Baked Whole Wheat Chicken Nuggets

These whole wheat chicken nuggets are baked in the oven until golden and crispy! Plus there’s a simple as can be sweet and sour sauce.

Who doesn’t love homemade chicken nuggets?

The seasonings can be customizable, they’re bite-size, crispy and you can make them whole wheat if ya wanted to?! Oh and I wanted to. When I spied a box of whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs at my grocery store I knew I was going to make nuggets. Winter break is coming up and my girls will need lunch. So I whipped up this batch you see here and then flash froze them, so now they await the holiday break. Lucky for me my oldest daughter knows how to use the oven so I can sit back and nurse my Christmas cookie hangover while she takes over. Ha, I’m kidding… although not really.

OH and there’s a to-die-for dipping sauce. Because nuggets need sauce, man.

I’m using chicken tenderloins, but you could totally cube up chicken breasts. Chicken tenderloins were on the cheap so I went that route, plus they’re easier to cut up in my opinion.

In a medium bowl add the whole wheat Panko, breadcrumbs, basil, oregano, black pepper and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Set that off to the side while you cut up two pounds of chicken into bite-size pieces.

Whisk together one egg and a cup of butter milk.

Pour over the cubed chicken and let them soak it up for 10 minutes or so.

Allow the excess buttermilk/egg mixture to drip off of the chicken pieces…

Before tossing a few into the seasoned bread crumb mixture.

Gently press the crumbs into the chicken pieces…

…and transfer all 1,473,422 of them onto a wire rack that is set into a rimmed sheet pan that is lined with foil. Bake at 425° minutes for 20-22 minutes or until crispy, golden and completely cooked. Once the whole wheat chicken nuggets out of the oven I like to sprinkle them with kosher salt.

While those cool, how about I show you the easiest sweet and sour dip your eyes will ever see. It also works wonderfully as a glaze for grilled chicken or pork. Holla. Add a jar of apricot preserves {10 ounce} and a 1/4 cup of grainy, Dijon mustard into a small bowl.

Give it a good stir and that’s it.

Your whole wheat chicken nuggets are ready for dipping.

Oh yes.

So much better tasting than store bought… and way better for you!

Make now and enjoy or make now and freeze for later… either way make should be in the equation.

Enjoy! And if you give this Whole Wheat Chicken Nuggets recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 8 servings

Baked Whole Wheat Chicken Nuggets + Simple Sweet and Sour Sauce

Whole wheat chicken nuggets plus a simple as can be sweet and sour sauce.

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 22 minutes mins

Additional Time: 13 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

Ingredients

FOR THE NUGGETS:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs, or regular panko
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 2 pounds chicken tenders, or thinly cut chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
• kosher salt

FOR THE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE:

• 10 ounces apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup grainy dijon mustard

Instructions 

MAKE THE NUGGETS:

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, line a rimmed sheet pan with foil and set an oven-safe wire rack on to the pan.
• In a medium bowl combine the breadcrumbs, basil, oregano, black pepper and Parmesan. Stir to combine.
• Whisk together one cup butter milk plus one whole egg.
• Cube up the two pounds of chicken into bite-size pieces and place into a bowl. Pour the egg/buttermilk mixture over top and let them soak for 10 minutes.
• Use a fork to lift out the chicken pieces, allowing the excess liquids to drip off. Place a few chicken pieces into the breadcrumb mixture and toss {using a separate fork} to coat. Transfer the coated chicken nuggets to the wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
• Bake the chicken nuggets for 20-22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
• Let cool and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

MAKE THE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE:

• Combine the apricot preserves and the Dijon. Stir until smooth and that's it, you're ready to dunk your nuggets!

Notes

TO FLASH FREEZE:

Once the nuggets have cooled, arrange them on a rimmed, parchment lined sheet pan and pop them into your freezer for 25 minutes. Remove and transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container and store in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.

TO REHEAT:

Preheat your oven to 400°. Arrange the frozen nuggets on a rimmed sheet pan. Pop the nuggets into your preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are warmed throughout.

Serving: 1g, Calories: 297kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 99mg, Sodium: 385mg, Potassium: 525mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 224IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 104mg, Iron: 2mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Appetizers & Snacks

Cuisine: American

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