What, you ask, brought me to come up with my own homemade chicken nuggets recipe when they’re so easily bought and microwaved? Well, let me tell you. One day in the frozen food aisle, I found myself squinting at a package of chicken nuggets boasting “100% All Natural* Ingredients.” That sneaky asterisk got me wondering, so I flipped the package over. Holy ingredient list! It was like decoding a culinary cryptogram.

“Chicken (45%)”… wait, only 45%? What’s the other 55%? Water, soy protein concentrate, isolated soy protein… I felt like I needed a chemistry degree just to decipher this culinary cryptogram. And don’t even get me started on the “natural* chicken broth flavor.” If it’s so natural, why does it need its own asterisk entourage?

As I stood there, surrounded by freezer-burned peas and questionable TV dinners, I had an epiphany. Why am I outsourcing my nugget needs to the frozen food overlords? I’m a mom, for crying out loud! I’ve negotiated peace treaties at play dates and survived weeks’ worth of Harry Potter audiobooks; I can handle making my own homemade chicken nuggets!

So I embarked on a noble quest to create the ultimate homemade chicken nugget. A nugget free from mysterious asterisks and unpronounceable ingredients. A nugget that wouldn’t make my mom-guilt alarm go off every time I served it. A nugget that, dare I say, makes me look like I’ve got it together!

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But before we start, here are a few pointers on why I chose the ingredients I did:

• Ground chicken breasts: Easy to work with and perfect for little mouths still mastering chewing.
• Carrots and cauliflower: These veggies add nutrition and help stretch the chicken further. The cauliflower blends in seamlessly, while the carrot adds a touch of sweetness.
• Sweet potato: This nutrient powerhouse adds gorgeous color and subtle sweetness.
• Panko breadcrumbs: The secret to that irresistible crunch. Mix in some Parmesan for extra flavor. You can also use gluten-free breadcrumbs because the rest of this recipe is gluten-free.
• Seasonings: Channel your inner spice wizard with garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
• Almond flour: Packed with nutrients and keeps things gluten-free, but also moist like a good nugget should be. If you have an almond allergy, regular breadcrumbs will do!

Remember, cooking is an adventure. Some days you’ll feel like a culinary genius, other days… well, there’s always cereal. But with these ingredients, you’re on your way to nugget nirvana!

Healthy Homemade Chicken Nuggets

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These crispy, veggie-packed homemade chicken nuggets are a healthier twist on a kid-favorite, perfect for picky eaters and busy parents alike.

• Author: Amanda MacArthur
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 18 minutes
• Total Time: 48 minutes
• Yield: 20 nuggets 1x
• Category: Entrees

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound ground chicken breasts (use a food processor, or you can buy ground chicken)
• 1 medium carrot, finely grated
• 1/2 cup cauliflower, riced
• 1/4 cup mashed sweet potato
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup almond flour (or fine breadcrumbs if you have an allergy)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the coating:

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs (they also make these in panko-style)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil spray

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, mix together the ground chicken, grated carrot, riced cauliflower, mashed sweet potato, egg, almond flour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
3. In a shallow dish, combine the panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
4. Shape the chicken mixture into nugget-sized pieces (about 1.5 tbsp each)
5. Roll each nugget in the panko mixture, giving it a little pat to make sure that crunchy goodness sticks. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Give those nuggets a light spritz of olive oil spray.
7. Bake for 15-18 minutes, flipping halfway through.
8. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving. This is a great time to whip up a quick dipping sauce or, let’s be real, pour some ketchup in a bowl.

Notes

• Use an ice cream scoop for uniform nuggets, because we all know kids have built-in portion inequality detectors.
• If you are finding your nuggets too wet to bread, just add more almond flour/breadcrumbs to the mix.
• Make these ahead, freeze, and reheat later!

To freeze, lay the cooked and cooled nuggets on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for about 2 hours. Once they’re frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer bag. This prevents them from sticking together.

When you want an easy, quick meal for the kids, reheating is a breeze:

• • Oven: 375°F for 15-20 minutes
  • Air fryer: 375°F for 10-12 minutes
  • Microwave: 60 seconds – 3 minutes (but they’ll be softer, so not ideal)

I’ll admit I don’t make these all the time, but I do make big batches of them when I do! And there are a bunch of reasons why I like making this recipe over buying the bagged stuff:

• We’re sneaking in three veggies, creating a nutritional powerhouse disguised as a kid-favorite food.
• We’re baking, not frying, and using real chicken.
• Almond flour adds nutrients while keeping things gluten-free.
• These nuggets have passed the picky eater test with flying colors.
• You can make a big batch and freeze them for those hectic evenings when cooking feels impossible.
• You can get creative with shapes – who can resist a dinosaur-shaped nugget?

Let’s face it, traditional chicken nuggets have a reputation shadier than your teenager’s search history. They’re often deep-fried, packed with more mystery ingredients, and have about as much real chicken as a rubber duck (or… 45% real chicken, exactly.)

But here’s the thing: kids love ’em. Heck, we love ’em too! And who says healthy eating has to be all kale smoothies and quinoa? (Not that there’s anything wrong with those, but sometimes you just need something you can eat with your hands while refereeing a sibling showdown.)

That’s where our homemade chicken nuggets swoop in to save dinnertime. We’ve taken all the crispy, juicy goodness of classic nuggets and given them a parent-approved makeover. With these nuggets, you’re not just serving a meal; you’re offering:

1. A snack your kids will actually eat (without you having to resort to bribery or interpretive dance)
2. A stealth veggie delivery system (it’s basically a salad in nugget form… kind of)
3. A dish that won’t make you feel guilty when you sneak a few off your kid’s plate (we’ve all been there)

So there it is, a homemade chicken nuggets recipe you can make a whole stash of, perfect for those quick weeknight dinners.  I hope you enjoy them! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!