Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Our homemade chicken nuggets are hiding a tasty secret: They are wonderfully seasoned, golden and crispy, and extra juicy thanks to pickle brine. Yes, pickle brine! You may be familiar with using the juice from the pickle jar to season chicken if you're a fan of a certain fast-food restaurant that's not open on Sundays. They, among other techniques, use pickle brine to season their chicken pieces.

What does pickle juice do for chicken nuggets? The pickle brine flavor lingers on after each piece is finished, lending a subtly salty but not sour flavor. A seasoned breading mixture adds more interest, and then you can up the ante with your favorite sauce (we have a few suggestions, too.)

Learn how to make chicken nuggets, and you'll never need to go through the drive-thru again—or at least, not as often.

Ingredients for Chicken Nuggets

A brine made with pickle juice and egg whites helps the flour mixture adhere to each chicken piece so they'll cook up crisp and golden. Some herbs and spices are added to the flour mixture for extra flavor. Here's what you'll need to make this family-favorite dinner:

• Egg whites: Foamy egg whites are mixed with the pickle brine and chicken pieces for a quick egg bath and marinade.
• Dill pickle juice: Lends a salty, briny flavor that's subtle but absolutely worth the extra step. Save those empty pickle jars!
• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Cut larger breasts into 1-in. pieces, or the nugget size you prefer.
• All-purpose flour: Fries up golden and crisp for the perfect nugget crust.
• Plain panko: This Japanese-style of breadcrumbs is extra crispy and will give the nuggets a crisp crust.
• Cornstarch: This is also a bit of a Test Kitchen secret: Adding cornstarch to your flour mixture will help get a more crispy result.
• Garlic powder: For a deeply savory flavor.
• Kosher salt and black pepper: For seasoning.
• Granulated sugar: Just a bit of sugar will balance the flavors of the chicken coating and brine.
• Smoked paprika: Adds a subtle smokiness and depth.
• Peanut oil: For frying, but you can use any high-temp oil you prefer, such as vegetable or canola oil.
  

How To Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Once the chicken nuggets sit in the pickle brine, the work of cooking them moves quickly. We suggest you set up an assembly line for breading, frying, and keeping warm.

• Step 1. Whip egg whites until they're foamy, then add the pickle brine. Carefully add the chicken to the egg white-brine mixture, and stir to make sure each piece is coated. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for a quick brine while you finish preparing the ingredients.
• Step 2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large plastic bag.
• Step 3. Add oil to a large Dutch oven or stockpot, and heat it until it reaches 375°F.
• Step 4. Working in batches, move several chicken pieces from the egg mixture. Let excess brine drip off, then place the chicken pieces in the flour mixture. Shake the bag to coat each chicken piece evenly. Once well coated, place each chicken nugget on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken.
• Step 5. Again working in batches, add several pieces of chicken to the hot oil, and fry until golden brown.
• Step 6. Once cooked through, use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken pieces from the oil, and place them on a wire rack that's sitting inside a baking sheet. Keep warm in the oven, and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
• Step 7. Sprinkle the nuggets with salt before serving.
  

How Can You Keep Chicken Nuggets Crispy?

For this homemade chicken nuggets recipe, we call for dredging the chicken in a mixture of crunchy breadcrumbs and cornstarch. The combination of the two really makes the pieces crispy when they're fried.

Our Tips for the Best Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Making chicken nuggets is relatively easy, but after making batch after batch of these bites, our Test Kitchen has a few pieces of advice to pass along:

• Work in batches: Move the chicken pieces from the egg mixture to the bag with the flour mixture several pieces at a time. This helps everything get evenly coated without missing any sides or unnecessary clumping.
• Fry a few, too: The same "batch" recommendation goes for frying, too . You'll need about five batches to fry all the chicken nuggets, but it goes quickly. Working with smaller batches helps the oil stay warm so the pieces cook evenly.
• Small sizes: Cutting the chicken relatively small means you get more crispy breading per piece. We also found that the nuggets stayed crispier this way.

Variations for Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Make these chicken nuggets your own with a few easy swaps. We like these to start with:

• Breadcrumb flip: You could use plain breadcrumbs instead of panko. You might actually get better coverage, but the crunch will be a little bit softer.
• Spice it up: Any spice can be used in the breading. Add some cayenne if you’re looking for some more heat, for example.
• Dip away: Changing up chicken nuggets is as simple as offering a different dipping sauce. We have a few below, and we also love this Easy Ranch Dressing.

How To Store Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Leftover chicken nuggets will reheat well, but you may lose some of the crispy crust. If you have an air fryer, reheat in that small appliance, and you may regain some crunch. You can also try to reheat in the oven at 300°F until warmed through. Cooking in the microwave will warm up the nuggets, but it will most certainly result in a soggy finish.