Make your frozen Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Ground Chicken at home in just 30 minutes! This recipe makes juicy fried nuggets full of chicken flavor. The recipe is kid-friendly and has very few ingredients.
Ground chicken nuggets are loved by kids and grown-ups alike. What makes the homemade ground chicken so delicious is that nuggets made with chicken mince are soft to bite and juicy.
And because they are homemade you season them as you like. Did, I tell you these are freezer-friendly, just like store-bought fried nuggets? Obviously, fresher and healthier.
You can make these ground chicken nuggets in no time. But since it requires a breading station, I prefer making a large batch and freezing the extra for next time.
I love making frozen chicken nuggets so I can fry them quickly in the morning and give them to my kids for lunch at school. Or they make a quick snack for unexpected guests just like my cornflakes chicken, chicken 65, chicken pakora, and sesame chicken nuggets.
Jump to:
Why does this recipe work?
- Moist: This ground chicken nuggets recipe works because you add that 1 juicy bread which binds the mince and also keeps it moist.
- Few Spices: The taste of these nuggets is also very close to store-bought frozen nuggets. I like very basic but essential seasoning to make these nuggets and let the chicken flavor shine.
- If you add stronger spices like ginger and green chilies, these homemade nuggets will taste like kabab. So please no kabab masala in the nuggets.
- Ground Chicken: This recipe uses ground chicken instead of chicken pieces, this makes the nuggets very soft and toddler friendly.
- Crispy coating: I generously coat the chicken with panko breadcrumbs, it holds the shape of the nuggets and gives you that ultimate crispy crust with juicy nuggets inside.
Ingredients
Making homemade chicken nuggets with ground chicken is simple, just mince chicken, add flavors, cover it with egg and breadcrumbs and they are ready to fry. So simple!
So the ingredient of minced chicken nuggets is super simple as visible in the labeled visual above.
- Chicken: You can use ground chicken made with breast and thigh for the best taste. Or if you have chicken breast or boneless chicken pieces in hand. Just process it in the chopper until smooth and you can use it.
- Bread crumbs
- Lemon juice, or vinegar
- Garlic powder or garlic paste
- Onion powder or onion paste
- Chicken powder: This gives you that bright chicken flavor if you don't have chicken powder, use chicken cube or bullion mixed with cornflour to make chicken powder.
- Eggs to make an egg wash
- Salt and black pepper
How to make it?
Making ground chicken nuggets is so easy, you also involve kids and I assure you, it'll be a pleasure.
- Take milk in a bowl and put the bread slice in it. Let it soak in the milk then mash it.
- Take finely ground chicken in a bowl add seasoning and mashed bread.
- Mix well and let the mixture chill in the fridge for 20 minutes for easy rolling.
- Roll out small balls of chicken and roll in the bread crumb.
Pro tip: You can fry one of these chicken balls directly on the pan with little oil to cook and taste test it. Although, not needed but recommended.
- Press each ball the have this flat nugget.
- Whisk eggs, add salt and pepper. Dip balls first in the egg mixture.
- And then in bread crumbs.
- As it gets relatively firm with a coat of egg and bread crumbs, we can easily shape it. At this stage, you can either fry or freeze.
That's a small batch of ground chicken nuggets but you may double the recipe by using 2X.
How do you freeze?
Put these nuggets on a baking sheet in the freezer and freeze for 1-2 hours until solid. Then store in zip-lock plastic bags or in an airtight container with layers of plastic or butter paper in between.
How to Fry?
Thaw nuggets on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes. Then throw frozen nuggets directly in warm oil, cook on medium heat for 4 minutes, and on high heat for another 4 minutes. Do not overcook, that can make the nuggets dry. Take out on a kitchen towel and serve with any dip or ketchup.
How to make different shapes of nuggets?
For a fun experience with kids, you can make shapes with ground chicken nuggets like stars. Grease the board and the rolling pin generously with oil. Roll nugget dough into a flat but thick sheet (more than half cm). Add a little bread crumb to the dough if needed and difficult to handle.
Cut out shapes like circles, crescents, and stars. Remove the shapes and transfer them to a lined baking sheet. Freeze the shapes to tighten for 1 hour. Once hard, roll into the egg wash and bread crumbs. Then follow the same steps of freezing and frying.
Expert Tips
You can take inspiration from store-bought nuggets to create variations and your own unique version.
- Adding your favorite herb, fresh or grounded would taste great. If using cilantro or parsley make sure to grind the herb in a paste. The nuggets will be green too and are called Hariyali or Hara or Green nuggets.
- You can fry nuggets and cut them into bite-size halves. Then roll them in any of your favorite sauces like orange sauce, sweet and sour, Manchurian, honey mustard, bbq sauce or buffalo sauce for next-level snacking. Similarly you can serve it along these sauce for a dip.
- Once, I served the fried and sliced nuggets over my white sauce pasta, and they were a perfect match of crispy chicken and creamy pasta.
- You can add ready-made seasonings too, like taco, ranch, Italian, and so on but I recommend trying the original recipe which is so delicious.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, just lay nuggets on a baking tray, and spray cooking oil on both sides. Then bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Then flip halfway for even baking. Similarly, you can also air-fry it.
Yes, instead of adding mashed bread to the chicken mixture add mashed potato. Or just skip it. Then skip the bread crumb coating and dip the nugget in gluten-free tempura batter and fry.
Hungry for fried chicken? Check these!
If you try this Homemade chicken nuggets recipe, I'd LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments. Your 5-ratings motivate me to do my best. Stay connected for more recipes and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Ground Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 slice bread
- ¼ cup milk
- 500 grams ground chicken
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon onion powder, or 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion, squeeze excess water
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1½ teaspoon chicken powder, or ½ chicken cube/bullion mixed with little cornflour.
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt , more to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper
To Coat
- 2 large eggs, for egg wash
- 3 cup bread crumb, to coat
- Oil, to fry
Instructions
- Take milk in a bowl and put the bread slice in it. Let it soak in the milk then mash it.
- Add mashed bread, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to ground chicken and mix well. The chicken mixture will be sticky, It's ok. Set in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
Prepare Breading Station
- In a bowl, whisk eggs, add salt and pepper to make egg wash. Take some bread crumbs on a large plate. Also, keep baking sheet or large trays to set prepared nuggets.
Roll Out nuggets
- Grease hands with oil and roll out small from ground chicken mixture balls. Coat each ball with bread crumbs. This will make balls firm enough to handle.
- Now shapes the balls into squares or circles with your hands. Dip each nugget in egg wash and then again in bread crumbs.
Frying Instructions
- For frying, throw few nuggets directly in hot oil. Do not crowd the wok and fry on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Then increase heat and fry for another 2 minutes until golden. Do not overcook, that will make the nuggets dry.
- Take out on a kitchen towel and serve hot with any dip or ketchup.
Freezing Instructions
- Put nuggets on a tray and freezer for two hours until rock solid. Don't stack , keep each nugget separated.
- Once frozen, store plastic zip lock bags or in a container putting layers of butter paper in between the nuggets. To fry frozen nuggets, throw nuggets directly in hot oil. Fry on medium heat for 4 minutes. Then increase heat fry for another for 2 minutes until golden from the center.
Notes
- Chicken: You can use ground chicken made with breast and thigh for best taste. Or if you have chicken breast or boneless chicken pieces in hand. Just process in the chopper until smooth and you can use it.
- Dry chicken breast with a kitchen towel. Cut each breast into small pieces. Then ground into a fine paste in a food processor. Also, add 1 tablespoon of butter or cream as the chicken breast mince is very lean and dry.
- Chicken powder: This gives you that bright chicken flavor if you don't have chicken powder, use chicken cube or bullion mixed with cornflour to make chicken powder.
Dalton says
Just perfect. I used leftover homemade sandwich bread and it was amazing! Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Mariam Sodawater says
Hi Dalton, I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for leaving a feedback.
Lauren says
Where has this recipe been my whole life- especially when my kids were little. I have never thought to do my own "nuggets". I never leave comments but I really enjoyed making these. I almost ended up with croquets but sized them way down and finished my large croquets in the oven. I did size them smaller and ended up with beautiful nuggets! I am going to try this again by mincing my own chicken as you suggested. Flavor and texture was spot on! My family really enjoyed them! Thank you again!
Mariam Sodawater says
Thanks a lot Lauren for leaving a lovely and detailed feedback. You can do so much with recipe when it comes to shapes. I'm so glad you found it and liked it.
Annabelle Vella says
Can you taste the lemon juice taste when cooked?
Mariam Sodawater says
Hi Annabelle. You can taste it slightly. You reduce the measures of lemon juice or, you can skip it , if you are sensitive to it.
JaMiya says
It was so tender and delicious!!
I made some without breadcrumbs and just fried it for my 15 month old son since he hates breadcrumbs. (For now lol) so for him, I just added flour/cornstarch mix before putting it on a pan. But I also made some with it and everyone loved it.
Mariam Sodawater says
OMG!Thank you so much Jamie for the lovely feedback. Give my love to the little one. (L)
Umm-e-Aimen Taaha says
Interesting recipe, i usually keep chicken pieces marinated in the freezer when my kids they want it coat them with flour egg n bread crumbs and they love it. But i will give it a try to this one. Thanks
Mariam Sodawater says
Thank for the lovely suggestion Umme-Aimen, do give it a try as the minced chicken taste different from chunky chicken and let me know too.