Easy Chicken Nuggets

Don’t you love a good chicken nugget? Especially ones like these that sneak vegetables in and are relatively healthy. They’re not too complicated to put together, either, and are on the table in less than an hour!

I found this recipe and a lot of other healthy, veggie-focused ones on The Natural Nurturer website when I was suffering from gallbladder attacks and could barely eat any fat.

These nuggets not only sneak in a vegetable that you can’t taste and that adds nutritional content, but they’re not hard to make and they don’t take long to throw together. Plus, you can substitute ground turkey in the recipe if you don’t like chicken or can’t find it, or you want to try a turkey nugget.

Let’s get into it.

Easy Chicken Nuggets

Recipe credit to The Natural Nurturer

Time commitment:

Prep - 30-45 minutes (longer if you get sticky hands when making the nuggets, or you need to thaw your cauliflower)

Cooking time - 15-17 minutes

Ready in less than one hour!

Equipment list:

• Cookie sheet, preferably nonstick (this is a great one)

• Cooking spray/oil or parchment paper or foil if not using a nonstick pan

• Food processor OR blender OR immersion blender OR your hands

• Mixing bowl and spatula if not using food processor or blender

• Cookie scoop OR spoon OR your hands (with gloves if you don’t like touching raw meat)

• 1/2 teaspoon (or use half of 1) (I have this set of measuring spoons I keep attached to my fruit basket; it’s very handy!)

• 1/4 teaspoon (or use half of 1/2)

• 1/2 cup measuring cup (or use half of 1 cup)

• 1 cup measuring cup

• Meat thermometer (optional, use if you don’t feel comfortable eyeballing the nuggets for doneness)

• Oven OR air fryer

Ingredients:

• 1 cup riced cauliflower (riced or finely chopped, fresh or thawed from frozen)

• 1 pound ground chicken (or turkey if you can’t find chicken, use 93% lean)

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/4 teaspoon paprika (a great secret ingredient when making chicken or potatoes!)

• 1 large egg OR the equivalent in egg whites (I usually buy cartons of egg whites that have the appropriate measurement to 1 large egg, but you may need to pull the whites from 3-4 large eggs to have enough)

• 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs (or another crumbly topping)

• Optional: 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (you can add it to the nugget mix or the topping, it makes for a great spicy addition if you’re fond of spicy nuggs)

Steps to get tasty nuggets:

1. Gather all your equipment and ingredients. Make sure your riced cauliflower is prepped and ready to go.

   • TIP: Preheat the air fryer now if you want to air fry these. You could cook these at 375-400F.

   • TIP 2: You can buy frozen riced cauliflower for $1-2 at a place like Walmart and then thaw it at room temperature or in the fridge for a few hours to use in this recipe. There is no need to prep fresh unless you want to (prepping fresh is more complicated, and you need to run it through a food processor or ricer or chop it very finely).

   2. Preheat the oven to 400F and grab a baking sheet (spray it with cooking spray or add parchment paper or foil if it’s not nonstick).

   • TIP: I sometimes put a little cooking spray/oil on foil if I use it to keep the nuggets from sticking.

2. Combine in a food processor 1 cup riced cauliflower, 1 pound ground chicken (or turkey), 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon paprika and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper if you want spicy nuggets.

   • TIP: You can blend up the riced cauliflower in a food processor, with an immersion blender, or in your blender beforehand and mix ingredients into it afterward. If you don’t mind larger cauliflower pieces being in your nuggets, you can skip the food processor altogether and just mix very well in a mixing bowl.

   • TIP 2: You can use ground turkey in this recipe. I haven’t tried it.

3. Make the nuggets using a cookie scoop, a spoon, or your hands. Line them up on the baking sheet until they’re all formed.

   • TIP: Feel free to make them as large or small as you want. I typically go medium to smaller sized to trick myself into thinking I’m eating more. Just make sure they’re flattened out more than they are round like meatballs so they cook evenly and faster

   • TIP 2: Use gloves if you don’t like feeling raw meat. Also, wet your hands with cold water when making the nuggets to keep them from sticking to your hands.

4. Next, whisk the egg into a shallow dish big enough for dipping, and make sure your crumb topping is in another shallow dish big enough for dipping.

   • TIP: I’ve used crushed-up chips, Goldfish crackers, regular breadcrumbs, and the Panko the original recipe calls for to coat the nuggets. You can use whatever crumbly topping you have on hand, making sure that whatever you use isn’t going to cook too fast.

   • TIP 2: I’ve mixed into the crumb topping seasonings like cayenne or Italian, even garlic and onion powder, for a little extra flavor. Try out whatever flavor combos you like!

   • TIP 3: I have also used egg whites in this recipe and there is no difference in taste, plus it’s fewer calories and less fat. Just make sure you have enough to coat the nuggets.

5. Dip each nugget into the whisked egg, coating all sides. Then, dip each into the crumb topping, arranging them into a single layer on the baking sheet. It’s okay if they are close together on the sheet, just don’t stick them right next to each other. They need a little room to breathe.

   • TIP: Ensure the nuggets aren’t dripping with egg before dipping into the crumbs. Get as much excess off as you can. Also, make sure the crumbs cover as much of the nuggets as possible, but don’t worry if they’re not entirely covered.

   • TIP 2: Designate one hand for egg dipping and one hand for crumb dipping, keeping them separate. You’ll avoid getting clumpy hands and won’t get too much egg into the dry crumb mix and vice versa.

6. Bake the nuggets for about 15-17 minutes, being sure you turn the baking sheet and flip the nuggets around the 10-minute mark.

   • TIP: These will be done when they reach 165F. You can eyeball them for doneness by checking both sides for browning, noting that they may not get as brown as you’d expect based on the topping you use and the cooking method.

7. While the nuggets are cooking, don’t forget to prep your sides and dipping sauces. Once they’re done cooking, wow everyone with the amazing taste, and then check out their reactions when you mention there’s cauliflower in the nuggets.