for 1/4 cup, and EVERY breadcrumb I can find comes out to 5 points for 1.5 oz (which is 6 T according to my food scale). Is there a particular BRAND of Panko and Italian breeadcrumbs that you use that are lower in points that you could direct me toward. I have legit tried EVERY SINGLE bread crumb and panko option in the WW system and none get the points down. I even scanned the panko and breadcrumbs I have here and home and no luck. Can you help!? PLEASE!?

    1. I am getting 3 for the panko, 3 for the oil, 3 for seasoned whole wheat crumbs (I used 4C). I didnt weight the crumbs, I am just going buy tablespoons.

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  23. Hi! I love your recipes and i’m going to try these tonight – have you tried them in the air fryer yet? I wanted to attempt it I could see it being really good! Let me know your thoughts!

  24. Any reason why you couldn’t use this recipe in the air fryer? I’m new to the air fryer so are there any suggested changes you would recommend?

  25. These came out great!! My dad and sister hardly left any for me. But perfect spiciness and crisp exterior

  26. Hi Gina! 

    Not sure if you’d be able to answer this but I couldn’t find whole wheat bread crumb so I used regular. Any chance you know how different in points that’d make these?

    Love your recipes!

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    1. Mine come out to 3 freestyle points per serving. I can’t figure it out either. How are hers 2 freestyle points per serving? The only items that have points are panko, regular breadcrumbs, and EVOO. And they seem to be pretty finite point values with little variation between brands. I’m baffled!

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  31. My wee boy has autism… but loves his food… and he loves spice. Absolutely savaged these… but wants more spice in the breadcrumbs next!!! They were delicious though…  

  32. Love these– Great for my teen boys.  I do substitute Gluten Free Breadcrumbs- Cornmeal- and it works perfect!

  33. Can I freeze these after baking? If I reheat in the oven, will they crisp up again? I like to make “freezer food” for my sons that are living in an apartment while going to college. They would love these!

  34. I can’t get mine crispy.  I even leave them in the oven longer but they come out mushy.  What am I doing wrong?

    1. I had the same problem. I tried this recipe last week. The flavor was there, but i couldn’t get mine crispy. They were a little mushy. I followed the recipe. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix this or make them more crispy?

      1. Did you try putting them under the Broiler for one or two minutes? I did that tonight and they were very crisp, not mushy at all

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  36. I’m sorry if this is a duplicate question but there are a lot of comments!

    Do you have advice for using gluten free breadcrumbs? My son has Celiac Disease, so I try to alter recipes to be gluten free. I haven’t had any luck so far with gluten free breadcrumbs crisping up. I’d love to give this recipe a try!!

  37. Just made these they are amazing. I would love to make a less spicy version for my son, what do u recommend switching the hot sauce up for?

  38. Avatar photo
    Kristi Bennett

    These are amazing! I made them for super bowl and again for a big basketball game tonight. Thanks for a healthy alternative to fried chicken wings and my guy gives the 2 thumb up so a win all around!!
    Love skinnytaste and make a lot of your recipes!

  39. Avatar photo
    superman lyrics

    There are some interesting points in time in this article but I don’t know if I see all of them center to heart. There is some validity but I will take hold opinion until I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we want more! Added to FeedBurner as well

  40. Avatar photo
    Pink-a-Palooza

    Hi, I just made these for protien snacking. Am having some fresh tonight, then freezing the rest so I can pull a few out to have a healthy snack.
    I've tried in vain since I've been eating better to find some kind of lower calorie/fat nugget in the stores. THANKS so much for ur awesome recipe!
    I used Emerill's seasoning and garlic blend. I've lost 75lbs. in 16 months by being aware of what I eat and your recipes are a major part of my meals. My wt.loss may not add up to a lot per month, but slow, steady and Skinnytaste will get me to my goal….

  41. These look really good and I would like to make them! However, I am on a diet, not Weight Watchers, and I need to know how many ounces are in your serving. I saw that one serving is 10 nuggets, but a weight would be great! Thanks!

  42. Another great recipe! I added almond meal to the bread crumbs & they came out great. I will definitely make again.

  43. Avatar photo
    Stephanie Domena

    I know someone has already asked but there was no reply. I love the original recipe and want to try these. I'm preparing meals for two weeks do these freeze well? I love your recipes by the way. 🙂

  44. Avatar photo
    Charlene Beck

    It was "New Recipe Night" at our house, so I made these nuggets along with the pear salad from this site for dinner…YUM to all! I had raw chicken tenders, so I cut those in half. My package was 2.19 lbs of raw tenders, and I followed the recipe exactly (but doubled for the amount of chicken). Although there was no leftover on the olive oil/hot sauce mix, I did have leftover breading. I cut the tenders in half for this recipe. My husband looked at me after the first bite, and said "keep these new recipes!" There you have it!

  45. These nuggets are amazing!! I really didn't expect it to turn out this good, but I can't get enough. I didn't have bread crumbs, so I just used more panko, but smashed it with the back of a spoon to make the panko finer. It was perfect. I loved the breaded coating and the flavor. Doesn't even need a sauce for dipping.

  46. Avatar photo
    Shelby Law Ruttan

    I made these tonight along with the roasted yellow squash on your site. It was delicious! Hubby kept saying how delicious it all was and that we can definitely eat it again!

    I got about half the nuggets but I weighed what we had to be sure we were getting right amounts. I was stuffed before I was finished! Thank you 🙂

  47. So, I gave these a try as chicken nuggets, and they were a hit! So, I decided to take it from finger food to a dish and used full chicken breasts that were marinated in the Franks/olive oil mixture overnight with a side of creamy mashed potatoes and corn. Great meal! Everyone loved it, and the flavor from the franks was so pronounced from the marinating! Highly suggest both ways.

  48. So good, just like all your recipes. Because of you, my husband thinks that I am an amazing cook. 🙂

  49. I've made lots of your recipes but have never reviewed them, and I feel obligated to do so for this one! I wanted to find a way to turn this into a dinner entrée so I followed the recipe exactly, but with thin chicken breasts and turned them into sandwiches with some lettuce, tomato, and a little bit of blue cheese. It was delicious! The chicken was crispy and spicy and reminded me of a buffalo chicken sandwich I used to love as a kid at a restaurant (but no longer order because their version is fried!) Thanks 🙂

  50. These were delicious! Just finished having them for dinner. I didn't have any panko bread crumbs on hand so I just used extra bread crumbs and they came out great and spicy!

  51. I made them tonight, they were amazing!!!! Huge hit with the family. My husband wants me to make them again tomorrow!

  52. Hey Gina, love your recipes! The breading doesn't stay on too well with the baked recipes I've tried with breadcrumbs. Do you know what may be wrong?

    1. I had the same problem also, it might be that the panko is too coarse or the oil/franks isn’t as sticky as the usual eggwash.

  53. These were awesome. My bf always gets chicken fingers (chicken breast) tossed in Buffalo sauce. It's his go to. Last week I made these for him, and he could not stop eating them. The other night when we went out he didn't finish the fingers, because he'd rather eat these.
    Score!

  54. Avatar photo
    Claudia Mancilla-Caras

    Made these for dinner tonight. I'm 6 months pregnant and only want spicy foods– these hit the spot (I added extra Tabasco). Thanks for the great recipes Gina. I'm hoping my baby will come out ready to try all sorts of foods.

  55. Avatar photo
    Thalia @ butter and brioche

    You definitely have got me craving chicken nuggets right now… these look so crisp, crunchy and delicious!

  56. Avatar photo
    Lizzie Friedman

    Loved these made with Frank's buffalo wing sauce, and I am not even much of a buffalo fan. The leftovers were awesome chopped up and placed on top of a salad.

  57. I've been making the healthy baked chicken nuggets to bring to work for lunch for a couple of months and had been using hot sauce as a condiment so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. I did and I love it! This is a great upgrade to the previous recipe. PS I used Tabasco instead of Frank's Hot Sauce because I love hot stuff and it's soooo good and sooo spicy!

  58. Avatar photo
    Natalie | Paper & Birch

    Oh my gosh, I absolutely love buffalo chicken! these are perfect for our Fun Food Friday this week! Thanks for sharing this Gina!

  59. Avatar photo
    Amy @ The American-Made Guide to Life

    Mmm, perfect for serving while watching a football game on a chilly Sunday. http://americanmadeguidetolife.blogspot.com/

  60. Avatar photo
    nuttynutritionistheather.com

    These look amazing! Regular chicken nuggets are so gross, I'm never giving my kids though. They have so many questionable meat like products in them.

  61. Avatar photo
    Erin @ Simple, Sweet & Savory

    What a perfect appetizer. I love buffalo wings and this nugget version looks adorable! Perfect for dipping!

  62. I'm also curious about freezing them too. Sounds like they might make a decent snack. Has anybody tried? Using them in a salad sounds great. Thanks for another awesome recipe Gina, you're the best!

    1. I've made her regular healthy baked chicken nuggets before and frozen them…..they were just as good when I reheated them !

  63. I made these tonight…a true HIT with my family. We had them on a tosses salad with ranch dressing. I am thinking about making them with thin sliced chicken breast and putting them on buns….Excellent recipe!

    1. Avatar photo
      Skinnytaste Gina

      If you have my cookbook, I have a recipe for Whole wheat Italian bread crumbs made from scratch.

  64. These will be perfect for football watching this weekend! Would it make much of a difference if these were just made with Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs, rather than the breadcrumbs and panko combo? Is it for texture or is panko better points-wise?

    1. Panko Breadcrumbs 🙂 they are just plain breadcrumbs but are a little bit crunchier. If you can't find Panko where you are, maybe plain saltine crackers will work as a substitute for that added crunchiness?

  65. So funny. I came to the site for your original chicken nugget recipe and thought maybe I could modify that and make it buffalo somehow…and lo and behold the new buffalo nugget recipe was sitting here waiting for me! Thanks for all that you do. I'll be making these tonight!

  66. I love how much you love buffalo chicken! I am in love with it too, and will have to get my recipes up on my blog www.irieday.com

    As always, thanks for the inspiration — gotta love Frank's!

  67. Avatar photo
    JulesTheNorweegie

    Nuggets are amazing! I used to buy them from the shops before I started cooking for myself a handful of years ago, but I have since learnt that making them yourself really doesn't take any longer, and is so much better for you! These buffalo style ones look superb! Thanks for sharing 🙂 x

  68. Yum! 200 calories?! What! I'm pinning this. Thanks so much for sharing. I love coming by your blog, there is always a great recipe to be found.

  69. Avatar photo
    Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

    I love that you can have 10 nuggets for about 200 calories! I love spicy food… perfect game day snack!

  70. i think i love you. 😉 your blog has helped me lose 11 lbs in 6 weeks. this looks delicious and will definitely be on the menu at my house this week. thank you!

  71. i love your recipes! they always come out amazing! i tried the original recipe you have for the baked nuggets and fell in love. i'm sure i will love these even more! THANK YOU!

    1. My thoughts exactly! The original recipe is great, I love all of your buffalo chicken dishes, so I'm excited to combine the best of both worlds!

    1. Yes! I make a ton of batches at once. They thaw by lunch time. Easy and quick to eat as a teacher with a short lunch. 

      1. YUM!  Alexis, do you reheat in the microwave?  Or do you get them to re-crisp somehow?

  72. I'm confused, you have 2tsp of Olive Oil listed twice, but then only talk about spraying with olive oil – is that a duplicate and are you saying use that much if you don't have a spray?

    1. The instructions say "Place the hot sauce in another medium bowl with the oil,"so combine the 2T olive oil and hot sauce before dipping the chicken.

    2. I am confused too. It talks about spraying twice but only talks about adding olive oil in non-spray form once. I am assuming the second 2 tsp of olive oil is a duplicate? Really want to make these – just need to make sure I get the points right! THANKS!