Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets are made with chunks of boneless chicken breasts coated in breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese then baked until golden.
Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets
What can be more kid-friendly than making homemade chicken nuggets, even the pickiest kids like them! This easy, homemade recipe is perfect for toddlers and adults and so much healthier than frozen! Serve them with ketchup, BBQ sauce or whatever you like to dip your nuggets into. A delicious way to use up chicken breasts which I often make and serve over salad for a satisfying lunch. If you have an air fryer, you can also try Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets.
Kids love finger foods or anything you can eat with toothpicks so when my daughter was young I would make her a dish of bite-sized goodies she liked such as tomatoes, olives, pasta, etc. and served them with toothpicks and she always cleaned her plate! Give it a try, your kids will be so excited!
I make these oven baked nuggets for Madison for lunch, I often make some at night and put them in her lunch box the next day, she doesn’t mind eating them cold.
These also happen to be egg-free, for those with egg allergies, I use oil instead of an egg and it works great and helps get the breadcrumbs golden. Once I’m in breading mode I usually make breaded zucchini sticks as well and bake them all at the same time along with some pasta and a salad for a complete meal. Double these for more or make half for less servings.
Tips for perfect baked chicken nuggets:
- Start with organic chicken, when possible. Trim any excess fat.
- Baking pans will give you different results, these work best in an aluminum pan for even browned and crisp edges. Nonstick doesn’t work as well.
- Spray the pan with oil to prevent sticking.
More Chicken Recipes:
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets
- Pickle Brined Baked Chicken Tenders
- Tortilla Encrusted Chicken Tenders
- Sesame Encrusted Baked Chicken Tenders
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 16 oz 2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into even bit sized pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp panko
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- olive oil spray, I used my Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.
- Put the olive oil in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan cheese in another.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, then put in the bowl with the olive oil and mix well so the olive oil evenly coats all of the chicken.
- Put a few chunks of chicken at a time into the breadcrumb mixture to coat, then on the baking sheet.
- Lightly spray the top with olive oil spray then bake 8 - 10 minutes. Turn over then cook another 4 - 5 minutes or until cooked through.
Last Step:
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Love these! Do you think these would freeze well? Would you freeze before or after baking?
The best. And easy. I add some cayenne as I like some spice.
I have 4 boneless chicken thighs. Can I use these instead of breasts or will it make a difference in the taste?
Kids and adults alike will love these! I appreciate that you don’t have to dip them in an egg mixture first, it really streamlines the process and makes for less of a mess!
My son adored these! He just turned 4 and helped me pick a ton of recipes from Pinterest. These are the best looking and best tasting breaded chicken I have ever made!
I did not find them soggy at all. Mine were wonderful and juicy on the inside, and quite crunchy on the outside.
I misread the recipe and was dunking each piece of chicken (we had grabbed organic thighs) in the oil, and then coating. So we went through a lot more oil, and I think thus ended up with a lot more coating on each nugget, no complaints here 😉
I had a dark cooking tray, with parchment paper laid down. I also did not have an oil spray, so we skipped that step.
I just made these and they were absolutely delicious! Â Thanks for all of your great recipes that have helped me eat healthier and enjoy some of my favourite foods while lowering calories.
After 18 minutes… these were still soggy and not browned for me. I’m sure it’s just me, but is there anything i should try to prevent that next time?
These healthy chicken nuggets are by far the best we have ever tasted! They are way better than any frozen nuggets you might find at the supermarket and they have no questionable ingredients! I used Trader Joe’s All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, which we love, and we have made them three times already! I’m sure they would taste great with good quality chicken breasts from any source, Not only are they perfect for kids but adults love them too! While I would never have eaten a fast food or
a packaged frozen chicken nugget, I love these and they taste amazing!
Can I weigh out 4 oz for a serving following cooking? Or do I need to weigh it and separate a serving before cooking/while it’s raw? I made this recipe previously and loved it! I’m making it again tonight and just want to make sure I get my servings right!
What would you change for air frying?
Look at this one! https://www.skinnytaste.com/air-fryer-chicken-nuggets/ 🙂
I used Pheasant breast instead of the chicken…they came delicious…I served a honey/mustard dipping sauce…this is a keeper and will be made often…thanks for sharing the recipe…
Fantastic easy to make healthy ckicken nuggets!
I made these last night and they were a big hit. I didn’t have Panko on hand so I just skipped it. The process of mixing the raw chicken with the olive oil in a bowl makes sense! The coating stuck on the each piece nicely and it got crispy!