Ground Chicken Nuggets with Crispy Breadcrumb Coating
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
20 min
Cook
10 min
Total
30 min
Servings
5
Thirty minutes gives you enough time to prep ground chicken nuggets for the week for lunch or dinner. Frozen cauliflower rice helps bulk up the filling, and breadcrumb coatings crisp up well in baked or air-fried preparations, making them a good finger food for kids with a juicy center.
Use 93% ground chicken instead of chicken breast. The recipe warns that dishes using chicken breast tend to be dry. Additional seasonings and ingredients in the dish include frozen cauliflower rice, kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Combine ingredients and form nuggets. Possible toppings: beaten eggs and seasoned breadcrumbs, including gluten-free seasoned breadcrumbs. Form 30 round patties, each weighing 25 grams, for even distribution of flavors.
After making 30 flat rounds, use different bowls for eggs and breading to save time. Cooked breading and browning are signs that the nuggets are properly cooked in a regular oven or air fryer. Suggestions for helping nuggets cooked in an air fryer brown evenly on both sides include not overcrowding the air fryer basket and spraying the nuggets with oil. Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket. Spray both sides of the nuggets with oil.
Serve these foods with ketchup, honey mustard, buffalo sauce, BBQ sauce, or special sauce and vegetable and fruit sticks for lunch. Other options for serving these foods include a small bun, salad with ranch dressing, or fries, macaroni and cheese, roasted broccoli, and green beans for dinner.
Why we keep this one around
- Meets weeknight cooking time requirements with 20 minutes of preparation and 10 minutes of cooking time. Thirty minutes total helps with meal planning.
- Ingredients are ground chicken and frozen cauliflower rice, so there is no need to chop vegetables or handle chicken pieces.
- Includes directions for baking and air frying methods that enable you to prepare these items with tools you already have in your kitchen without buying a deep fryer.
- Makes 30 nuggets per batch. Five servings per batch. A good option for families and other customers who need meal choices for lunch or other meals.
- Simplifies breaded food preparation by having one bowl for egg and one bowl for breading, allowing you to bread multiple pieces of food evenly.
- Freezes well. You can prepare two batches of fritters and cook only half right away to save time compared with preparing and breading additional batches later.
Ingredients
- •1 ½ lbs 93% lean ground chicken (organic preferred, not breast only)
- •⅔ cup frozen cauliflower rice
- •1 teaspoon kosher salt
- •1 teaspoon onion powder
- •1 teaspoon garlic powder
- •¼ teaspoon black pepper
- •1 large egg (beaten)
- •¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs (or gluten-free seasoned crumbs)
- •oil (for spraying the baking sheet and nuggets)
- •ketchup (optional, for dipping)
- •honey mustard (optional, for dipping)
- •buffalo sauce (optional, for dipping)
- •BBQ sauce (optional, for dipping)
- •special sauce (optional, for dipping)
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, cauliflower rice, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mix well.
- 2
Form the mixture into 30 round, flat nuggets, about 25 grams each.
- 3
Place the beaten egg in one bowl and the breadcrumbs in another bowl.
- 4
Dip each nugget in the egg, then coat with breadcrumbs and set aside.
- 5
For baked nuggets, place them on a sheet pan sprayed with oil. Preheat the oven to 450°F and spray the nuggets with oil.
- 6
Bake for 10 minutes, then flip, spray the other side with oil, and bake for 6 more minutes until golden and cooked through.
- 7
For air-fryer nuggets, place them in the basket in a single layer, working in batches as needed. Spray the tops with oil.
- 8
Air fry at 400°F for 8 to 9 minutes, flipping halfway and spraying both sides with oil, until golden and cooked through.
- 9
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
280
Calories
28g
Protein
13g
Fat
13g
Carbs
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