Lower Calorie Chicken Nuggets | Crispy, Crunchy & Irresistible
These lower-calorie chicken nuggets are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and packed with flavour! Fried Baked or air-fried to perfection, they offer all the crunch and satisfaction of a classic nugget. Perfect for a quick meal or snack, they’re easy to make and even better to enjoy!
Ingredients
Nugget Mix -
- 1kg (2.2lbs) - Chicken Mince (Ground Chicken)
- 1 ½ Tbsp (20g) - Corn Flour or Starch
- Seasoning To Taste
Flour Mix & Oil -
- 1 1/2 Cups (210g) - Plain (All-Purpose) Flour
- 1 1/4 Cups (150g) - Corn Flour or Starch
- 1 Tbsp (10g) - Smoked or Regular Paprika
- 2 tsp (8g) - Onion Powder
- 1 ½ tsp (6g) - Garlic Salt or Garlic Powder
- Pinch of Ground White Pepper
- Salt To Taste
- 1 ¾ Cups (430ml) - Soda Water (Club Soda/Seltzer)
- Oil For Frying (If Deep Frying)
- Spray Oil (If Oven Baking or Air Frying)
Umami Mayo (Sauce) -
- 1 - Free Range Egg
- 1 ½ tsp (15ml) - White Vinegar
- 1 tsp (10g) - Yellow (American) or Dijon Mustard
- 200ml (210g) - Mellow Olive Oil
- 40g (1.4oz) - American Mustard
- 30g (1.06oz) - Sriracha Sauce
- 10g (0.35oz) - Oyster Sauce (Optional)
- Seasoning To Taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken mince, corn flour, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix well and roll into even-sized nuggets (use a scale for best results).
- Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and freeze for 30 minutes or until firm and slightly soft.
- In a separate bowl, combine the plain flour, corn flour, paprika, onion powder, garlic salt and white pepper. Mix well and set aside.
- To make the mayonnaise (sauce), add the egg, white vinegar, mustard, and oil to a tall jar or container. Blend with an immersion blender until thick and emulsified. Add the remaining mayonnaise ingredients, mix well, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Heat a pan half full of cooking oil of your choice to 180℃ - 350℉.
- Dust the nuggets with the flour mix in batches and place them on a tray or plate. Pour the soda water into the flour mix and whisk until smooth to create a batter. Add the dredged nuggets to the batter in batches.
- Fry the battered nuggets in the hot oil for 2 ½ minutes on each side or until golden and crispy. Remove and place onto a wire rack over a tray or kitchen cloth to drain. Serve the nuggets alongside the umami mayonnaise (sauce). Dig in.
- To cook the nuggets in the oven, prepare a baking tray lined with parchment paper and follow the steps up to frying. Place the battered nuggets onto the lined baking tray, lightly spray with oil, place in a preheated oven set at 200℃-390℉, and bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden and crispy, flipping halfway.
- To cook the nuggets in an air fryer, follow the steps up to frying. Place the battered nuggets into the air fryer basket and lightly spray with oil. Set at 200℃-390℉, and air fry for 8-10 minutes or until golden and crispy, flipping halfway.
Nutrition Guide
The above nutrition guide is based on daily averages and is calculated for a single portion.
Recipe Notes
Crispy Chicken Nuggets Storage Instructions
These nuggets can be stored once cooked. However, it’s not the best practice, as they won’t crisp up as they did fresh. If you want to keep them once cooked, place them in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months, both stored in an airtight container.
These nuggets can also be made in bulk batches and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. To do this, follow the recipe up to the point they are fried and once at that point, fry them for 1 minute on each side just until the batter is set, then remove, drain, cool and store.
Crispy Chicken Nuggets Reheating Instructions
The best way to reheat them is to refry them in hot oil set at 180.c – 350.f for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until hot in the centre. They can also be reheated in the air fryer and oven set to 200.c – 390.f and heated for 8-10 minutes.
To reheat/cook the precooked nuggets from the above example, heat the oil to 180.c – 350.f and fry for 2 minutes on each side or until golden and crispy. Remove, drain and serve.
Umami Nugget Sauce Storage Instructions
If not used all at once, the homemade umami sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container or clean glass jar.
Watch How To Make The Recipe
Did You Like This Recipe?
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Delicious! These were amazing. I made them with gluten free plain flour instead and they turned out perfect.
That’s awesome! So glad to hear you enjoyed it.