Chicken nuggets: the recipe for making golden and crispy chicken nuggets at home

Chicken nuggets are a typical American fast food dish, along with cheeseburgers and French fries. These are delicious morsels with crunchy breading and a soft and tasty center, make them at home in just a few minutes with fresh and genuine ingredients, perfect for a family dinner that is different from the usual and will make both adults and children happy.

Bringing them to the table is very simple: blend the chicken breast with onion and breadcrumbs, flavored with salt, pepper and garlic powder, until a homogeneous and compact mixture is obtained; this is divided into many small elongated meatballs, which are first covered with a veil of flour, dipped in an egg beaten with milk and then coated in a rich breading made with cornflakes, grated parmesan and breadcrumbs. Finally, fry the chicken nuggets in plenty of peanut oil for a few minutes.

The result will be golden and irresistible nuggets, ideal to serve as a second course, accompanied by a fresh salad and combined with a sauce of your choice such as ketchup, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce, but also guacamole, tzatziki and ranch sauce. They will also be excellent to serve as an appetizer or nibble on your fingertips at aperitif time.

We opted for frying, as in the classic procedure, but if you prefer a lighter variant you can cook them in the oven at 180°C for about 20 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking, in the air fryer for 7-8 minutes or in the pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil: they will still be delicious. If you wish, you can prepare a large quantity, being careful not to coat them in breadcrumbs, and store them in the freezer for about a month: if necessary, all you have to do is let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then cook them as per the instructions.

How to prepare chicken nuggets

Cut the chicken breast into big chunks

Transfer them to the bowl of a food processor

Add the sliced ​​onion

Add the diced breadcrumbs

Season with the garlic powder, salt and ground pepper, then in the mixer until you obtain a homogeneous and compact mixture.

In a large plate, crumble the cornflakes with your hands

Pour in the grated parmesan

Incorporate the breadcrumbs

Take small portions of dough with wet hands and shape into slightly elongated meatballs

Dredge each meatball first in flour

Then dip them in a mixture of milk and beaten egg and cover them with the flavored cornflakes

Heat plenty of peanut oil in a large pan and immerse a few chicken nuggets at a time, the ideal temperature of the oil should be around 180°C: you can measure it with the help of a kitchen thermometer.

Fry the croquettes for a few minutes, turning them halfway through cooking, until they are golden and crispy, then drain them on a plate, lined with absorbent kitchen paper, to remove excess oil. Finally, transfer them to a tray or serving plate.

Enjoy your chicken nuggets piping hot, accompanied by a condiment of your choice

Tips

If you wish, you can flavor the chicken nugget mixture with parmesan or grated pecorino and spices to taste, such as smoked paprika, dried chilli for a spicy touch, oregano, thyme or any other aromatic herb of your liking.

You can have fun with the breading and use simple breadcrumbs, Japanese panko and mixed seeds, or create a delicious variant with potato chips crumbled with the help of a rolling pin; alternatively, you can dip the chicken nuggets in a batter, then cover them with cornflakes and proceed with frying.

For a gluten-free version, you can use gluten-free sandwich bread and cornflakes or puffed rice, and replace the 00 flour with rice flour.

How to store chicken nuggets

The chicken nuggets can be kept in the refrigerator, tightly closed in an airtight container, for a maximum of 2 days. If you only used fresh ingredients, you can freeze them still raw: just place them in the freezer for 24 hours on a baking tray or on a plate, well spaced and covered with transparent film; once hardened, you can put them together in the appropriate freezer bags and store them for a maximum of 1 month.