Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

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This easy air fryer chicken nuggets recipe is made with only 4-ingredients! Perfect healthier option to serve to the family and crispy perfection thanks to the air fryer!

If you are anything like me, you’ve jumped on the air fryer bandwagon. We have owned ours for about a year and use it for EVERYTHING. It is so easy to use and gives you crispy fried foods without the use of oil.

That’s a win in my book.

These chicken nuggets are high on our most-requested dinners. My kid loves them for the taste while I love them for the ease. From start to finish you’re looking at less than 20 minutes!

Recipe Features

• 5-Ingredient Dinner Recipe- If you count dipping sauce
• Quick Dinner Recipe- Ideal for busy weeknights
• 30-Minute Dinner Recipe- Technically less!

Air Fryer Chicken Nugget Ingredients:

Here’s the deal, you do not need many ingredients for this simple dinner idea. Really, most are probably already in your pantry! I especially love that there is no need to add any oil to your air fryer for these nuggets. They remind me so much of chick-fil-a!

• Chicken Breast
• Breadcrumbs OR Croutons
• Parmesan Cheese
• Butter

You can definitely substitute the butter with milk. When we do that I like to use buttermilk.

How to Make Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer

Ready to dive right in? Before I release you to get cooking, I need to chat about air fryer options. We own and have truly tested the Instant Pot Vortex (affiliate). It’s a 6 quart which is plenty big enough for our family of three. I’d even feel confident saying this would be great for a family of 5 or 6. It’s got a large basket and so many different cooking options beyond air frying (like baking or reheat). Worth the investment and a kitchen staple.

1. Chop the chicken breast into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Set aside.
2. Stir together the crumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a separate shallow dish.
4. Dip the chicken in the butter followed by the crumbs. Be sure to turn and coat well. Continue with the remaining nuggets.
5. Set aside.
6. Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF for 8-10 minutes.
7. Once preheated, carefully place the coated chicken pieces into the air fryer basket.
8. Push back into the machine and allow to cook, turning halfway, until the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
9. Serve immediately.

I also have a recipe for baked chicken nuggets! Check it out for a quick and crispy chicken bite recipe.

Recipe Tips and FAQs

• This recipe is incredibly easy to customize. We like to use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs OR garlic croutons that have been crushed finely. You could also use crushed butter crackers or chips.
• Grated parmesan works best for this recipe, not shredded.
• Check the nuggets at 8 minutes. If they are crisp and cooked you are good to go. If not, give them that additional two minutes. Our cooker needs the full 10.

Related Recipes

• Easy Air Fried French Bread Pizzas
• S’mores in the Air Fryer
• Quick and Easy Air Fried Cheeseburgers
• How to make frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer