These gluten-free Homemade Chicken Nuggets are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and so flavorful! Made with ground chicken and crispy pork panko, they’re a quick and easy snack or appetizer that kids and adults alike will love! Plus, these chicken nuggets are egg-free, grain-free, and AIP/paleo!
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These Homemade Chicken Nuggets are juicy and tender inside with a perfectly golden brown, light, and crunchy exterior! This chicken nuggets recipe is ideal for people with allergies since it’s free of grains, gluten, eggs, dairy, and nuts! They come together in no time and include only six ingredients.
Ground chicken is seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, formed into nugget pieces, then coated in pork panko or crushed pork rinds. Pork panko is a salty, grain-free, and gluten-free alternative to bread crumbs that creates a wonderfully crispy, crunchy coating that gets golden brown when cooked. I made these in the air fryer but you can also easily make these on the stovetop with some additional olive oil!
These homemade chicken nuggets are served with an optional tangy sweet and sour sauce for an easy, kid-friendly meal that adults will also love!
Recipe Ingredients
- ground chicken
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt
- olive oil
- pork panko
Substitutions
- You can replace the ground chicken with ground turkey.
- You can substitute pork panko with plantain chips crushed into a very fine powder (with a food processor) or use unsweetened shredded coconut to coat the chicken pieces. Readers have also had success using crushed cassava crackers.
How To Make Chicken Nuggets
Step 1. Season the chicken
In a large bowl, add ground chicken, olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Use a spoon to mix and fully combine.
Step 2. Shape the Nuggets
Use your hands to form nugget-sized chicken pieces, about 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide. Ensure they are uniform in size so they cook evenly.
Step 3. Bread the chicken
Dip or roll each chicken piece in the pork panko, ensuring it is completely covered with the pork panko coating.
Step 4. Cook the chicken nuggets
In the air fryer: Brush or spray the basket with a light coating of olive oil or avocado oil and preheat the air fryer to 400F. Add the nuggets in an even layer, ensuring the basket isn’t overcrowded. You can work in batches to avoid crowding. Air fry the chicken for 10 minutes, using tongs to flip each piece at the halfway mark.
On the stovetop: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 TBSP olive oil. Evenly layer nuggets in the pan and lightly pan-fry the chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces with tongs and cook another 3 minutes on the other side. Remove them from the skillet with a slotted spoon and gently blot them with a paper towel to absorb excess oil, if necessary.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- You can make your own pork panko by crushing pork rinds or pork chicharrones in a bag, then pulsing them in a food processor to break them up further.
- Check for doneness by checking the internal temperature is 165F.
- Double this nugget recipe during meal prep so that you always have a kid-friendly AIP snack on hand. It’s easy to reheat from frozen – check the Storage Instructions.
- Note on Air Fryer: Many have asked and this is the air fryer I have. It’s my first air fryer and I’m happy with it so far. I chose this one because I wanted an Instant Pot and love the 11 in 1 functionality. After speaking with the manufacturers on Instagram they confirmed that the air fryer basket coating was made of ceramic and did not include PTFE or PFOA chemicals.
What To Serve With Homemade Chicken Nuggets
As an appetizer or snack, serve these chicken nuggets with the suggested homemade tangy sweet and sour dipping sauce, nomato sauce, guacamole, or other condiments like honey mustard or BBQ sauce (both AIP reintros).
As a main dish, these chicken nuggets pair perfectly with green banana fries, or sweet potato wedges. Serve with greens like smashed broccoli, cucumber salad, or sautéed kale salad to make it a complete meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
These homemade chicken nuggets might not get crispy if the pork panko or pork rinds you use are stale. Otherwise, this chicken nuggets recipe is pretty foolproof and you should get crispy, crunchy nuggets regardless of which cooking method you use!
In this recipe, the pork panko breading or coating holds the chicken nuggets together in lieu of a flour and egg mixture, traditional breadcrumbs, or other meat fillers used to bind fast-food chicken nuggets.
Unlike panko breadcrumbs, you don’t need to toast pork panko! Pork panko is made from finely ground pork rinds or chicharrones; pork skin that has been dehydrated and then deep fried. Since the pork rinds have already been cooked until crispy, airy and golden, they don’t need to toast.
I haven’t tested baking this chicken nuggets recipe in the oven, but suspect it should work! I recommend preheating the oven to 400F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Evenly layer the nuggets onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, and spray, drizzle or lightly brush them with olive oil or avocado oil. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, using tongs to flip them halfway, until chicken nuggets are golden brown and the internal temperature is 165F.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Fridge: Store leftover chicken nuggets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave, oven, toaster oven, or air fryer.
Freezer: Store the cooled, cooked nuggets in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. You can place parchment paper between layers to prevent them from sticking together. Reheat in the oven to let them re-crisp.
Looking for more AIP appetizers? Check out:
- Green Banana Fries
- Balsamic-Glazed Chicken Wings
- Guacamole with Preserved Lemons
- AIP Beef Patties
- Juicy Beef Meatballs
- Stuffed Sweet Potato Cakes
If you try these Homemade Chicken Nuggets I would appreciate it if you would give it a rating and short review. Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious.
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Homemade Chicken Nuggets Recipe (Gluten-Free, AIP/Paleo)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 20 nuggets 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These easy Homemade Chicken Nuggets are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and so flavorful! Made with ground chicken and crispy pork panko, they’re quick and easy to make, and sure to be a family favorite! Plus, these chicken nuggets are egg-free, grain-free, gluten-free and AIP/paleo!
Ingredients
Chicken Nuggets
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup pork panko/ground pork rinds
Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce
- 3 TBSP coconut aminos
- 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 3 TBSP pineapple juice (unsweetened)
- 1 TBSP nomato sauce
- 2 TBSP coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 TBSP arrowroot or tapioca starch + 1 TBSP water
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine ground chicken, olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder and onion powder and mix to combine.
- Use your hands to form small nugget-sized pieces (about 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide) and set aside on a plate.
- Add pork panko/ground pork rinds to a large bowl and dip each nugget into the panko, coating it completely on both sides.
- To make these nuggets in an air fryer, place the nuggets into the air fryer basket lightly coated with olive oil and fry on 400F for 10 minutes, flipping over at the 5 minute mark.*
- To make these nuggets on the stovetop, heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat with 2 TBSP olive oil. Add nuggets in an even layer to pan and cook ~ 3 minutes per side.
- Serve warm on their own or with a sauce of your choice like the sweet and sour sauce below.
Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce
- To a small saucepan over medium heat add coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, nomato sauce, pineapple juice, coconut sugar and sea salt and bring to a simmer.
- Combine arrowroot or tapioca starch with water and make into a slurry.
- Pour the slurry into the simmering sauce and use a whisk to combine. Whisk continuously until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat immediately.
Notes
* If your air fryer is large enough for all the nuggets to sit in an even layer you can make them all at once. If not, work in batches to avoid crowding the basket.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Air Fryer; Stovetop; Baked
- Cuisine: American
I’m really impressed with how these turned out! I wasn’t quite sure how I would like a pork rind breading because I myself am not a pork rind fan. Although, my son is grain free and I have yet to find a store-bought version he can have. These are it!! I love the taste! They were so quick and easy to make. I used EPIC! Pink Himalayan Salt Baked Pork Rinds which are a clean food brand so I feel really good about giving these to my son! I will forever be grateful to those who create and share recipes who help mom’s like me who are always on the search for allergy friendly meals! So, thank you so much!! I’ll be making these and freezing them for quick and easy protein-filled lunches!
Wow! These are showstoppers! I bookmarked this recipe while I worked to source panko! Happily, I found just the right bag in time for spring break. It felt so celebratory to dip (delicious) nuggets into *perfect* sweet and sour sauce! I served these with sweet potato fries and reheated the leftovers in the oven a few days later. Such a delight! Thank you as always, Nicole!
Hello! These look great…just wondering how many nuggets you get with 1 lb of ground chicken? Thanks!!
I think I got about 20.
So good thanks Nicole !
The family loved these! I didn’t use the garlic or onion powder due to my youngest having some issues with it and used shredded unsweetened coconut instead of pork rinds. I am wanting to make a big batch and freeze some for after when baby 3 gets here in the winter. Do you know if this will work?
Hi Elizabeth, glad you enjoyed. I think so but you’d have to reheat in the oven to re-crisp! Do let me know if you try
Have to cook off first then put on parchment paper in singles layer and freeze then package. So don’t stick together.
WOW ? These are so so good!! My only complaint is that my kids loved them too much and ate almost all of them so I only got to try 2 ? I will definitely double the recipe for my family next time. The texture is amazing & the panko makes such a delicious crunchy coating. They were very easy to make as well. Definitely going on a regular meal rotation. So thankful for you for creating this family friendly recipe!
Thanks so much for leaving a review Kaitlin! So glad you and kiddos enjoyed!
This nuggets are AWESOMMMMMEEEEE!!! Thank you so much for the recipe…. it makes me feel less deprived while being on the AIP Paleo diet and reminds me of the times I indulged with Mc. Donald’s.
Excellent! I’ve never had pork rinds before and when I opened the bag they smelt terrible so I was sure it would be a bust.
Nope! So good! And so was the sauce! I’m going to attempt freezing some to pull out later.
These were delicious! I made some with ground chicken and some with ground shrimp (the shrimp ones were even better than the chicken). For the breading, I used half crushed plantain chips and half finely shredded coconut. Thanks for the recipe!
Love this recipe. I dont have pork grinds so i use the regular jap breadcrumbs. Definitely will make this again soon.
These nuggets are AMAZING! I used ground turkey (because that’s all I had) and was super skeptical of the pork panko, however I am converted! They had the perfect salty, crunchy, fatty coating especially to the dry ground turkey! The seasoning is simple and perfect, no need to jazz it up! These are tasty enough on their own, my family didn’t even use the dipping sauce!
These nuggets were really easy to make and the results were delicious. I didn’t have pork rinds so I used crushed cassava crackers and it worked perfectly. 10/10 would make again!
This recipe is genius! It’s the recipe I didn’t know I needed. These taste delicious, just like “real” chicken nuggets. And it’s super easy, to boot.
These are delicious! I tried them with the green banana fries! Wow, even my husband was fooled. Every recipe I’ve tried of yours so far has been awesome. Thank you!
Wow! Wow! Wow!
These are AMAZING!
I had pork rinds in the house so I made my own pork panko. They are perfect! Flavor and texture are spot on. My (non AIP) husband loved them too. So quick and easy to make. These are already a favorite.