Homemade Chicken Nuggets in the air fryer are juicy, crispy and easy to make in under 30 minutes using minimal oil! This easy air fryer snack or main dish is quick to make with a handful of ingredients and they are a much healthier alternative to grocery store frozen chicken nuggets! Pair with your favorite dipping sauce and a side salad or creamy Homemade Coleslaw for an easy lunch or dinner!
Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 - 7 minutes.
Set up your drenching stations with 3 shallow bowls one for the eggs, one for flour, and one for the breadcrumbs.
Rinse and pat dry your chicken breast with paper towels. Cut into 2-inch pieces then toss with salt, mixing until well combined.1 chicken breast¼ teaspoon salt
Next, mix seasonings together in a small bowl. Add half of the seasonings to the flour and the rest to the breadcrumbs, mixing to combine. ½ cup all purpose flour½ teaspoon salt1 teaspoon Black pepper1 teaspoon Ground paprika1 teaspoon Onion powder¾ cup breadcrumbs
Add a couple pieces of chicken into the flour mixture then into the whisked eggs. Use a fork to drain off the excess egg then transfer them to the seasoned breadcrumb mixture. Firmly pressing the breadcrumbs onto the chicken, then transfer the chicken nuggets to a plate. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken. 1 - 2 eggs
Transfer breaded chicken nuggets to the preheated air fryer leaving about ½ inch of space all around each one. Work in batches if needed. Brush the tops with olive oil. 3 tablespoons oil
Set to the Air Fryer setting then cook for 6 - 8 minutes, flipping half through the cooking time.
Transfer cooked chicken nuggets to a clean plate then allow them to cool for about 5 minutes before enjoying with your favorite dipping sauces. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips and Tricks
Set up all your drenching stations ahead of time: You’ll need a bowl/ shallow dish for the eggs, one for the flour and one for the bread crumbs and a plate to place the breaded raw chicken. Setting everything up ahead of time makes for a smoother prep experience! Oh, a tip I saw on Youtube was to use the air fryer parchment paper liners instead of bowls for the flour and bread crumbs. It will save a couple dishes and then after you're finished you can just simply throw it all away!
Don’t forget to preheat the air fryer basket. This will speed up the cooking time by a few minutes and it makes sure your nuggets will get crispier, faster!
Make sure to salt your chicken before breading them. This is very important because we don’t want bland chicken underneath the seasoned breadcrumbs.
Love spice? Make these chicken nuggets spicy by adding ¼- ½ teaspoon of ground cayenne to the spice mix.