Fried chicken nuggets without buttermilk are super crispy, juicy, and just waiting to be dipped into your favorite sauce! This is an easy homemade chicken nugget recipe that is completely dairy-free, the chicken is juicy and coated in a seasoned flour mixture, and frying it in a cast iron skillet ensures that you have the best crispy chicken nuggets every time!
2chicken breastsabout 1 ½ lb, cut into 1- 1 ½ inch pieces
¾teaspoonsalt
3 - 4eggswhisked
Breading
1 ¾cupall-purpose flour
¼teaspoonsalt
¾teaspoonground black pepper
1 ½teaspoonground paprika
¼teaspooncayenne pepper
1teaspoondried thyme
¾teaspoononion powder
Vegetable oil for frying3 cups or 2 - 3 inches
Small carrotto keep the oil clean
Optional
Dipping sauces like ketchuphoney mustard, or barbecue sauce
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
Set up your drenching stations first - this will make frying the chicken so much easier.
You’ll need:
sheet pan with a wire rack set over it for the cooked chicken
sheet pan or large plate lightly dusted with flour for the raw chicken,
shallow bowl for the whisked eggs
large gallon bag for breading the chicken nuggets
2 pairs of tongs- 1 for the dry ingredients and 1 for the wet ingredients
slotted spoon or fork for frying
Rinse and pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Cut chicken into 1 ½-inch bite-sized pieces, set the pieces onto a plate, toss with salt then set aside.
Into a large plastic gallon bag add all the dry ingredients - flour, salt, ground black pepper, ground paprika, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, and onion powder. Close the bag then mix until the seasonings are well combined.
Use the dry pair of tongs to place a few chicken nuggets into the bag with the flour. Close the bag then shake to coat.
Transfer the floured chicken to the whisked eggs, mixing to coat then transfer them back to the flour mixture inside the gallon bag, making sure to allow most of the egg to fall back into the bowl. I like to use my wet tongs for this step.
Seal the bag then shake to coat the chicken pieces. Use your tongs to remove each piece of chicken from the bag and onto a lightly floured sheet pan. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until the vegetable oil is hot, with the carrot if using. To test the heat of the oil, sprinkle a little bit of flour onto the surface. If it sizzles immediately it's hot enough to fry.
Carefully place chicken nuggets into the hot oil. Put in as many as you can comforting fit without them overlapping or touching each other.
Fry for 5 - 6 minutes, flipping halfway through or until they are nicely golden brown all around. You might need to flip them a couple of times until it reaches a golden brown color.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked chicken to the prepared sheet pan with a wire rack to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Serve chicken nuggets hot with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Store fried chicken nuggets in an air-tight container or plastic bag for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in the freezer wrapped in plastic wrap then inside a freezer bag for 2 months.Reheat chicken from the refrigerator in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes or until heated through, if you have the “Quick Bake” setting on your oven set it to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. From frozen, cover the chicken for the first few 20 minutes so it doesn’t dry out, then continue to cook uncovered for another 5 minutes or until heated through and crispy.Make Ahead. Add all the seasonings to the plastic gallon bag and then cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks. You can store the raw chicken pieces in the refrigerator inside an air-tight container or plastic storage bag for 1- 2 days before you are ready to make chicken nuggets. Whisk the eggs only right before you are ready to work with them.