There is a reason these chicken nuggets show up on repeat: crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and made with real ingredients you can pronounce. A coating of seasoned breadcrumbs gets baked until golden, so you get all the crunch of the drive-through version without the mystery. These nuggets disappear fast as a weeknight dinner with a quick dip of honey mustard, but they are also a favorite for school lunch. Pack them warm into a preheated thermos right before school and by lunchtime they are still hot and ready to dip. A lunchbox win!
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Homemade Chicken Nuggets
These chicken nuggets are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and made with real ingredients you can actually pronounce. They come together fast for a weeknight dinner, or pack them warm in a thermos for a hot school lunch with zero microwave required.
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 nuggets
Ingredients
For the Chicken Nuggets:
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 3 eggs, divided
• 1¼ cups breadcrumbs, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
• 1 teaspoon onion powder, divided
• 1 teaspoon paprika, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon pepper, divided
• ½ cup flour
• Olive oil spray
• Olive Oil (optional, see note)
For the Honey Mustard Dip:
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon or yellow mustard
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the ground chicken, 1 egg, ¼ cup of breadcrumbs, and ½ teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Chill the mixture for 30 minutes.
3. While the mixture chills, combine the remaining 1 cup of breadcrumbs with the remaining ½ teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl.
4. Whisk the remaining 2 eggs in another shallow bowl.
5. Place the flour in a third shallow bowl.
6. Remove the chicken mixture from the refrigerator. Weigh 1½ ounces of chicken and form into nugget shapes.
7. Press each chicken nugget into the flour, then the egg, and finally the seasoned breadcrumbs. Lightly spray each nugget with olive oil spray.
8. Bake for approximately 20–30 minutes, flipping halfway through and spraying with the olive oil spray, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
9. While the nuggets bake, make the honey mustard dressing (see below).
10. Optional: for a crispier outside, heat olive oil in a pan and quickly crisp the outside of the baked nuggets.
Honey Mustard Dip:
Whisk all dip ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve alongside the chicken fingers for dipping.
Notes
• Try swapping regular breadcrumbs for panko for an extra-crunchy coating or use gluten-free breadcrumbs and flour to make the recipe gluten-free.
• I like to weigh my nuggets so that I can be sure they are all cook at the same time- and to track macros.
• Kids can be creative with the shapes they make with the chicken nuggets!
• For school lunch: bake or re-heat the chicken fingers fully, then let a thermos sit filled with boiling water for a few minutes to warm up. Empty the water, carefully dry the inside of the thermos because it will be hot, tuck the hot chicken nuggets inside right away, and seal. They will stay warm and ready to eat by lunchtime.
• Baked chicken nuggets freeze well. Reheat in the oven until warmed through and crispy again.
• Always use a food thermometer to confirm the chicken has reached a safe internal temperature of 165°F.
• The honey mustard dip tastes great on sandwiches too!
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 30
Language Corner: Homemade Chicken Nuggets
These language guides are here to support you, not overwhelm you! Pick one word, one prompt, or one concept that feels right for your child and your moment. There is no right or wrong way to use them. The best conversation is the one that happens naturally while you are cooking together.
✦ Word of the Day: Divided
Divided (say it: dih-VY-ded) is a word you will see repeatedly in this recipe's ingredient list. It means an ingredient is split into two or more portions and used at different points in the cooking process, like the eggs, breadcrumbs, and seasonings here, which each get used once in the chicken mixture and again in the coating. Splitting things up this way keeps every layer perfectly seasoned.
Try it: “Can you count how many ingredients on our list say ‘divided’? What do you think ‘divided’ means when we are cooking?”
✦ Describing Words
Chicken nuggets are a great excuse to talk about texture and color. Before they go in the oven, the nuggets are soft, sticky, and pale. After baking, everything changes, the outside turns crispy, golden, and crunchy, while the inside stays juicy and tender. Even the honey mustard has its own describing words: smooth, sweet, and tangy.
Try it: “Can you find one word to describe the chicken before it bakes, and a different word to describe it after? What changed?”
✦ Talk While You Cook
While breading the chicken: “We are pressing the nugget into flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Why do you think we do it in that order? What would happen if we skipped the egg?”
While the chicken bakes: “Watch through the oven window, what is happening to the color of the breadcrumbs? What do you think is making that happen? Remember, the oven gets very hot, so we never touch it and ask a grown-up to turn on the oven light so you can peek safely.”
While making the honey mustard: “We are mixing honey, mustard, and mayonnaise together. Before you taste it, can you guess what it will taste like? Sweet, tangy, or both?”
There are no wrong answers, just good conversation!
✦ Think Like a Chef
This recipe uses a classic flour-egg-breadcrumb coating, but a curious chef always wonders what else might work. What if we swapped the breadcrumbs for crushed cornflakes or panko for extra crunch? What if we added a pinch of parmesan cheese to the breadcrumb mixture? What if the honey mustard became a barbecue dip instead?
Try it: “If you could change one thing about this recipe- the seasoning, the coating, or the dip-what would it be” Why do you think it would taste good?”
✦ Language Concept: Cause and Effect
Cause and effect are everywhere in this recipe! Chilling the chicken mixture causes it to firm up, which makes it much easier to shape into nuggets. Pressing a nugget through flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs causes each layer to stick to the one before it. And baking the coated nuggets in a hot oven causes the breadcrumbs to turn golden and crispy while cooking the chicken all the way through.
Try it: “Can you find one ‘cause’ and one ‘effect’ in this recipe? For example: what happens (the effect) when we chill the chicken mixture (the cause)?”
✦ A Note on Kitchen Safety
Raw ground chicken needs extra care. Always wash hands well before and after touching it and use separate bowls and utensils for the raw chicken mixture and the coating stations so nothing raw touches food that will not be cooked again. Forming the nuggets and pressing them through the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs is a great job for kids, just remind them to wash their hands right after or they can use food-safe gloves. The oven is a grown-up job, and an adult should always check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F with a food thermometer before serving.
Jen Adames
Keep em’ coming. I look forward to your recipes!
Antigone
Awe thank you! Will do!