Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

There’s something just comforting about having a freezer stash of homemade nuggets waiting for busy mornings or picky eater phases. These are crispy, juicy, and made with real chicken, without any fillers or weird ingredients. A little prep one night means stress-free breakfasts, lunches, or snacks for days.

Why I Love It:

✔️ High-protein snack for toddler + adults
✔️ Real chicken, no fillers or additives
✔️ Frozen stash = future mornings sorted
✔️ Crispy outside, juicy inside, even straight from frozen

Ingredients:

Chicken and marinade:

- 400g skin-off, boneless chicken thigh, cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, grated into a paste
- 1 tbsp corn flour

Dredging & Coating:

- ½ cup corn flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Olive or avocado oil spray

Instructions:

1. Marinate: In a bowl, combine chicken chunks with soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, garlic, and corn flour.
2. Toast the breadcrumbs: In a dry frying pan, toast panko breadcrumbs until golden. Transfer to a shallow tray.
3. Prepare dredging stations:
- Tray 1: corn flour
- Bowl 2: beaten eggs
- Tray 3: toasted panko
4. Coat the chicken:
- Dip marinated chicken in corn flour, dusting off excess.
- Coat fully in beaten egg.
- Drop into panko, pressing to coat all sides.
5. For freezer batch: Arrange nuggets in a single layer on a paper lined tray. Freeze overnight, then break apart (if stuck together) and transfer into freezer bags the next day.
6. To cook: Place frozen nuggets directly in the air fryer. Spray lightly with oil. Cook at 180°C for 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
7. Serve: Best with your favourite condiment, we love ketchup and mayo

👶🏻 Toddler-Friendly Tip:

Make smaller bite-sized pieces for little hands or shape into long strips for easy grabbing. Reduce soy sauce and salt if cooking for very young children.