Chicken nuggets are a classic fan favorite that both kids and adults love. When cooked just right, they become crispy and golden on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside But knowing exactly how long to cook chicken nuggets in the oven is key to achieving this perfect texture and taste
In this comprehensive guide, we will cover everything you need to know about getting the best oven-baked chicken nuggets, including:
Selecting The Right Chicken Nuggets
Not all chicken nuggets are created equal. When selecting your nuggets to bake consider
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Quality ingredients – Opt for nuggets made from all-natural chicken breast rather than processed chicken This ensures better texture and flavor
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Breading – The breading is key for achieving crispy oven-baked nuggets. Look for panko breadcrumbs or cracker-style coatings.
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Size and shape – Uniformly shaped nuggets will cook evenly. Aim for bite-sized pieces or uniform strips.
Tyson® All Natural* Chicken Nuggets are a great choice, made with quality white meat chicken and a crispy, golden breading.
Preheating The Oven
Preheating is a must for getting your chicken nuggets nice and crispy in the oven. Heat your oven to 400°F before baking. This allows the oven to fully reach the desired temperature.
Prepare A Baking Sheet
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. The nonstick surface prevents sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
Arrange The Nuggets In A Single Layer
Place chicken nuggets on the baking sheet in a single layer, without crowding or overlapping. Even spacing allows for maximum airflow circulation for crispiness.
How Long To Cook Chicken Nuggets In Oven
The optimal oven bake time for chicken nuggets is 12-15 minutes at 400°F. However, always defer to the package instructions, as cook times can vary slightly by brand.
Here are some general cooking guidelines:
- Standard frozen nuggets – Bake for 15 minutes, flip halfway
- Larger nuggets or strips – Increase bake time to 17-18 minutes
- Smaller bite-sized nuggets – Decrease bake time to 12-13 minutes
The included microwave instructions are a quick and easy cooking method as well.
Internal Temperature For Doneness
The best way to ensure your chicken nuggets are fully cooked is to use an instant-read thermometer. Insert into the thickest part of a nugget to check the internal temperature.
Chicken nuggets are done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, cut into a nugget to check for no pink interior.
Golden Brown Exterior
In addition to monitoring temperature, check that your chicken nuggets have developed a crispy, golden brown exterior. If not browned enough, increase oven temperature by 25°F and bake for 2-3 more minutes.
Flipping Halfway Through
For evenly cooked and browned chicken nuggets, flip each nugget over using tongs halfway through the baking time. This allows both sides to bake and crisp up nicely.
Cooking Frozen Nuggets
For frozen chicken nuggets, an additional 1-2 minutes of bake time is often needed. And as always, verify with a thermometer that the minimum 165°F temperature is reached.
Preventing Soggy Nuggets
To prevent sogginess, avoid overcrowding and let nuggets fully cool on the baking sheet before serving. Steam from hot nuggets can soften the exterior.
Reheating Leftovers
To reheat leftover baked chicken nuggets, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 4-5 minutes until warmed through. The oven is best for retaining crispy textures.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken nuggets pair wonderfully with all kinds of dipping sauces like ketchup, ranch, barbecue, or honey mustard. Serve them alongside crispy fries, coleslaw, fruit, or veggie sticks for a complete meal.
Oven-Baked Chicken Nugget Recipes To Try
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Parmesan Chicken Nuggets – Toss nuggets with Parmesan, paprika, garlic powder, and olive oil before baking.
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Buffalo Chicken Nuggets – Toss cooked nuggets in Buffalo hot sauce then bake until crispy. Serve with blue cheese dressing.
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Chicken Nugget Kebabs – Thread nuggets and veggies onto skewers for fun individual snacks.
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Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets – For an extra crispy crunch, try air frying your nuggets.
Key Takeaways
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Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet.
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Arrange nuggets in a single layer without crowding.
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Bake for 12-15 minutes, flip halfway through.
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Chicken nuggets are done at an internal temperature of 165°F.
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Let nuggets cool slightly before serving to maintain crispiness.
Baking chicken nuggets in the oven takes just minutes and results in crispy, golden nuggets the whole family will love. With the proper cook times and these easy tips, you can achieve oven-baked perfection every time. Enjoy these tasty nuggets as a quick weeknight dinner or fun party snack.
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The Best Ways to Cook Chicken Nuggets
Shallow fry your nuggets! The deep fry method worked well, too, though the nuggets in the shallow fry batches were markedly juicier across all breading and battering trials.
Unless you’re actively trying to avoid fry oil, you might benefit from benching your air fryer in pursuit of the perfect nugget. Air fryer nuggets were perfectly edible and had a decent level of crispiness and tenderness, but the shells were unevenly cooked, and their interiors a bit dry.
The baked nuggets were much juicier than the air fryer nuggets. That said, the air fryer specimens had crunchier jackets, so, pick your battle.
The Best Breadings & Batters for Chicken Nuggets
Panko produced a cartoonishly appealing tone when tested across most cook methods (except bake), and unlike some of the other breadings and batters, it didn’t call for extra cook time to properly darken, which meant the resulting nuggets didn’t dry out at the expense of color. The panko-coated nuggets were, as one tester pointed out, “like little pucks of chicken Parm” and would have paired well with marinara.
Italian-style bread crumbs also created golden nuggets, but I can’t recommend them over panko in good faith, since the resulting shells were about half as crispy, more like crusty throw blankets than glassy swaddles.
Rice flour batter produced the most enticing exteriors by far. Biting into these nuggets was like driving a Mack Truck over a Zalto glass, and yet each shell still managed to retain the faintest bounce, distantly reminiscent of the texture of tahdig. (All-purpose flour batter did not disappoint—especially with its delightfully golden color and crunch boost from cornstarch—but it offered none of the textural nuance of rice flour.)
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FAQ
How long are chicken nuggets cooked for?
How long to bake Chicken Nuggets? Preheat to 400 °F. Place frozen nuggets in a single layer on a foiled-lined baking sheet. Heat 13 to 15 minutes or until heated through.
How long do you cook chicken nuggets for?
Bake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread frozen nuggets on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes. Pan Fry: Heat vegetable oil (1/8″) in skillet until hot. Fry nuggets in the hot oil over medium heat 10-12 minutes, turning over after 5-6 minutes.
How long do you cook frozen chicken nuggets for?
Definitely deep fried. From frozen, 3 minutes at 375 degrees F is perfect.
How long should nuggets be cooked for?
Preheat oven to 200°C. Place Chicken Nuggets on a lightly greased oven tray and cook for approximately 16-18 minutes, turning once. Place Chicken Nuggets into air fryer basket in a single layer only. Cook at 200°C for approximately 10-12 minutes.