Forget the drive through, here’s a recipe for Oven Baked Chicken Nuggets that you’ll feel great about putting on your dinner table.
Who doesn’t love a chicken nugget? I’m not talking about those highly-processed-might-be-chicken chicken nuggets. I mean juicy, tender chicken bites with a crispy, crunchy crust. And, let’s be honest, there’s just something fun and playful about serving chicken nuggets for dinner.
How To Make Oven Baked Chicken Nuggets
These chicken nuggets start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces. If you prefer chicken thighs, you can easily substitute those. Seasoning the pieces of chicken with salt and pepper before they’re dredged in the coating ingredients flavors them evenly.
The dredging process involves coating the pieces first in flour, then in eggs, and finally, in the breadcrumb mixture. The addition of olive oil to the breadcrumb mixture creates a lighter texture and more even browning as they bake. Working in batches ensures that each of the pieces receives the same amount of coating.
I recently purchased this set of breading trays for the dredging process and love it. This isn’t a necessity, but if you find yourself breading more often, you may want to consider a set like this. I love the way that they lock together when they’re on the counter and then stack for easy storage.
Having a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat close to your dredging station makes it easy to arrange the chicken in a single layer as they come out of the breadcrumb mixture. It also cuts down on the mess.
You can also try my Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets recipe if you love this one!
What To Serve With Nuggets
In keeping with the fun and playful element of chicken nuggets, I like to serve them with a variety of dipping sauces on the table. Some of our family favorites are BBQ Sauce, Ranch Dip, Chili Garlic Sauce, and Honey Dill Sauce.
Whether you serve these with a green salad or french fries, they’re sure to please.
PrintOven Baked Chicken Nuggets Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Forget the drive through, here’s a recipe for Oven Baked Chicken Nuggets that you’ll feel great about putting on your dinner table.
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 3/4 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup non-seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- On your work surface, line up three shallow bowls, cake or pie pans are perfect.
- In the first, place the flour.
- In the second, whisk together the eggs.
- In the third, combine the breadcrumbs, thyme, garlic powder, and olive oil. Mix to coat all bread crumbs with the oil.
- Working in batches of 5 – 6 pieces, toss the chicken in the flour; next, coat all sides with egg; move the chicken into the breadcrumb mixture and make sure that all sides are coated.
- Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer registers 165˚F when inserted into the thickest part of a nugget.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
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