These homemade chicken nuggets make for a super easy toddler dinner and will make the kids so happy at the table. And us parents will delight in knowing that they’re made with just three healthy ingredients!
Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Ground Chicken
The easiest way to make moist and tender homemade chicken nuggets is to use ground chicken. I don’t always see it at our local stores, but I scoop it up when I do and store it in the freezer until I’m ready to cook. The ground chicken lets you jump right to mixing and shaping the nuggets, without any grinding or chopping required.
Baked Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Since the last thing you need is a fussy recipe that requires frying or standing by the stove, this homemade chicken nugget recipe is simply baked in the oven. I like to bake my chicken nuggets on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Then there isn’t even anything to clean up! You can even reheat fully cooked leftovers to crispy goodness in just 6-8 minutes.
How to Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets Step-by-Step
Here’s how to make this recipe so you know what to expect:
- Roast or steam your sweet potato ahead of time. You can do this a few days a ahead and store it in an airtight container or the morning you plan to make these.
- Mash the cooled potato.
- Add the potato to a bowl with the ground chicken and salt. Add onion powder if you’d like.
- Form into 1-tablespoon size balls, flatten slightly, and coat in breadcrumbs. (The batter is slightly sticky, so you’ll want to wash your hands well once you have the nuggets formed!)
- Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake.
Ingredients in Chicken Nuggets
The beauty of this recipe is that it only has a few simple ingredients: ground chicken, sweet potato, breadcrumbs, salt, and optional onion powder. It’s egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and can be easily made gluten-free, so it’s great dinner option for kids with food allergies.
How do I cook sweet potato for these homemade chicken nuggets?
For the sweet potato, which adds moisture as well as vitamin A and fiber, you can either roast ahead of time or steam cubes. Or, you can cook it quickly in the microwave: Simply peel, cube, and place it into a bowl covered with water. Microwave for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside. To roast it, poke the potato with a knife, place onto a foil-lined baking dish and bake for 45-60 minutes at 400 degrees F or until soft. (You can also just use a full pound of ground chicken and skip the sweet potato if preferred!)
What kind of breadcrumbs are best for chicken nuggets?
You can use plain breadcrumbs or panko style, depending on what you have and what flavor you prefer. Panko style, which are slightly bigger pieces than traditional breadcrumbs, tend to be a little crispier—which is great for older kiddos. Younger toddlers and babies may be able to handle the texture of regular breadcrumbs better at first. (I like these gluten-free breadcrumbs from Ian’s and I’ve often used Italian-flavored ones in this recipe with great success.)
What’s the best way to reheat leftovers?
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat for 6-8 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees F or for about 15-30 seconds in the microwave. (They will crisp up in the oven and be soft when reheated in the microwave.)
What to Serve with Homemade Chicken Nuggets
You can really pair these chicken nuggets with anything you and your toddlers like, though we tend to keep it simple with a side of rice and veggies. Or rolls and fruit. Feel free to keep it super basic and just balance it with other food groups—so the nuggets cover protein, so you can add dairy, carbohydrates and produce to round things out.
Clear plate shown here by Brinware.
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You can double this recipe to feed a family of 4-6. Or make this smaller batch and serve to your toddler throughout the week. Try serving these with ketchup, ranch, or marinara sauce.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup fully cooked and cubed or mashed sweet potato
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp onion powder (optional)
- 1/4 cup regular or panko style breadcrumbs, plain or Italian-flavored
Instructions
- 1. Mash together the chicken, sweet potato, salt, and onion powder in a medium bowl with a potato masher.
- Form into 1-tablespoon size balls and roll in breadcrumbs. Flatten and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes at 375 F or until golden brown on the bottom and cooked through. Remove from oven, let cool for a minute or two and serve warm.
Notes
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat for 6-8 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees F or for about 15-30 seconds in the microwave. (They will crisp up in the oven and be soft when reheated in the microwave.)
*To roast a medium sweet potato, wash and poke with a paring knife. (The holes will let steam escape.) Place on a foil lined baking sheet or pan and bake for 45-60 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove from oven, let cool, and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
*To steam a medium sweet potato, remove the skin with a vegetable peeler and dice the flesh. Place into a steamer basket in a pot filled with a few inches of water. Cover, bring water to a simmer, and cook for 6-8 minutes or until sweet potato is soft. Let cool before storing or using.
Heather Dumser
April 1, 2019 at 9:45 amAny recommendations on how to prepare them from frozen for a school lunch box? Just thaw overnight in the fridge..? Thanks!
Amy Palanjian
April 1, 2019 at 9:52 amAre you planning to send them warm or cold? If warm in a thermos you can warm them in a 375 F oven for 6-8 minutes. If cold you could just send them thawed.
Kelly
May 22, 2019 at 5:20 amIt’s really hard to find allergen friendly recipes for kiddos that actually taste good. These are awesome! My 17 month old is cutting a few teeth and has been refusing everything but cheese and blueberries. I took these out of the oven and after cooling, my son ate three! After his dinner. And my husband ate 4, haha! I used 2 lbs of ground chicken and one extra large roasted sweet potato- they came out perfect! Will vacuum seal and freeze the nuggets in packages of 6 or so. Thanks so much for the easy recipe! These cake together so quickly and easily and are such a hit!
★★★★★
Amy Palanjian
May 22, 2019 at 10:37 amI am so glad to hear that and I love the freezing idea!
Kate
January 10, 2019 at 6:51 pmWould love to try this recipe. I don’t see eggs on the ingredients list so does the recipe require egeggsHow many? I saw someone asked if this can be made without eggs but don’t see it in the recipe. Also, can these be frozen? How long are they good for if frozen? Thanks!
Amy Palanjian
January 11, 2019 at 9:33 amThey do not contain eggs! I haven’t tried freezing them but I think these instructions would work well: Reheat for 8-10 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees F or for about 15-30 seconds in the microwave or until warmed through
Alice
December 28, 2018 at 8:26 pmYUMMY! My toddler girl actually ate meat, thanks to you! I’m so happy 🙂 It’s crunchy on the outside and soft sweet deliciousness on the inside. Will definitely try out your other recipes!
★★★★★
Amy Palanjian
December 29, 2018 at 6:12 pmYay! I’m so happy to hear this!
Rani
December 27, 2018 at 1:50 pmNot such a fan of the broccoli tots but these are delish! Hope my son agrees!
Amy Palanjian
December 29, 2018 at 6:12 pmFingers crossed!
Lola
November 3, 2018 at 6:05 pmAwesome!!! I doubled the recipe so I would have enough to store in the freezer. Guess what? I could only save 6 pieces in the freezer. My toddler gobbled them up. My husband ate at least 5, my mom ate her fair share too. Needless to say it was a hit. It is time consuming though, so make sure to make a large batch .
★★★★★
Amy Palanjian
November 4, 2018 at 8:34 amI’m so glad it was a hit and that’s such a good tip to make a big batch!
louise
October 4, 2018 at 7:49 amhow do you reheat from frozen? or serve cold once defrosted?
Amy Palanjian
October 4, 2018 at 7:33 pmStore any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat for 6-8 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees F or for about 15-30 seconds in the microwave. (They will crisp up in the oven and be soft when reheated in the microwave.) They’re better warm!
Diana
August 19, 2018 at 4:45 pmwould it work to process a chicken breast in a cuisine art and then follow the recipe?
Amy Palanjian
August 20, 2018 at 11:11 amI haven’t done it that way but I would think so!
Michelle Burch
June 27, 2018 at 8:22 amI made this last night. SO good! Even my husband loved them!! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
★★★★★
Amy Palanjian
June 27, 2018 at 8:30 amI’m so glad to hear that!!
Amy
June 4, 2018 at 1:02 pmDo you think I could swap out the ground chicken for ground turkey? Would it be about the same cook time? (That’s what I have in the fridge now). Thanks!
Amy Palanjian
June 4, 2018 at 1:14 pmI would think that would work! I haven’t tried it but they usually cook up similarly and yes, cook time should be the same if you make them the same size as the recipe calls for. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Lena
May 7, 2018 at 2:42 pmcan these be frozen? to reheat at a later date ?
★★★★
Amy Palanjian
May 7, 2018 at 2:45 pmYes! It’s at the very bottom of the recipe: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat for 6-8 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees F or for about 15-30 seconds in the microwave. (They will crisp up in the oven and be soft when reheated in the microwave.)
Scarlet
March 8, 2018 at 2:25 pmWell now. I never would have thought of that. What a clever way to get them to eat their veggies!
Amy Palanjian
March 8, 2018 at 2:29 pmIt’s a nice way to change things up on the veggie-front!
Bahar
August 20, 2017 at 10:33 pmHello,
Can this recipe be without eggs?
Amy Palanjian
August 22, 2017 at 9:00 pmI haven’t tried it without eggs but you could try a flax egg and see how it works!
Des
March 9, 2017 at 6:56 pmHave you tried baking the meatballs? I wonder if the chicken would dry out in the method. I prefer the approach to pan frying for the mess it makes.
Amy Palanjian
March 9, 2017 at 7:01 pmI have baked a sort of similar recipe and they turn out well. Try 375 F on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet for 22-25 minutes using the same flattened 1-inch portions.