Basically, to reiterate the compliments flying around the dinner table the night I served these, I would simply have to state:
Mom rules! McDonald’s drools!
{Insert fist pump}
A light, crunchy, flavorful breading envelopes tender, juicy pieces of chicken, which are baked not fried. Dipped in this beloved BBQ sauce, even I was swooning over this humble meal.
From the children who aspire to live beneath the golden arches (despite their mother’s attempts to brainwash them otherwise), these chicken nuggets were so well-received that I nearly got contracts signed in blood that they will never ask to eat at you-know-where again. Nearly.
One Year Ago: Lemon Berry Trifle
Two Years Ago: Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham
Three Years Ago: Honey Mustard Chicken
Chicken Nuggets {Baked}
Printable Version with Picture
Printable Version
*Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
2-3 thick slices whole wheat bread (for about 1 cup of crumbs)
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon water
4 large (about 2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch or so sized pieces
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
In a food processor or blender, place the slices of whole wheat bread and pulse until crumbs form. Add the basil, oregano and Parmesan cheese and pulse until combined. Pour the bread crumbs into a shallow dish (like a pie plate) and mix in the panko crumbs.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, egg whites and water until well combined. Pat the chicken cubes dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Toss the chicken cubes in the egg white/olive oil mixture before taking a few of them at a time and rolling them in the bread crumb mixture to coat evenly.
Place the coated chicken nuggets on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, carefully flip the nuggets over (taking care not to remove the breading) and bake for 5 minutes longer, or until cooked through (the exact time will depend on the size of the chicken pieces). Serve immediately.
Recipe Source: inspired by a recipe at Skinny Taste
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been pondering the idea for some time of making nuggets just like this. You’ve proven it can be done. I’m off the hook. Nice work!
These look delicious. I love the Parmesan and basil in them, and you can’t beat sneaking in some whole wheat bread. I have a similar homemade nugget recipe that cooks the nuggets on a cooling rack set in a baking sheet so the bottoms can get crispy, too.
Healthy chicken nuggets? Count me in! They look delicious!
I love making baked chicken nuggets! I use the same method as Nicole, so both sides get crispy and I don’t have to flip them. Everyone in my house loves it when I make these. They all think I’m a wierdo, though, because I mix ranch dressing and bbq sauce for dipping. Yum!
I havent ever thought about making homemade chicken nuggets but my 2 year old always wants to go to ‘Wendy’s house’ (Wendy’s restaurant) for chicken nuggets fries and sauce. I cringe every time she says it cause they aren’t good. I am really excited to make these!
This is quite healthy unlike those offered by McD’s etc. One step closer to driving McD’s out of business:)
Haha! With such rave reviews these must be some awesome chicken nuggets!
I already knew that you rule and McDonald’s drools!
I make this exact recipe with tofu (freeze it and then defrost it before using for a chewier texture) and no one can tell it’s not chicken!
I love oven-fried foods! I never fry anything, from nuggets to french fries to “fried” zuchinni to taquitos, everything goes into the oven. Plus it makes less mess! Maybe if you give them some kind of cheap toy with their nuggets, it will replicate the McDonald’s experience and they’ll be satisfied!
Those look so yummy, Mel! Perfect for a quick dinner, lunch or snack. Love ‘em! Thanks for sharing, and have a great weekend.
I can’t wait to try this! I have a chicken tender recipe that I’m getting tired of. Chicken tenders/nuggets like this freeze so well that I usually make about 8lbs of chicken at once, freeze individually on a cookie sheet and then place into gallon freezer bag and dinner comes together SUPER easy when you throw them into the oven already frozen…just lower the cooking temp and cook a little longer… I do 350 for 25 minutes. My toddler likes ranch dressing for dipping but I use Mel’s recipe for pizza sauce because it comes together so easily, is healthy for me and because it freezes well in muffin tins, which is the perfect amount for dipping.
So glad you posted these, I’ve been looking for a good baked chicken nugget recipe to make for my little ones. I like to place a cooling rack over a foil lined baking sheet and then bake the nuggets on top of the rack. This makes for a perfectly crisp nugget all around!
Oops, I just read the other comments…apparently I’m not the only one who does this!
Yum Yum! I would fry these babies up in some coconut oil
Looks yummy! Do you use homemade bread?
Mel,
Can you prepare these and freeze them before you cook them?
Melody – I’ve never tried it but it should work. Someone else left a comment saying something like they freeze them and then bake them at a lower temperature for slightly longer out of the freezer. If you try it, I’d freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet until frozen and then pop them in a freezer bag.
Ashley – Yes, I do use homemade bread. I usually save a couple slices or the heel of the bread when we get to the end of the loaf and stick it in the freezer. I use those pieces to grind up for homemade bread crumbs.
Mel, you don’t know me and I’ve never commented before but I use your recipes all the time. Made this tonight with your BBQ and it was de-freakin-lish! I’m not going to lie, you are pretty much my cooking hero.
Made these for Sunday dinner.. 1 kid and one hubby happy, will make again to see if I can convert the two stalwarts left in the house!! As always Mel, thanks! Your writings just as magnificent as your recipes and photos!!!
i won’t lie–i shudder to think of what’s actually contained within the little mcdonald’s chicken nuggets box. shudder. these are lovely in many, many ways.
I FOR SURE thought someone would ask this question first but I must be the only dumb one… what in the heck are panko crumbs?!?!?
After I find that out, I will definitely be making these!
Hi Alisha – panko is a Japanese-style bread crumb so you can usually find it in the Asian foods aisle at the store. It’s a larger, flakier bread crumb (the crusts are removed before the bread crumbs are made) and it gives a great crunchiness to the food. It’s pretty widely available – I’ve found it everywhere from Walmart to my basic grocery store.
Got it– Thanks Mel!
Made these last night and was very happy with how quickly they came together. I did bake on a wire rack placed over a rimmed baking pan and therefore skipped the step to flip them half way through baking which worked great. The wheat bread I used was on the sweet side which I didn’t love so I’ll be changing that next time. I used four slices of normal sandwich bread and it turned out to be way too much and I had to double the rest of the ingredients to compensate. Next time I’ll just use 2 slices. Can’t wait to make this again. The kiddos and husband love anything that can be dipped in a sauce!
Since chicken was on sale this week, I decided to make some homemade chicken nuggets and then freeze them for later. We ate a batch of them for dinner tonight. Delish!! All the members of my family loved them and one of them is a fast food chicken nugget lover. Thank you for recipe!
I just wanted to let you know my husband has requested these chicken nuggets no less than 5 times since I made them (about a month ago)! I think it may be his new favorite dish! Also I made these for the “world’s pickiest children” (their mother’s words) and they loved them and barely left any for mom! So thanks for a great recipe that we can feel good about eating! Your recipes are awesome
My little 3 year old is accustomed to eating “dinosaur chicken” from a bag. It made me cringe inside when she’d request them for lunch EVERYDAY! I made a 3 lb bag into these beauties yesterday, baked them and threw them in the freezer. Today, we have a healthful option on the menu and she is loving them.
Thanks a ton for saving our arteries!
Made these tonight and they were a hit from ages 33 to 2! Definitely a keeper. Thanks, Mel!
Heidi again, I made one more variation to the recipe. Blending up that chicken baby!! It’s not the most fun to handle, but I liked the texture of them way better. I did the same and froze the rest and I pop them in the microwave for lunches. Nice to know there’s no fillers or anything else questionable. Thanks again for this great recipe.
Hey, Mel,
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your site & visit it often.
Many of my favorite meals were found here.
So my family & I thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
I make healthy school lunches for a living & use panko a lot in
healthy meal makeovers. One thing I discovered is it doesn’t brown much in the oven,
so can leave food looking pasty-pale. An easy way to overcome that is to pre-brown it.
Just place a bag or 2 of panko in an aluminum or stainless pan (8×8 or 9×13 or really almost any size) & put in a preheated 375 degree oven. Set timer for 10 minutes. At end of that time stir flakes to redistribute & set timer for 10 more minutes. Repeat this until panko has reached a nice amber golden color. Cool down & store in gallon-size ziploc. Can be left at room temp almost indefinitely.
This really adds not only to panko’s look when baked but also to its taste.
From a VERY grateful fan!
Had these for dinner & they were GREAT! I just read a few msgs & did not realize they would freeze/reheat well. I too will be making a lg bag of them & freezing them b/c my 4 yr old LOVES the dinosaur nuggets too & they are so gross!! I love making things homemade – I know I am providing good nutrition for my kids! Thanks!
I combined a couple of the above the suggested to blend the chicken, rolled in super crispy pre-toasted wheat bread breadcrumbs (brilliant!!), and pressed into dinosaur shaped sandwhich-cutters. I also shaped my son’s name J-O-H-N. He was soooo excited and gobbled them up!!! However, these ended up larger than typical nuggets so they took longer to bake. Maybe I can try smaller cookie cutters next time. This was fun, but definitely took longer than 30 min to prepare!
Hi Mel, would love to try these, but I would like to ask, can I use dried basil and dried oregano? The ones in the small McCormick bottles? Or do they have to be fresh leaves? Thanks!
Hi Mel, would love to try these, but I would like to ask, can I use dried basil and dried oregano? The ones in the small McCormick bottles? Or do they have to be fresh leaves? Thank you so much!
Hi Pau – sorry for the confusion…I use dried basil and oregano in the recipe so it should work just fine!
Hi Mel, I live in Venezuela and panko crumbs are not sold here so I would like to know if I can substitute them for the same amount of regular bread crumbs
Maria – if you can’t find panko, bread crumbs will probably work. The outer texture of the nuggets will be a bit different since panko is a bit crunchier than bread crumbs but it should work alright.
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