This crispy, Spicy Chicken Nuggets recipe is easy to make and full of flavor! Prepare extra and freeze them for later.
You can bake these homemade chicken nuggets in the oven, cook them in an air fryer, or fry them in a skillet! Serve the spicy nuggets with seasoned sour cream and waffle fries or spicy nacho fries.
Everyone in our family loves chicken nuggets, and making them from scratch is surprisingly easy! You can add your choice of seasonings (we like them spicy) and pick the cooking method (oven-baked is my favorite).
Three Step Breading
1. Put the flour in one bowl, whisk together the eggs and sriracha sauce in a second bowl, and combine the panko, crushed hot and spicy Cheezits, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt in a third bowl.
2. Cut the chicken breasts into strips and then into cubes.
3. First, coat the cubes with flour, followed by the egg wash, and finally, coat them with breadcrumbs.
Once you’ve added the breading, you can cook the spicy chicken nuggets in the oven, air fryer, or skillet. Or freeze them to cook later.
Baked Spicy Chicken Nuggets
1. Place the spicy chicken nuggets on a preheated baking stone and spray them with olive oil. If you don’t have a baking stone, you can place them on a parchment lined baking sheet instead.
2. Bake them in the oven at 375˚F, flipping them halfway through cooking and spraying both sides with olive oil.
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
1. Place half of the breaded chicken nuggets in a single layer in a greased air fryer basket and spray them with olive oil.
2. Air fry them at 350˚F for 3 minutes.
3. Spray them with olive oil, flip them over, and spray them again.
4. Continue baking them for an additional 3-6 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.
5. Repeat with the remaining chicken nuggets.
Instructions For Pan Frying
1. Warm the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Place half of the coated chicken nuggets in the pan in a single layer, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
3. Fry them over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes.
4. Flip them over and fry for an additional 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.
5. Repeat with the remaining spicy chicken nuggets.
How To Freeze Chicken Nuggets
1. Place the breaded chicken nuggets in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Put the baking sheet into the freezer for 1-2 hours or until the nuggets are frozen.
3. Transfer the frozen chicken nugget to a freezer-safe ziptop bag. Label the bag and add the date.
4. Store them in the freezer for 1-2 months.
5. Follow the instructions for making baked nuggets, but add 4-5 minutes of baking time.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute a hotter sauce for the sriracha sauce, add more cayenne pepper to the breading, and use sriracha panko breadcrumbs.
You can use any of your favorite spicy crackers as a substitute.
For the breading, use regular Cheezits and skip the cayenne pepper. In the egg wash, use water instead of sriracha sauce.
Yes, you can deep fry them in batches in oil heated to 325˚F for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F.
Spicy Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce or use hot sauce
- ⅔ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ⅔ cup crushed hot and spicy Cheezits about 1 ½ cups of Cheezits
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Oven Baked and Air Fryer
- olive oil spray
Pan Fried
- 2 tablespoon butter divided
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
Instructions
- Cut each boneless, skinless chicken breast into strips and then into cubes. Set aside.
- In a wide, shallow bowl, combine panko, crushed hot Cheezits, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. Set aside.
- In a second bowl, whisk together the eggs and sriracha sauce (or hot sauce).
- Put the flour in a third bowl.
- Coat the chicken pieces with flour, followed by the egg mixture, and finally the breadcrumbs mixture. Place them on a piece of parchment paper.
Oven Baked
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F with the baking stone in it.
- Carefully place the nuggets on a preheated baking stone and spray them with olive oil. If you don’t have a baking stone, you can place them on a parchment lined baking sheet instead.
- Bake them in the oven at 375˚F, flipping them halfway through cooking and spraying both sides with olive oil.
Air Fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 350˚F. Place half of the coated chicken nuggets in a single layer in the greased air fryer basket and spray them with olive oil.
- Bake at 350˚F for 3 minutes and then flip them over and lightly coat with olive oil spray.
- Continue baking for an additional 3-9 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken nuggets.
Pan Fried
- Heat one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
- Place half of the coated chicken nuggets in the pan in a single layer, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
- Fry them over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Flip them over and fry for an additional 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Repeat with the remaining spicy chicken nuggets.
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