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!
Lower Calorie Crispy Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
Nugget Mix
- 1 kg Chicken Mince
- 13 g Cornflour Cornstarch
- Salt & Pepper Pinch
Flour Mix & Oil
- 225 g Plain Flour All Purpose
- 150 g Cornflour Cornstarch
- 12 g Sweet or Smoked Paprika
- 8 g Onion Powder
- 6 g Garlic Powder
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
- 430 ml Soda Water (Club Soda/Seltzer)
- Neutral Oil If Frying
- Spray Oil If Oven Baking or Air Frying
Umami Mayo (Sauce)
- 1 Free Range Egg You Can Use Pasteurised If Needed
- 7.5 ml White Vinegar
- 1 tsp Yellow (American) Mustard
- 180 ml Nuetral Oil
- 40 g American Mustard
- 30 g Sriracha Sauce
- 10 g Oyster Sauce
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Method
- Place the chicken mince, cornflour, 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 but not solid.
- In a separate bowl, combine the plain flour, cornflour, paprika, onion powder, garlic salt, white pepper, and salt to taste. Mix well and set aside.
- To make the mayonnaise, 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°C (350°F).
- Dust the nuggets with the flour mix in batches and place them on a tray or plate. Pour the soda water into the remaining 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 2½ minutes on each side, or until golden, crispy, and cooked through to an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F). Remove and place onto a wire rack over a tray or kitchen cloth to drain. Serve alongside the umami mayo. Dig in.
- To cook 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 tray, lightly spray with oil, and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (390°F) for 14-16 minutes, or until golden, crispy, and cooked through to 74°C (165°F), flipping halfway.
- To cook 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 to 200°C (390°F) and air fry for 8-10 minutes, or until golden, crispy, and cooked through to 74°C (165°F), flipping halfway.
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.