How to make Frozen Chicken Nuggets in an Air Fryer?

Making frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer is really simple and quick, and the nuggets are crispier than before. My kids’ frozen chicken nuggets are now only made this way.

What Makes This Cooking Technique So Effective?

• The air fryer is a healthier alternative to deep-frying for getting precisely crispy chicken nuggets at home. There will be no charred nuggets or mushy nuggets because your oil was too hot or too cold. You don’t even have to worry about the oil! The heated air takes care of everything, and the results are still wonderful. Plus, they don’t feel like “junk food” because they’re lighter than fried nuggets, especially if you choose a healthier frozen nugget brand. No remorse.
• Frozen chicken nuggets can be transferred directly from the freezer to the air fryer without thawing, making them ideal for when you’re short on time or don’t feel like cooking. It’s also a lot quicker than baking them in the oven.
• Have you ever been overly ambitious and cooked too many chicken nuggets? No worries! You may store them in the refrigerator and reheat leftovers in the air fryer. Gone are the days of mushy microwave reheated nuggets or dry oven reheated nuggets. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F and fry the cold nuggets for 4-5 minutes, or until totally warmed. If you want to help them crisp up again, simply spritz them with oil.

Important Ingredients

Chicken Nuggets, Frozen — Frozen chicken nuggets are the only thing you’ll need to make delicious frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer. You didn’t see that coming, did you?

This procedure works with any frozen nuggets, including dinosaur nuggets, chicken nuggets, lightly breaded nuggets, organic nuggets, Tyson chicken nuggets, and so on. You see what I mean.

Is it possible to cook chicken nuggets and fries in the same air fryer?

You certainly can! One of my favorite time-saving techniques is this. It’s especially useful if you’re only cooking modest amounts of both or have a larger air fryer.

Cook for 15-ish minutes instead of 10 minutes as directed in the recipe. After the first 7 minutes, shake the basket and flip the nuggets, then check the nuggets again around minute 12.

Remove them when they’re crispy enough to your liking and continue to cook the fries until they’re done. Depending on how done you like your fries, it should just take another 3 minutes or so.

Chef’s Advice

• Because every air fryer is different, 10 minutes in the mine could be 12 minutes in yours. It’s also possible that it’s merely 8. Cooking times will differ based on the type, size, and thickness of your chicken nuggets. It also matters how many nuggets you have in the basket at any given time. To get the perfect air fryer chicken nuggets, keep a watch on your food, especially the first time or two you use this approach, and modify the cook times as needed.
• You don’t even need spray oil for this. If you want your chicken nuggets to be less crispy, leave out the spray oil or simply apply it to the basket itself if you’re worried about them sticking. If you want your nuggets to be extra crispy, softly spray the basket with spray oil, then set the nuggets in the basket and lightly (lightly!) spray them as well.
• For these frozen chicken nuggets, I used a Chefman air fryer with a basket. This technique also works in an air fryer with racks! Just keep in mind that the nuggets should be arranged in a single layer on the air fryer trays. There will be no stacking, piling, or overlapping. The instructions remain the same: 400°F for 10 minutes, flipping the nuggets after 5 minutes. When flipping the nuggets in an air fryer oven, rotate the trays as well. This ensures that they all cook at the same time.

Frozen Chicken Nuggets

Making frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer is really simple and quick, and the nuggets are crispier than before. My kids’ frozen chicken nuggets are now only made this way.

Ingredients

• frozen chicken nuggets
• dipping sauce of choice optional

Equipment

• fryer
• Air fryer safe spray oil (optional)

Instructions For Frozen Chicken Nuggets

1. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
2. Spray the air fryer basket with spray oil (optional) and place the chicken nuggets in a single, equal layer in the basket once it has been preheated. Cook for 5 minutes in an air fryer basket.
3. Remove the basket and turn the chicken nuggets. Return the basket to the air fryer and cook for another 5 minutes, for a total of 10 minutes in the air fryer.
4. Serve the chicken nuggets with lots of dipping sauce on the side (optional).

Notes

• Spray Oil: If you prefer your chicken nuggets to be a bit less crispy, skip the spray oil or apply it only to the basket. If you want your nuggets to be extra crispy, spray the basket with spray oil, then place the nuggets in the basket and softly (lightly!) spray the nuggets as well.
• Nuggets: If you’re making a lot of nuggets or have a small air fryer, work in batches to avoid overflowing the basket!
• Oven for Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. On the air fryer tray, arrange the chicken nuggets in a single, equal layer (s). Fry the nuggets for 5 minutes before flipping them over and rotating the trays. Cook for another 5 minutes or until nuggets is done.
• Use gluten-free chicken nuggets to make it gluten-free.
• Reduce the carb count by using lightly breaded nuggets or nuggets with the lowest carb count available.
• Vegetarian/Veganize it: Use chicken nuggets made from plants.

This procedure works for any type of chicken nugget and any number of them.

The number of servings depends on how many chicken nuggets are prepared. The nutritional value will vary depending on the type of chicken nuggets used.