Homemade Chicken Nuggets Recipe
- Preparation 30 min
- Cooking 15 min
- Servings 5
- Freezing I do not suggest
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🍗 Way better than fast food!
My kids said it themselves: these nuggets beat fast food hands down! Chicken thighs marinated in buttermilk, blended into a smooth paste, a panko and parmesan coating that crunches when you bite in, then fried to a perfect golden brown. Dipped in a homemade maple mustard sauce, it’s pure happiness.
🧀 Parmesan in the coating changes everything
The panko is crushed in the blender with parmesan, smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder until it turns into fine crumbs. Parmesan is flavorful, salty and delicious, and it gives a golden crust you’ll never find in a box. The cornstarch in the flour helps the coating stay crispy.
🔪 The secret: chicken blended REALLY fine
That’s THE lesson I learned making these: the chicken has to be processed finely, finely, finely, until it turns into a paste. That’s what gives you a real nugget texture, tender and even inside. Once it’s ground, you season it again with herbes de Provence, salt and pepper. With fries and coleslaw, it’s the dinner everyone agrees on!
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🍗 Chicken thighs, no question
Use boneless thighs, never breasts. They’re more flavorful, juicier, and they stay tender even after frying. Chicken breast dries out much faster, and your nugget ends up bland. Trim the excess fat before cutting the chicken into pieces so the paste stays nice and even.
🥛 Homemade buttermilk, at the last second
Real buttermilk isn’t always easy to find at the grocery store, so I make my own: one cup of milk and one tablespoon of lemon juice. But don’t make it ahead and leave it sitting on the counter: the first time, it curdled, and it wasn’t pretty. Mix the milk and lemon right before pouring them over the chicken. That’s it.
⏰ Marinate for at least two hours
The first time, I didn’t marinate the chicken, and I regret it. At least two hours in the fridge in buttermilk, and the chicken gets more tender and really delicious. You can start the marinade in the morning or when you get home from work, while you do something else. Cover the bowl well so nothing picks up fridge smells.
🔪 Blend it into a paste
This is THE most important tip in the recipe. The first time, my chicken wasn’t processed finely enough, and you could tell on the inside. Let the food processor run until the chicken turns into a smooth paste. That’s what gives the tender, even texture of a real nugget.
🌿 Season again after processing
Once the chicken is ground, season it again: a teaspoon of herbes de Provence, then generous salt and pepper. The marinade flavors the chicken, but this seasoning is what makes every nugget taste great right to the center. Italian seasoning also works great instead of herbes de Provence. Then shape with wet or lightly oiled hands, or the paste sticks everywhere.
🌡️ A thermometer is a must
For frying, an oil thermometer isn’t optional. If the oil is too hot, the coating burns before the chicken is cooked inside. If it’s too cold, the nugget soaks up oil and turns greasy and soft. Keep your oil at 350°F, and check that the inside reaches 165°F.
🍳 Six at a time, no more
I fry about six nuggets at a time in my pot. If you add too many, the oil temperature drops all at once and they won’t fry properly. Between batches, wait for the oil to come back up to 350°F before starting again. Drain them on a rack set over paper towels: the bottom stays crispy instead of sitting in oil.
🍟 What to serve them with
I serve them with fries, coleslaw and veggies. On the table, there’s the maple mustard sauce, plus ketchup and honey for dipping. The kids make their own mix, and everyone’s happy. If you like a little heat, add a pinch of hot pepper flakes to the sauce.
📅 Make-ahead prep
In the morning, cut the chicken and set it to marinate in the fridge in a labeled container. The parmesan crumbs and maple mustard sauce can be made the day before and stored in closed containers, the sauce in the fridge. Set out your pot, thermometer and rack ahead of time too. Processing, shaping and frying happen at the last minute, so the nuggets hit the table hot and crispy.
❄️ Storage
Cooked nuggets keep for 3 to 5 days in the fridge in a closed container. Reheat them in the oven or air fryer: in the air fryer, they’re amazing and crisp right back up. I do not suggest freezing the raw breaded nuggets: fried from frozen, the ice turns to water in the oil and the temperature drops drastically. Skip the microwave too, it makes the coating soggy.
✅ What to serve with my homemade chicken nuggets recipe
For another crispy dinner, try my crispy honey mustard chicken fingers or my popcorn style pork croquettes. For game night, make my fried chicken wings. And for an oven version, there are my crispy chicken drumsticks with sweet and sour sauce.
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Ingrédients
- Chicken and marinade
- 1 ½ lb (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup (250 ml) milk
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- ½ tsp (2 ml) black pepper
- 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder
- Seasoning for the ground chicken
- 1 tsp (5 ml) herbes de Provence
- Salt and pepper, generously
Coating
- ½ cup (125 ml, 65 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (60 ml, 30 g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- ½ tsp (2 ml) black pepper
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) milk
- 1 ½ cups (375 ml, 80 g) panko breadcrumbs
- 40 g parmesan, in chunks
- 1 tsp (5 ml) smoked paprika
- 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder
- ½ tsp (2 ml) onion powder
Frying
- 4 cups (1 L) canola oil, about, for a depth of 2 inches (5 cm)
- Maple mustard sauce
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) maple syrup
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) mayonnaise
- 1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice
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Preparation
- Cut the chicken into 1 ½-inch (4 cm) pieces and place them in a bowl.
- In a measuring cup, mix the milk and lemon juice, then pour it over the chicken right away. Add the salt, pepper and garlic powder, then stir. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Drain the chicken and pat it dry well. Place it in the food processor bowl with the chopping blade. Process very finely until it forms a smooth paste.
- Add the herbes de Provence, season generously with salt and pepper, then pulse a few times to mix well.
- With wet or lightly oiled hands, shape about 1 tbsp of paste at a time into a nugget about ½ inch (1.5 cm) thick. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 15 minutes so they hold their shape.
- In the blender pitcher, place the parmesan, panko, smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Crush until you get fine crumbs. Pour into a bowl.
- In a second bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper. In a third, whisk the eggs and milk.
- Coat each nugget in flour, shake off the excess, dip in the eggs, then roll in the crumbs, pressing well. Return to the baking sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes so the coating sticks.
- Pour the oil into a heavy-bottomed pot to a depth of 2 inches (5 cm). Heat to 350°F, checking with a thermometer.
- Fry the nuggets about 6 at a time for 3 to 4 minutes total, turning halfway, until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Drain on a rack set over paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let the oil come back up to 350°F between batches.
- In the blender’s single-serve cup, blend the maple syrup, mustard, mayonnaise and lemon juice for a few seconds.
- Serve the nuggets hot with the maple mustard sauce.
Deep fried in oil at 350°F, about six at a time, for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and 165°F inside.
Canola oil, heated to 350°F and checked with a thermometer. Let it come back up to temperature between batches.
Process boneless chicken thighs in a food processor until they form a smooth paste, season, then shape with wet or lightly oiled hands.
I do not suggest cooking them in the air fryer: the coating is made for frying. But to reheat leftovers, the air fryer is perfect.
3 to 5 days in the fridge in a closed container. Reheat them in the oven or air fryer.
I do not suggest it. Fried from frozen, the ice turns to water in the oil and drops its temperature.
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