Simple Chicken Nuggets Recipe – A classic lunch and dinner dish, this recipe is ready in 30 minutes without frying! Oven baked and delicious!
Chicken Nuggets crept into my family’s diet about the time Little Buddy was a little over two years old. We were at a friend’s birthday party and they were serving Chic-fil-a chicken nuggets to all of the children that were there. This was the first time my son had tasted them and with one little bite, he was completely hooked.
Since then, I’ve tried so many ways to prepare chicken nuggets that are simple, quick, and really flavorful. This recipe is one of my absolutely favorites. Start to finish, these chicken nuggets are ready in 30 minutes. They deliver on the flavor and the recipe could not be simpler to make.
Oh yeah, and my family loves them. I think that’s probably the number one reason this recipe is such a keeper!
Here’s how I make them.
Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix together your flour, thyme, paprika, and salt.
Give it all a quick stir to mix it up really well.
Take a package of chicken tenderloins and cut them into about 1″ – 2″ pieces.
Then, just drop them into your herbed flour.
Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour your melted butter into your baking dish.
Add you chicken nuggets to the baking dish and bake for about 25 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and watch them disappear!
These chicken nuggets also make a great make-ahead recipe. You can easily make these and then refrigerate to be reheated later.
Simple Chicken Nuggets Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 – 2 pounds chicken tenderloins, about 12
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º F.
- Mix together flour, thyme, paprika, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Cut chicken tenderloins into 1″-2″ pieces depending on preference.
- Spray baking dish with butter flavored non-stick cooking spray. Pour melted butter into baking dish.
- Dredge chicken in flour mixture and place into baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, turning about halfway through cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Hey Robyn. These look really good, but I was wondering, how crunchy do they come out? I know it’s just a tiny bit of flour, but have you tried them with panko or cornflake crumbs? I guess a thicker coating might need to have egg wash or yogurt or something to make it adhere better. I will definitely try yours first, as it looks so much simpler! Thank you for posting!,
Hi Susan,
You would definitely want to use something like buttermilk or yogurt before coating in a thicker coating so it would adhere. Hope you enjoy these!
Love these they are trualy amazing! They’re so easy and quick too make. A big hit in our household. Thank you for posting this yummy nugget recipe!
I did not put anything to adhere the flour to will it turn out ok?
Just follow the instructions in the recipe, Hayley, and they should look like the photos in the post.
thank you
I just made these, and they were simple to do. I also can’t stop snacking on them. I will say I must have cut my bites smaller because they didn’t take anywhere near 25 mins to cook. Have you ever frozen them after making, so that you had easy nuggets already made and in the freezer?
Ck, you can freeze these nuggets. Let them cool completely. Place them on a baking sheet and flash freeze for about 2 hours. After they are frozen, you can put them freezer safe bags or containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Hope this helps.
I have never rated a recipe before, but these turned out so GREAT I just had to tell everyone. Super easy. Tasty. Perfect. (I added garlic and onion powder and omitted the salt. I also used unsalted butter for a very low-sodium but delicious version. Will make these again and again.
Thank you, Barbara, for taking the time to tell everyone how much you like these simple chicken nuggets.