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Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

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Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are crispy buttermilk chicken breast chunks with tons of flavour.

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are crispy buttermilk chicken breast chunks with tons of flavour.



Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are delicious homemade chicken nuggets soaked in buttermilk and breaded with flour and spices.

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are crispy buttermilk chicken breast chunks with tons of flavour.

These tasty chicken bites are sure to please both children and adults.

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are crispy buttermilk chicken breast chunks with tons of flavour.

This recipe produces about 24 nuggets.

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are crispy buttermilk chicken breast chunks with tons of flavour.

Printable Recipe Card with a Full List of Ingredients and Instructions is Located at the Bottom of the Post.

Be sure to read through the entire post so that you don’t miss out on any important tips and tricks!

To make these chicken nuggets, I started by cutting some fresh chicken breast tenderloins into three pieces each.

raw chicken breast chunks on a cutting board

Then I poured some buttermilk into a sealable container.

buttermilk in a container

I added some smoked paprika, ground mustard and salt to the container.

spices on top of buttermilk in a container

I whisked the buttermilk and spices together well.

buttermilk and spice mixture in a container

Then I added the chicken chunks to the container.

raw chicken breast chunks in buttermilk mixture in a container

I placed the lid on the container and then shook it well to coat all of the chicken in the buttermilk mixture.

raw chicken breast chunks soaking in buttermilk and spice mixture

Then I placed the sealed container in the refrigerator and left the chicken there for two hours.

After two hours, I dumped some all purpose flour into a sandwich container.

I added some baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and ground mustard to the container.

spices on top of all purpose flour in a container

I whisked all of the ingredients together well.

flour and spice mixture in a container

Then I removed the chicken from the fridge and opened the container.

I took a piece of chicken from the buttermilk and dropped it in the container with the flour mixture. 

piece of butter milk soaked chicken in flour

I pressed it down into the mixture so that the coating would stick to the chicken.

piece of chicken coated in flour

Then I dipped the piece of chicken back in the buttermilk mixture and made sure it got wet all over.

piece of chicken coated in flour and buttermilk

I returned the piece of chicken to flour mixture to get a second coating.

Then I set the coated piece of chicken aside on a plate.

pieces of chicken coated in flour mixture on a plate

I repeated this process with all of the pieces of chicken.

Then I preheated my air fryer to 380F.

Once the air fryer was ready, I sprayed the basket with cooking spray.

Then I placed the chicken nuggets in a single layer in the basket.

flour coated chicken nuggets in the air fryer

They did not all fit in one batch.

I sprayed the tops of the chicken nuggets well with cooking spray.

chicken nuggets in the air fryer sprayed with cooking oil

Then I set the air fryer to cook at 380F for 8 minutes.

After 5 minutes of cooking time I pulled the basket out, flipped the chicken nuggets and then sprayed the tops well with cooking spray.

chicken nuggets in the air fryer after flipping

I pushed the basket back in and left the nuggets to finish cooking for the remaining 3 minutes.

chicken nuggets after cooking in the air fryer

When the air fryer turned off, I used a meat thermometer to make sure my nuggets had reached an internal temperature of at least 165F.

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are crispy buttermilk chicken breast chunks with tons of flavour.

 

Then the chicken nuggets were ready to serve.

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are crispy buttermilk chicken breast chunks with tons of flavour.

These chicken bites are perfect for dipping in your favourite sauce!

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are crispy buttermilk chicken breast chunks with tons of flavour.

If you are looking for a tasty air fryer chicken recipe, then you need to try these Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets!

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are crispy buttermilk chicken breast chunks with tons of flavour.

PRINTABLE VERSION OF THE RECIPE CAN BE FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make These Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets:

  • 1 lb chicken breast tenderloins
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp ground mustard
  • 1 tsp salt

Breading

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp ground mustard

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Tenders:

  1. Cut the chicken breast tenderloins into 3 pieces each.
  2. Pour the buttermilk into a sealable container.
  3. Add the smoked paprika, ground mustard and salt.
  4. Whisk buttermilk and spices together well.
  5. Add the chicken breast chunks to the container with the buttermilk.
  6. Place the lid on the container and shake well to coat all of the chicken in the buttermilk.
  7. Place the sealed container in the refrigerator and leave it there for at least 2 hours.
  8. After the chicken has been soaking in the buttermilk for at least 2 hours, prepare the breading.
  9. Dump the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and ground mustard into a sandwich sized container.
  10. Whisk all of the ingredients together well.
  11. Take a piece of chicken from the buttermilk container and drop it in the flour mixture.
  12. Shake the container and press the piece of chicken down into the flour to make sure it gets well coated.
  13. Take the flour coated chicken and dip it back into the buttermilk mixture.
  14. Make sure it gets wet on both sides.
  15. Then dip the piece of chicken back into the flour mixture to get coated a second time.
  16. Set the piece of chicken aside on a plate.
  17. Repeat the process with all of the remaining pieces of chicken.
  18. Preheat the air fryer to 380F.
  19. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray.
  20. Place the nuggets in a single layer in the basket.
  21. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may have to cook in multiple batches.
  22. Spray the tops of the nuggets well with cooking spray.
  23. Set the air fryer to cook at 380F for 8 minutes.
  24. After 5 minutes of cooking time flip all of the nuggets over and then spray the tops with cooking spray.
  25. Continue cooking for the remaining 3 minutes.
  26. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the nuggets have reached an internal temperature of at least 165F.
  27. Serve and enjoy!
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are crispy buttermilk chicken breast chunks with tons of flavour.

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

Yield: Approximately 24 Nuggets
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Marinating Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 43 minutes

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are crispy buttermilk chicken breast chunks with tons of flavour.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken breast tenderloins
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp ground mustard
  • 1 tsp salt

Breading

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp ground mustard

Instructions

  1. Cut the chicken breast tenderloins into 3 pieces each.
  2. Pour the buttermilk into a sealable container.
  3. Add the smoked paprika, ground mustard and salt.
  4. Whisk buttermilk and spices together well.
  5. Add the chicken breast chunks to the container with the buttermilk.
  6. Place the lid on the container and shake well to coat all of the chicken in the buttermilk.
  7. Place the sealed container in the refrigerator and leave it there for at least 2 hours.
  8. After the chicken has been soaking in the buttermilk for at least 2 hours, prepare the breading.
  9. Dump the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and ground mustard into a sandwich sized container.
  10. Whisk all of the ingredients together well.
  11. Take a piece of chicken from the buttermilk container and drop it in the flour mixture.
  12. Shake the container and press the piece of chicken down into the flour to make sure it gets well coated.
  13. Take the flour coated chicken and dip it back into the buttermilk mixture.
  14. Make sure it gets wet on both sides.
  15. Then dip the piece of chicken back into the flour mixture to get coated a second time.
  16. Set the piece of chicken aside on a plate.
  17. Repeat the process with all of the remaining pieces of chicken.
  18. Preheat the air fryer to 380F.
  19. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray.
  20. Place the nuggets in a single layer in the basket.
  21. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may have to cook in multiple batches.
  22. Spray the tops of the nuggets well with cooking spray.
  23. Set the air fryer to cook at 380F for 8 minutes.
  24. After 5 minutes of cooking time flip all of the nuggets over and then spray the tops with cooking spray.
  25. Continue cooking for the remaining 3 minutes.
  26. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the nuggets have reached an internal temperature of at least 165F.
  27. Serve and enjoy!

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