These homemade Chicken Nuggets (with sweet potato!) are an easy toddler dinner that parents will enjoy too. They’re packed with nutrition and have a veggie right in the mix!
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
I know that many kids love processed chicken nuggets, but it’s actually easy to make them at home. And this way, you get to control the ingredients (including the amount of salt!) to turn a favorite kid food into a healthy one that includes a veggie as well as ample protein.
Chicken Nuggets with Ground Chicken
If you start with ground chicken, rather than breast or thigh meat, you can get right to the mixing and shaping the nuggets, without any grinding or chopping of meat required. It’s such an easy method!
Baked Homemade Chicken Nuggets Recipe
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!
TIP: You can even reheat fully cooked leftovers to crispy goodness in just 6-8 minutes.
Ingredients in Healthy Chicken Nuggets
The beauty of this recipe is that it only has a few simple ingredients including:
- ground chicken
- sweet potato
- breadcrumbs
- salt
- optional onion powder
TIP: This recipe is 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 to Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets Step-by-Step
Here’s how to make this recipe so you know what to expect:
- Cook 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 small balls, flatten slightly, and coat in breadcrumbs.
- Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake.
TIP: The batter is slightly sticky, so you’ll want to wash your hands well once you have the nuggets formed!
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, steam cubes, or use the crock pot.
- To 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 the sweet potato: 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.
- To prepare the sweet potato in the crock pot: Follow this easy recipe.
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.
TIP: To make these healthy chicken nuggets gluten-free, try these gluten-free breadcrumbs from Ian’s.
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 this chicken and sweet potato recipe 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.
Tips for Making the Best Homemade Chicken Nuggets
- Use traditional breadcrumbs or panko-style. Panko will make the exterior a little crunchier.
- Use gluten-free breadcrumbs if needed.
- Plan to prepare the sweet potato ahead of time so it has a chance to cool.
- Using this crock pot sweet potato method is super easy, though you can also roast it or steam it in the microwave.
- You can omit the salt if making these for a baby.
- Reheat for 6-8 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees F or for about 15-30 seconds in the microwave.
I’d love to hear your feedback if you try this recipe, so please comment below to share!
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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.
Use traditional breadcrumbs or panko-style. Panko will make the exterior a little crunchier.
Use gluten-free breadcrumbs if needed.
Plan to prepare the sweet potato ahead of time so it has a chance to cool.
You can omit the salt if making these for a baby.
To freeze the nuggets, should I bake them and freeze or the other way round? How long does it last in the freezer?
Bake them, let cool, then freeze. You can leave in the freezer for up to three months.
OMG! My kids (4 and 8 year old boys) said they LOVED them and wanted seconds!!! They would never eat sweet potato, but they gobbled these up and had No idea about the sweet potato – ha ha! Thank you for showing me a trick to sneak in veggies. Served with whole grain rice and corn. Perfect and easy meal!
I’m so glad to hear that!
My toddler refuses to eat meat, but he gobbled these down with enthusiasm! So healthy, so easy, so delicious! I feel like Super Mom 🙂 My husband and I enjoy them as well. Thank you so much!
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Yay! I’m so glad to hear that!
Amazing and delicious! Next time I might add a little parm to the Panko breading. These are seriously great!
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Did anyone freeze these before cooking? And then cook from frozen from the freezer or defrost them?
I’m just cooking my first batch!
I would recommend baking them and then freezing them once they’re fully cooked and thawed. Then you can quickly warm them in the oven (6-8 minutes) or microwave (30-60 seconds)
Just made these, and they’re pretty yummy! However, the bottoms got blackened by the sugars in the sweet potato i guess? Any thoughts on this? I don’t mind it, but not sure if it’ll but my girls off. Thanks!
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Did you bake them on parchment? I haven’t had that happen to the bottoms before—I’m sorry if it causes any issues with whether the girls will eat them!
Yep, i used parchment. So weird! It was sticky, so leads me to believe it’s from the sweet potato. Fingers crossed they will eat it – thank you either way for the great recipe!
Any recommendations on how to prepare them from frozen for a school lunch box? Just thaw overnight in the fridge..? Thanks!
Are 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.
It’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!
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I am so glad to hear that and I love the freezing idea!
Would 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!
They 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
YUMMY! 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!
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Yay! I’m so happy to hear this!
Not such a fan of the broccoli tots but these are delish! Hope my son agrees!
Fingers crossed!
Awesome!!! 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 .
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I’m so glad it was a hit and that’s such a good tip to make a big batch!
how do you reheat from frozen? or serve cold once defrosted?
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.) They’re better warm!
would it work to process a chicken breast in a cuisine art and then follow the recipe?
I haven’t done it that way but I would think so!
I made this last night. SO good! Even my husband loved them!! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
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I’m so glad to hear that!!
Do 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!
I 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!
can these be frozen? to reheat at a later date ?
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Yes! 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.)
Well now. I never would have thought of that. What a clever way to get them to eat their veggies!
It’s a nice way to change things up on the veggie-front!
Hello,
Can this recipe be without eggs?
I haven’t tried it without eggs but you could try a flax egg and see how it works!
Have 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.
I 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.