Healthy Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Vegetables (Air Fryer)

Why Our Family Opts Not to Eat Chicken Nuggets from the Store

If you had asked me a year ago which meals I could easily and quickly serve to my toddlers, I would most certainly have listed chicken nuggets among my top go-to food options.

But in the past year, I have grown increasingly informed about seed oils and their effects on the human body.

Many processed foods contain these oils, including chicken nuggets.

Because these bites of ground chicken are one of my children’s favorite meals, I wanted to search for a healthy recipe for chicken nuggets rather than chucking them out of our lives completely.

This recipe for Healthy Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Vegetables was the result.

Healthy Homemade Chicken Nuggets

To make a healthy recipe for chicken nuggets, I needed to start with ground chicken.

But I couldn’t just fry up some ground chicken and call it a nugget.

So I added a few more ingredients to bind the ground chicken together and give the nuggets that crunchy, moist texture that we all adore.

Instead of using cornstarch or a similar ingredient, the main binding ingredients in this recipe are sweet potatoes and eggs.

Healthy Sweet Potato Chicken Nuggets

Sweet potatoes are a wonderful choice in and of themselves.

“Sweet potatoes are a healthy root vegetable chock full of antioxidants that protect your cells from damage. Plus, the nutrients in sweet potatoes are excellent for your gut, eyes, immune system, and more,” according to Very Well Health.

And they add that “[s]weet potatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and zinc.”

Healthy Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Eggs

As I mentioned before, the other main binding ingredient in this recipe for homemade chicken nuggets is eggs.

Besides adding moisture to the recipe, eggs “offer a complete protein” (source)–greatly enhancing the overall nutritional content of these healthy homemade chicken nuggets.

The addition of eggs to this recipe helps the ground chicken (which can be rather dry) stick together in classic chicken nugget form.

Tools to Make Healthy Homemade Chicken Nuggets

You will need this equipment to make this recipe for healthy homemade chicken nuggets:

• two medium-sized saucepans
• food processor
• spatula
• olive oil sprayer
• air fryer

Ingredients for Healthy Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Vegetables (Air Fryer)

Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• filtered water to cover

Sweet Potato

• 3 cups diced sweet potato
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• filtered water to cover

Seasoning

• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 cup broth (from chicken)
• 1/2 tsp. paprika (optional)
• 4 eggs

How to Make Healthy Sweet Potato Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, place the chicken and 1 tsp. salt and cover with filtered water. Bring to a boil and cook until cooked through (about 10-15 minutes).
2. In another saucepan, place the diced sweet potato and 1/4 tsp. sea salt. Cover with filtered water. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and continue to cook until the potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes).
3. Remove the chicken from the water and allow to cool slightly. Reserve the broth.
4. Remove the sweet potatoes from the water and allow to cool slightly. Discard the water.
5. Add the chicken breasts and sweet potatoes to a food processor. Add the salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, 1/4 cup chicken broth (reserved from the cooked chicken), eggs, and paprika (if using). Blend in the food processor until finely ground. (You may have to stop the processor and scrape the sides a few times to evenly distribute the spices.)
6. Take about 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the ground chicken mixture in your hands and press it into a chicken nugget rectangle (or your preferred shape). Place in the basket of an air fryer. Repeat with the remaining ground chicken until you have a single layer of chicken nuggets in the basket.
7. Spray the chicken nuggets with olive oil. (We love to use a spray bottle like this.)
8. Fry in the air fryer for six minutes at 400F. Flip over to the other side. Spray with olive oil. Fry for another three minutes on this side. (If the chicken nuggets are not golden enough to your liking, simply fry them a little longer.)
9. Remove the chicken nuggets from the air fryer. Repeat the process with the remaining ground chicken mixture.
10. Serve warm with homemade ketchup or mayonnaise.

Alternative Cooking Methods

While cooking these healthy homemade chicken nuggets in the air fryer is the easiest method, it is not the only possible one. Here are instructions for two other cooking methods:

How to Cook Homemade Chicken Nuggets in the Oven: Heat the oven to 400F, with the broiler on. Line a cookie sheet with a reusable silicone baking mat. Place the chicken nuggets about 1/4-inch apart on the baking mat. Spray with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip. Spray with olive oil. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden.

How to Cook Homemade Chicken Nuggets on the Stove: Heat a large cast iron pan over medium-low heat until hot. Add 1/4 cup olive oil. Add chicken nuggets in a single layer. Fry on one side for about three minutes, then flip and fry on the other side for another 2-3 minutes, or until crispy and golden. (Pay close attention to the heat. If the chicken nuggets show signs of darkening and/or burning, reduce the heat to a simmer.)

Variations and Substitutions

These healthy homemade chicken nuggets are extremely versatile. Try swapping out some ingredients for a quick makeover of this recipe.

Here are some ideas:

• Don’t have sweet potatoes? Use regular potatoes instead.
• Add a few more vegetables. Simply steam them in a steam basket until tender, then add them to the food processor with the chicken and sweet potatoes. I recommend starting small (maybe 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of additional vegetables).
• Change the seasoning mix for a new flavor.
  • Add a bit of homemade ranch mix.
  • Stir Italian seasoning, 1/4 cup grated real parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup homemade spaghetti sauce into the minced chicken mixture.
• Add 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese to the ground chicken mixture.
• Too dry for your liking? Add 3 Tbsp. olive oil to the ground chicken mixture before shaping into chicken nuggets.

How to Freeze Homemade Chicken Nuggets

This healthy homemade chicken nuggets recipe holds up well in the freezer. Simply follow these instructions:

1. Shape the ground chicken mixture into chicken nuggets.
2. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with a reusable silicone baking mat.
3. Spray with olive oil.
4. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until the chicken nuggets are firm.
5. Remove the chicken nuggets from the cookie sheet and place in an airtight Ziplock bag.
6. Freeze immediately.

How to Cook Homemade Chicken Nuggets from the Freezer

Once you have frozen your healthy homemade chicken nuggets, you will–of course–want to know how to reheat them. Follow these instructions:

1. Remove the chicken nuggets from the freezer. Do not thaw.
2. Place in a single layer in the basket of an air fryer.
3. Spray with olive oil.
4. Fry at 400F for 6 minutes on one side.
5. Flip, and fry for another 4 minutes on the other side (or until golden brown and crispy).

Other Great Toddler-Friendly Foods to Make

Love this recipe? Try these other great toddler food recipes:

• Homemade Applesauce with Honey {Unpeeled / Skin On}
• Chewy Healthy Sweet Potato Biscuits without Almond Flour (Gluten-Free, No Sugar)
• Protein Mug Brownie Without Protein Powder {No Sugar, No Flour}
• Healthy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe with Hidden Vegetables {Real Food, No Sugar}

Healthy Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Vegetables (Air Fryer) Recipe Card