Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

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4.84 from 6 votes

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

These Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are tender, juicy, easy to make, and perfect with your favorite dipping sauce!

Prep Time15

Cook Time8

Total Time23

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Total Cost: $4.64 recipe /. $1.16 serving

Servings: 5-6 nuggets each

Author: Marsha McDougal

Ingredients

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2/3 lb.)* $3.50
3/4 tsp salt, divided $0.05
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour $0.02
1/2 cup buttermilk $0.24
1 cup plain breadcrumbs $0.60
1 tsp garlic powder $0.10
1/2 tsp smoked paprika $0.05
2 Tbsp cooking oil $0.08

Instructions

On a cutting board, cut the chicken breast into 3/4 inch pieces. You should get approximately 20-24 chicken nuggets depending on the size of your chicken breast.
Sprinkle ¼ tsp of salt evenly over the chicken pieces. Next sprinkle the flour over the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
In a small bowl add the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and ½ tsp salt. Mix seasoning into the breadcrumbs. Next add the cooking oil to the breadcrumbs and stir until the oil is evenly coating the breadcrumbs. It should look like damp sand.
In another small bowl add ½ cup buttermilk.
Now line up the chicken, buttermilk, and breadcrumbs. Using tongs or your hands, begin to coat the chicken nugget pieces by first dipping them in the buttermilk, then transfer them to the breadcrumbs and coat them evenly with the breadcrumbs. Set the coated chicken pieces to the side.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Similar to preheating your oven, it’s a good idea to preheat your air fryer so the chicken nuggets can cook evenly and get crispy on the outside. Once preheated, place the chicken nuggets in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Try not to overcrowd the basket. You can cook the chicken nuggets in 2 batches if needed. Air fry for 8 minutes, flipping the nuggets halfway through.
Remove chicken nuggets from the air fryer and let cool for 3-5 minutes, then serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*I’m a chicken breast girl so I’m using a boneless, skinless chicken breast for my nuggets. You can certainly use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, however I haven't tested it with chicken thighs, so the cook time may vary.

Nutrition