Ultra-Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets | Gimme Some Oven

Easy30 minsQuick

This Ultra-Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets recipe is super easy to make with just three ingredients, it’s naturally gluten-free, and super crunchy and flavorful and downright irresistible.

This post is sponsored by Kettle Brand® chips, my all-time favorite chips.

Whether you’re a kid of the 80’s like me, have kiddos at home nowadays, or — hey — are still a kid a heart of any age, I think we can all agree on one thing:

Everyone loves a good nugget. ???

I grew up on the McD’s variety back in the day, which I loved with all my little 8-yr-old heart and begged for regularly.  But nowadays, I’m wholeheartedly on team homemade chicken nuggets.  Especially when made with this 3-ingredient chicken nugget recipe hack.

I already know you guys are going to love these little guys too.  They’re super-easy to make and ready to go in just 30 minutes.  They’re ultra crispy and crunchy, and also naturally gluten-free.  They’re perfect for everything from weeknight dinners to game day snacking to party fare.  And they’re crazy delicious and easy to customize to your favorite flavors, thanks to one game-changing ingredient.

Spoiler alert: It’s a bag of Kettle Brand Chips.

Barclay and I have long been big Kettle Brand® chips fans, and regularly keep a stash of our favorite flavors in the house.  (His: Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper.  Hers: Jalapeño all the way.)  But recently, I decided to try blitzing a bag in the food processor to use as an easy potato chip crust for a batch of chicken nuggets.  And the results?

Brilliant.

The chips are so flavorful on their own that you don’t need to add any extra seasonings.  The chips also make the nuggets ultra crispy on the outside, which I love.  Kettle Brand® chips are also all naturally gluten-free, which is nice to know.  And oh my goodness, they are downright irresistible.

I made a big batch on game day recently with three different flavors — our two faves plus a new wildcard (the Buffalo Bleu flavor, which I had to wrestle out of Barclay’s arms to add to the chicken nuggets, they’re addictive!).  And everyone loved them.  So much flavor.  So simple.  And so tasty.

Let’s make a batch!

Ultra-Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets Ingredients:

To make this baked chicken nuggets recipe, you just need 3 easy ingredients:

1. A bag of Kettle Brand® chips: Pick your favorite flavor — any will do!
2. Chicken: Just some simple boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
3. Eggs: To help the chip coating stick to the chicken nuggets.

How To Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets:

To make these easy baked chicken nuggets, simply:

1. Finely crumble the chips.  I just whizzed mine in a food processor until they reached a nice fine crumble.  But you can also use a rolling pan to crumble them, either in their original bag (you may need to poke a small hole in the corner so that it doesn’t burst) or in a freezer bag.
2. Assemble the nuggets. Make an assembly line with the bite-sized chicken, egg, crumbled chips and parchment-covered baking sheet.  Then coat a piece of chicken in the egg, roll in the chips, transfer to the baking sheet…and repeat!
3. Bake.  Pop ’em in the oven and bake until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 20 minutes.  I recommend flipping them once about halfway through, so that they are crispy on all sides.  Or you can place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet and cook the chicken on that, which will not require flipping.
4. And…serve!  Nice and warm, along with your favorite dipping sauces.

Dipping Sauce Ideas:

You can’t go wrong with the traditional ketchup, mustard or ranch.  But a few other faves could include:

What To Serve With Chicken Nuggets:

Looking for some tasty sides to serve with your nuggets?  I would recommend:

Or as always, feel free to check out our full collection of Side Dish and Dessert recipes!  🙂

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ultra-Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets

This Ultra-Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets recipe is super easy to make with just three ingredients, naturally gluten-free, and totally delicious!

Total Time:30 mins

Prep Time:10 mins

Cook Time:20 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 (8.5-ounce) bag Kettle Brand® chips, any flavor
• 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper*; set aside.
2. Add the chips to a food processor and pulse until they are finely crumbled.  (Or alternately, you can use a rolling pin to crush the chips while they are still in their bag.)  Transfer the crumbled chips to a small bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs in a separate small bowl.
4. Then it’s time to assemble the nuggets!  Dip one nugget in the egg mixture with your right hand until it is completely coated, then transfer it to the bowl with the chips.  Then use your left hand to carefully coat the chicken with the chips on all sides, pressing them lightly on the chicken to help them stick.  Use your left hand to transfer the chicken nugget to the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining chicken.  (This right/left-hand method helps prevent the chips from sticking to your hands while assembling.)
5. Bake for 12 minutes (the top coating of the nuggets should be nice and crispy).  Then remove from the oven, flip the nuggets, and bake for 8 more minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (to an internal temperature of 165°F) and no longer pink inside.
6. Remove from the oven and serve warm with your favorite dipping sauces.

*Or you can place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet (sans parchment paper) and cook the chicken on that, which will not require flipping.

Difficulty: EasyCategory: Quick

All images and text ©Gimme Some Oven

This post is sponsored by Kettle Brand® chips, maker of my all-time favorite crispy kettle chips.  Thanks as always for supporting the brands who help to make this site possible.