Lower Calorie Crispy Chicken Nuggets

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5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 5

Rest Time: 30

Total Time: 55

Calories: 85kcal

Servings: Nuggets

Metric - Imperial

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.

Chef's Tips

Freeze the shaped nuggets until just firm, not solid — this makes them much easier to dust and batter without falling apart, while still cooking through evenly once fried.

Whisk the soda water into the flour mix right before frying, not too far ahead — the bubbles are what give the batter its light, crispy texture, and they'll flatten out the longer it sits.

Don't overcrowd the pan, tray, or air fryer basket — nuggets cooked too close together steam instead of crisping up properly on all sides.

Storage & Reheating

Cooked nuggets will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 180°C (350°F) for 8-10 minutes, until hot through and crispy again — the microwave will make the coating go soggy. The umami mayo contains raw egg, so use a pasteurised egg where possible, particularly for pregnant, elderly, very young, or immunocompromised eaters. It'll keep in the fridge for around 5-7 days rather than the couple of weeks you'd get from a shelf-stable, store-bought mayo.

Serving 1NuggetCalories 85kcalCarbohydrates 9.1gProtein 9.6gFat 4.2gSaturated Fat 1.1gPolyunsaturated Fat 0.82gMonounsaturated Fat 1.81gCholesterol 46.6mgSodium 163.7mgPotassium 269.8mgFiber 0.5gSugar 0.3gVitamin A 16.17IUVitamin C 0.46mgCalcium 9.3mgIron 0.6mg