Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Are your children nugget fans? Do they seem too difficult or daunting to make yourself? That’s how I used to feel. I made them once or twice and said, this is for the birds. Either frying them in my fryer or on the stove in a frying pan was messy and guess work in regards to timing. Well, not any more.
Enter the air fryer. I kept reading all the great things you could do with an air fryer and as I love fried food (who doesn’t?) I wanted in on the action. So I requested one for Christmas. Santa granted my request (read: I ordered it on Amazon and had Andy wrap it and put my name on it). I thought that it would be great for cooking all those fried foods I love – french fries, egg rolls, french fries, did I say french fries? Well, it does do that very well, but also so much more.
What is an air fryer you ask? It is a small convection oven that sits on your counter top and cooks all kinds of things in under 20 minutes. That is one of my favorite things about this – it is so fast. Emma is singing praises because the other day I cooked steak – yes, steak in about 15 minutes. She loved it! She even commented, “It is so nice to eat steak at home. I usually only get to eat it at restaurants.” (read: cook more steak, mom!) There is no oil involved so it is a much healthier option than a traditional fryer – and cleaner!
There are lots of air fryers on the market. This is the one I have and it is great. I think size is the most important criteria when choosing an air fryer because they all do the same thing. Since I cook for 6, I need a larger one, almost 6 quarts.
Back to the nuggets! I use chicken tenderloins. They are already sliced in smaller portions so you only have to cut them into 1-2 inch chunks. You can use chicken breasts, but that means more cutting. Toss them in the flour, egg, and then breadcrumbs and boom! Done! Pop them in the air fryer and 15 minutes later you have crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside chicken nuggets. I tried making these with panko bread crumbs and while I liked them my kids thought they were too pokey. The regular bread crumbs were a hit in my house. Give them a try!
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside – these chicken nuggets are a family favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2-2 lbs chicken tenderloins or chicken breast
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups regular bread crumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
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Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F. You just set the temp and cooking time and let it cook with nothing in it.
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Cut chicken into 1-2 inch pieces. Place the flour in a shallow bowl or a gallon size zip-lock bag. Place the eggs in a shallow bowl and beat them. Place the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl or a gallon size zip-lock bag. Mix in the salt and pepper.
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Toss the chicken in the flour making sure to coat each side. Place the chicken in the eggs also making sure to coat all sides. Next, toss the chicken in the bread crumbs making sure to coat each side.
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Place the chicken in the air fryer. Set the temperature to 400°F and the time to 15 minutes. After ten minutes, open the fryer and turn the chicken. Close and let cook for the remaining 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
