Today I’m excited to share my protein-packed recipe for air fryer chicken nuggets! These homemade chicken nuggets with ground chicken are a crowd favorite around here. With minimal ingredients and tons of flavor, you’ll be reaching for this ground chicken nuggets recipe over and over!

I prefer using lean ground chicken because it’s easier to mix in the spices and parmesan cheese so each bite is packed with flavor. You can also grind chicken breasts if you can’t find already ground chicken at the grocery store.

Why You’ll Love These Ground Chicken Nuggets

These easy air fryer chicken nuggets with ground chicken come together quickly! So easy that you can even get your kids involved.
Because we’re making these chicken nuggets with ground chicken, you can mix in a ton of flavor right into the meat mixture. These are great plain and even better dipped into your favorite sauce.
We’ll be cooking these homemade ground chicken nuggets in an air fryer so they’ll be juicy on the inside and crisp on the outside, all without needing to deep fry in a ton of oil.

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Ingredients

These easy ground chicken nuggets have minimal ingredients. You’ll need 1 lb of lean ground chicken, grated parmesan cheese, an egg, a tiny bit of cornstarch and some basic spices.

For the chicken nugget coating, we won’t be using bread crumbs or panko. Instead, we’ll be mixing grated parmesan with spices and just a bit of cornstarch. The parmesan and cornstarch crisp up beautifully and the resulting air fryer chicken nuggets are crispy & delicious!

How to make Ground Chicken Nuggets

You’ll start by mixing together your chicken nugget coating. Mix the cornstarch, spices and grated parmesan cheese and set aside.

In a large bowl, add in your ground chicken with the egg, spices and parmesan cheese. Gently mix together until combined.

Next, shape your ground chicken nugget mixture into 16 balls, and flatten slightly. Each nugget will be approximately 35g. Take each nugget and gently press it into the coating, making sure to get all sides.

Lightly spray your air fryer basket or sheet pan, and line up your nuggets. If your basket is small, don’t overcrowd it and cook in batches if needed. Lightly spray the tops of the ground chicken nuggets, and air fry until cooked.

Once cooked through and crispy, serve with your favorite dipping sauce! Some of our healthier dipping sauces include:

FAQ

Can you freeze these ground chicken nuggets?

YES! I recommend cooking the air fryer chicken nuggets and once cool, freezing them in single-serving portions. They will stay fresh for up to 3 months.

How to reheat frozen air fryer chicken nuggets?

Once you’re ready to eat these frozen chicken nuggets, pop them back in the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 5-6 minutes and they will be ready to go!

What to serve with ground chicken nuggets?

Besides a great dip, which is KEY, I love to serve these air fryer chicken nuggets with homemade sweet potato fries, a green salad, crunchy carrots, roasted cauliflower or even a scoop of homemade macaroni and cheese!

For a Mexican flair, also try my chicken fajitas in the air fryer.