Our Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets recipe is healthier, tastes better, and is cooked in the air fryer for that perfect crispy coating on the outside, juicy on the inside. It's a meal even the pickiest eaters will love!

Check out all of my air fryer recipes. I recommend Air Fryer Salmon Bites, Air Fryer Meatballs, and Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries!

A plate of homemade chicken nuggets cooked in the air fryer, with ketchup and mustard as dipping sauces.

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Made Me a Believer

Using an air fryer to make chicken nuggets is the absolute answer to delicious crispy chicken without the extra calories and fat. (Highly recommend air fryer chicken tenders and air fryer wings, too!) The BEST!! My husband gets just as excited as the kids when I make these and I love that they're easy, healthier, and perfectly crispy and seasoned. I'll often load them on a big green salad, and my kids love them with a side of applesauce and veggies with hummus.

How to make Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets:

Marinate: Cut the chicken into 1.5 inch pieces then place in a bowl with pickle juice and marinate for 30 minutes. Combine milk and egg in a bowl. After marinating, place each piece of chicken in the egg mixture.

Two images showing how to marinate pieces of chicken and then dip in a milk and egg mixture to make an air fryer chicken nuggets recipe.

Coat Chicken: Add flour, powdered sugar, paprika, black pepper, chili powder, salt, and baking powder to a ziplock bag. Spoon chicken pieces out of egg mixture (letting any excess egg mixture to drip off) then place them in the ziplock bag with the dry seasonings. Seal and shake bag to evenly coat all of the chicken.

Two images showing pieces of chicken coated in a flour mixture then placed on a wire rack to prepare to be cooked in the air fryer.

Cook: Spray the bottom of the fry basket with nonstick cooking spray and place half of the chicken pieces into a single layer in the bottom of the basket, spacing them out so they aren't touching. Generously spray the top of each piece of chicken with cooking spray then air fry at 360 for 6 minutes. Open air fryer, flip chicken pieces to the other side, and spray tops again with cooking spray. Increase air fryer temperature to 400 degrees and cook for 2 more minutes, or until crisp and cooked through.

Enjoy these air fryer chicken nuggets dipped in bbq sauce, ranch, or throw on a salad.

Two images showing the best air fryer chicken nuggets being cooked in the air fryer, then on a plate ready to enjoy.

Freezing Instructions:

After cooking at 360 degrees for 6 minutes, allow nuggets to cool, then place in a freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat at 380 degrees until golden, crispy and warmed through.

Serve With:

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Recipe

A plate of homemade chicken nuggets cooked in the air fryer, with ketchup and mustard as dipping sauces.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Marinate 30 minutes
Total 1 hour
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Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup pickle juice
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 large egg

Breading:

Instructions
 

  • Marinate: Cut the chicken into 1.5 inch pieces and place in a bowl or ziplock bag with the pickle juice and marinate for 30 minutes.
  • Make Breading: Add flour, powdered sugar, paprika, black pepper, chili powder, salt, and baking powder to a ziplock bag.
  • Add milk, and egg to a separate bowl and mix together. Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees.
  • Coat the Chicken: Remove chicken from pickle marinade and add to the bowl with the egg mixture. Spoon out the pieces (letting any excess egg mixture to drip off) and place them in the ziplock bag with the dry seasonings. Seal and shake bag to evenly coat all of the chicken.
  • Cook: Spray the bottom of the fry basket with nonstick cooking spray and place half of the chicken pieces into a single layer in the bottom of the basket, spacing them out so they don't stick together. Generously spray the top of each piece of chicken with cooking spray.
  • Air Fry at 360 for 6 minutes. Open air fryer, flip chicken pieces to the other side, and spray tops again with cooking spray. Increase air fryer temperature to 400 degrees and cook for 2 more minutes, or until crisp and cooked through. (Exact cooking time will vary depending on the size of your nuggets, your air fryer, etc.)

Notes

Yield: Makes about 30 nuggets
Freezing Instructions: After cooking at 360 degrees for 6 minutes, allow nuggets to cool, then place in a freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat at 380 degrees until golden, crispy and warmed through.
Healthier Chicken Nuggets: leave out the powdered sugar, and use wheat flour or panko instead of all-purpose flour.
Gluten-free: Use gluten free flour or breadcrumbs.
Spicy Chicken Nuggets: add 1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper to the flour mixture.
Oven Baked Chicken Nuggets: prepare the same, and bake on a baking tray at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until cooked through. (Or, make my Popcorn Chicken recipe, instead!).

Nutrition

Calories: 354kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 43gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 152mgSodium: 866mgPotassium: 769mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 468IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 2mg

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I originally shared this recipe March 2021. Updated March 2025.

Adapted from my Chick-fil-A Chicken recipe.

This post contains affiliate links.

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

4 1 vote
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4.86 from 34 votes (26 ratings without comment)
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alana
2 months ago

5 stars
Kids loved this recipe!

JD
2 years ago

1 star
Didn’t have an air fryer and when I’m oven comes out barley crispy and taste like flour nuggets, won’t make again

Admin
2 years ago
Reply to  JD

If you don’t have an airfryer we would recommend trying our Popcorn Chicken instead.

Janet
1 year ago
Reply to  JD

4 stars
This recipe wasn’t meant to be made in the oven. You “improvised” and rated the recipe 1 star when it came out wrong??? This is the internet find a recipe that uses the oven.

Tam
2 years ago

5 stars
Added a bit of extra seasonings but the recipe is amazing. I made a batch with 3 chicken breasts and my teenage son LOVED them.

Jenna
2 years ago

5 stars
Mine turned out a bit flour-y once done. What could I have done wrong? *I did not marinate before cooking but I don’t think this would have done it. Otherwise tastes great 🙂

Sebastien Angrignon
3 years ago

5 stars
Made this last night, it was an amazing recipe. Even though I didn’t have baking soda or powdered sugar the recipe work perfectly!! I cooked it 12 minutes total in the air fryer and flipped the chicken half way then cooked it for an extra 2 minutes for a nice golden crust. My girlfriend and I loved it:)

Liz
3 years ago

5 stars
These were AMAZING! My kids were so impressed that they were not store bought.

Sarah
4 years ago

5 stars
These were soooo good!! I love the tip about turning it up for the last couple minutes. My kids said they tasted just like McDonalds!