Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets with Panko Easy Weeknight Dinner
Enjoy a quick and tasty air fryer chicken nuggets recipe that makes an easy dinner or family meal. These crispy chicken nuggets with panko are perfect for busy weeknights and homemade chicken nuggets fans.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Standard
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar optional
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- olive oil or avocado oil spray
Instructions
- Warm up your air fryer to 400ºF or 200ºC for about 4 minutes.
- Put the chicken pieces in a bowl and season them with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and sugar, then mix thoroughly.
- Beat the egg separately, add the spiced chicken to the egg, and stir until well coated.
- Spread the panko breadcrumbs on a flat dish and coat each chicken piece carefully in the crumbs.
- Arrange the chicken nuggets in the air fryer basket in batches without them touching, and spray with oil.
- Cook the nuggets for 7 minutes at 400ºF or 200ºC, shaking or turning them halfway.
- Sprinkle extra salt immediately after cooking and keep warm in a 200ºF oven if needed.
Notes
- The chicken nuggets are delicious served with my Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce An air fryer will cook these faster than a convection oven or traditional oven
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken comes to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit
- Traditional oven instructions – Preheat to 400F or 200C and place on a sheet pan with parchment paper
- Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until fully cooked through and light brown
- For gluten free, use gluten free panko
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 pieces
- Calories: 208kcal
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 841mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g + 1g
- Trans Fat: 0.02g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 119mg