Last weekend, I caved and ordered fast food chicken nuggets.
Yes, the fried, questionably-shaped, had-probably-been-sitting-out-for-hours, Lord-knows-what’s-in-them kind of nuggets. Judge away.
But I have to admit, I was seriously craving some comfort food. It was day two in the NICU back home in Wichita where our family had gathered to meet our very sweet, but very very sick, little newborn cousin and be with his parents. So heartbreaking. And especially considering that most of them had not slept in at least two or three days, so exhausting. So that said, when my cousin decided she was ready take a brief break and walk to get some lunch, I was very happy to accompany her.
Once we stepped out of the hospital and into the warm sunshine, the only restaurant we saw within walking distance was basically the epitome of fast food. But it sounded predictable and strangely comforting, and she said it sounded good, so we headed right in. I normally would have ordered a salad or a healthy sandwich. But for whatever reason, childhood nostalgia kicked in and all I wanted were chicken nuggets and fries with extra ketchup.
I’m not gonna lie. They actually weren’t half bad. And they definitely satisfied the craving in a moment when all I wanted was some comfort food. But they did inspire me to make a legit batch of chicken nuggets when I returned home.
And let it be said — homemade is always a better idea.
Actually, I’ve always thought it a little sad that chicken nuggets in general have gotten such a bad rap over the last decade. I mean, restaurants need to behave themselves and be smart with how they make them. But in general, chicken nuggets are a delightful way to enjoy chicken! They’re bite-sized and perfect for popping. You get a much better breading to chicken ratio, verses chicken strips. And as we all know, kids are basically biologically drawn to want them now.
So for all of you parents who have been requesting easy dinner recipes this month — and to all of you without kids, like me, who may just really love chicken nuggets — this recipe’s for you.
And as you can tell from the title, these aren’t just any chicken nuggets. They super crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and coated with a super-tasty Parmesan-Panko breading. (Oh, and I’m not kidding on the “tasty” part — these were so good that I even loved just eating them plain!) Plus, they’re easy to make and ready on the table in less than 30 minutes.
So yeah, no judging here for anyone who has ever caved to a craving and ordered fast food nuggets. But the next time the craving hits, I’m going for these guys.
Parmesan Baked Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound total), cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup *finely-grated or powdered Parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- coarse sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- cooking spray
- (optional) sauces for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread panko out evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a small mixing bowl, then add Parmesan, and thyme. Toss until combined. Rinse off the baking sheet, then cover with parchment paper.
- Place flour and eggs in separate shallow dishes. Increase temperature to 450 degrees.
- Generously season the chicken with a few pinches of salt and pepper. One at a time, add a piece of chicken to the flour, and toss until coated, shaking off excess. Then dip it in egg until coated. Then transfer to the panko mixture, and toss until it is completely coated (pressing to adhere the Panko if needed). Transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Serve chicken nuggets warm with dipping sauce(s), if desired.
- *I do not recommend using the pre-grated Parmesan cheese you can buy in the refrigerated section at the store. Either buy a block and very finely grate it yourself, or use the powdered Parmesan you can buy in the shaker.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
why is there cooking spray listed in the ingredients? I don’t see where you use it in the recipie.
Hi Susan, the cooking spray is listed in case someone doesn’t have any parchment paper – it would be the next best thing to use so the chicken nuggets don’t stick to the pan when they’re baking.
All it takes for me is one recipe that comes out good to believe in chef. And I believe in you. I made several of your recipes lately and they all turned out good. I shared them on fooducate. I made those last week. My kids loved them so much they couldn’t wait for me to make them again. I used ground chicken and put a little less salt this week and doubled it ! After I baked them all I froze them to be warmed later in a toaster oven. I am very happy that I can give them something they like yet a lot healthier than the fast food.
That’s so sweet of you to say, Tania! We’re thrilled that you enjoy the recipes, and that that these were a hit with your kids! :D
This post touched my heart. Not because of the recipe (though it sounds awesome) but because of my daughter. My husband & I are from SC but we adopted my daughter from Wichita. She was in the NICU there & I have a feeling it was the same hospital as a major fast food chain was right outside the hospital she was in. Our daughter was born at 28 weeks to a drug addicted birth mother. That was 7.5 years ago & she is now a healthy, smart, beautiful, rambunctious little girl. I hope that your cousin’s baby is doing well. I know this comment may seem weird but reading this flooded my mind with memories of the weeks my daughter was in the hospital in Wichita.
Wow, I’m so glad that you’re daughter is well and living such a beautiful life now! Such a small world with the SC and Wichita connections too. :) Thanks for the encouraging words!
I made these last night and they were delicious! My boyfriend even told me to put these on the weekly menu. Browning the panko before using them definitely gave it a better appearance and taste. I only had the refrigerated grated parm on hand but it didn’t seem to make it any less crunchy. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s great to hear Ileana (we love your name, by the way)! We’re happy you and your boyfriend liked these. :)
I did these nuggets last night and my (picky) children loved! I agree with David: more like half and hour and some pretty mess to clean up afterwards, but it was worth . I was in doubt about the oven temperature: my oven max temperature was 250°C, so I used that. I assume you use Fahrenheint degrees, do you? Thanks for sharing!
We’re so glad to hear these were a hit with your kiddos! And yes, we use Fahrenheit.
I made these for my daughter last night and they were so delicious!! What a great tip to toast the panko first. This recipe is clean, easy, and very healthy. I love that it has so few ingredients but it is packed with flavor. I challenge anyone to find a store bought chicken nugget with so few ingredients and all recognizable! Thanks for this recipe it’s a keeper!
Awesome!!! So glad that you all loved it! :)
These are delicious! They were fairly easy to make and came out great. I think there is a lot of wiggle room with the recipe as far as adding more/different ingredients as well as cooking times. Did ours in the convection oven and it was great! My only complaint about the recipe is the stated prep time. I’m not sure who’s awesome enough to do all this prep in 15 mins, but it was more like 30. Also the clean up took a long time since it used a lot of dishes. I recommend doing as much in advance as possible. You can use egg beaters or liquid eggs to save some time. Also, have lots of towels on hand because fingers get very messy.
Hey David, thanks for sharing your tips, it’s really helpful for me to get feedback from people trying my recipes. Thank you!
Do you think this would work with fish as well (cod, flounder) to make crispy fish sticks?
I haven’t tried it, but imagine it would work well! Let me know if you give it a try. :)
Love this recipe – my husband made it for dinner last night and these were THE BEST chicken nuggets I have had in a long time!
I was pretty skeptical of this recipe because I haven’t had much luck with breaded chicken. (BUT) This was awesome!! It was a relatively simple recipe and the chicken came out with a crunchy coating and tender in the middle. Highly recommend this recipe! Great job :)