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Green serving bowl of chicken nuggets with dipping sauces.
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5 from 14 votes

Ultimate Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

Brined in pickle juice, these tender and juicy air fryer chicken nuggets are easy, delicious, and incredibly addicting!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Optional pickle brine2 hours
Total Time33 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 215kcal
Author: Dana Sandonato

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs chicken tenderloins
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 1 TBSP onion powder
  • 1 TBSP garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 cups pickle brine from a jar of dill pickles If you aren't brining your chicken, you can ignore this ingredient.

Instructions

PICKLE BRINING

  • Place your chicken into a deep container with a lid or a gallon-size zip-top bag. Slowly pour the pickle brine over it until the chicken is fully immersed. Pop it into the fridge and let it brine for at least 2 hours, and up to 24 hours.

MAKING THE CHICKEN TENDERS

  • Preheat the air fryer to 400º F.
  • Take the chicken out of the fridge. With tongs, transfer the tenderloins to a paper towel-lined plate or cutting board, then gently pat them with more paper towels. This removes excess moisture and brine. After that, cut them into 1-inch pieces.
  • Set up a breading station with a dish for flour, one for the beaten eggs, and another for seasoned breadcrumbs. (I like to put the flour and the breading in their own gallon-sized zip-top bag for shaking. This makes the process a bit quicker, and you can keep those bags along with any leftover flour or breadcrumbs for future chicken nugget making. Less waste! Just label the bags and pop them into the freezer.)
  • Toss the chicken bites into the flour, followed by the egg, and then the breadcrumbs.
  • When the air fryer reaches 400º F, spritz the air fryer basket with a bit of non-stick cooking oil. Transfer the nuggets (as many as you can fit without overcrowding) into the basket; spritz the tops of the nuggets with a bit of the cooking oil.
  • Air fry the chicken nuggets for 6 minutes, flipping halfway through. Check on the internal temperature with a meat thermometer at 6 minutes. You're looking for an internal temperature between 160-165º F. If they haven't reached that temp yet, continue to air fry in 2 minute increments until ready.
  • Once they're ready, carefully transfer them from the air fryer basket to a large plate or platter. Repeat until all of your chicken nuggets are cooked.

Notes

Be sure to check out the post above for tips, storage and freezing suggestions, and serving ideas!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 2g