Baked Chicken Nuggets
The BEST crisp-tender chicken nuggets that are completely oven baked! Serve with ketchup, honey mustard or Ranch!
Chicken nuggets are loved by all. Toddlers, kids, teens, and all the grown ups (whether we like to admit it or not).
Nonetheless, I am all in here. And it’s a bigger plus that these are completely baked. The secret? Baking these bad boys on a cooling rack using cornflake crumbs, letting them get nice and crisp all around.
And yes, you can absolutely use chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Athlete’s choice. The most important thing is to serve these babies hot from the oven with all your favorite dippers.
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups cornflake crumbs
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- ¾ cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine chicken, Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix, cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; let sit for at least 30 minutes.
BUTTERMILK MIXTURE: In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg.
CORNFLAKE MIXTURE: In a large bowl, combine cornflake crumbs, Parmesan and canola oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Working one at a time, dredge chicken in flour, dip into BUTTERMILK MIXTURE, then dredge in CORNFLAKE MIXTURE, pressing to coat.
Place chicken in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet and coat with nonstick spray.
Place into oven and bake until crisp and cooked through, about 13-15 minutes.
Serve immediately.