Healthy Chicken Nuggets

(5.0)
By Judy Capodanno
Published 2/7/2022
Dietitian Reviewed: Jane Schwartz, RDN, CLT
Approved for These Diets:
Heart Healthy | Diabetic

Skip the drive-thru and serve homemade healthy chicken nuggets with wonderfully crispy skin and a tender interior. No processed meat or deep-frying here — this popular baked chicken recipe boasts an impressive 2 grams of fat per serving. Compare that to most fast food nuggets with a whopping 12 grams.

Total Time
45 minutes
Servings
4
Calories
166
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Why You’ll Love These Healthy Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets are a family favorite and are one of the most requested foods by kids. But they’re often loaded with calories and fat, whether you get them from your favorite take-out restaurant or make packaged ones at home. These healthy homemade chicken nuggets taste just as good as what you or the kids crave (probably better!) but they are low calorie and low fat. That makes this a chicken dinner recipe you can feel good about serving the whole family. The best part is, these healthy nuggets are ready in just 45 minutes.

You might wonder if chicken nuggets can fit into a heart healthy diet, and the answer is that they can if they’re made the right way. These heart healthy chicken nuggets don’t require a deep fryer, greasy frying pan or lots of oil. Instead, we coat the nuggets in cornflake crumbs and bake them in the oven to get the outside crisp while keeping the interior juicy. The result is that this heart healthy chicken recipe contains just 166 calories, 2g of total fat and 0g of saturated fat per serving. Just keep in mind that the sodium content is a little higher than some of our other healthy chicken recipes, so you may need to limit how many nuggets you eat if you’re watching your sodium intake.

The secret to a good chicken nugget is how crispy the exterior is. That’s usually achieved with lots of flour and breadcrumbs, which can make those following a diabetic meal plan shy away from this coveted comfort food. But we use crushed cornflakes to create a crunchy coating without the need for a lot of carbs. At just 12 grams of carbohydrates per serving, this is a diabetic chicken recipe everyone can enjoy. Plus, since people with diabetes need to protect their heart, the low fat nature of these nuggets is an added bonus. 

You may think that low calorie chicken recipes are bland and boring, but with a bit of creativity, you can enjoy all of your traditional favorites with fewer calories. This may just be the best chicken nuggets recipe you ever tried and they’re so easy to make. To lower the fat and calorie content of this one pan chicken recipe, we used egg whites and low-fat milk instead of whole eggs. Then we dipped the chicken in cornflakes, which give the chicken its characteristic crispiness using fewer calories than breadcrumbs. Plus, since the nuggets are baked rather than fried, you save on calories because they’re not dripping in oil. The result is a crunchy coating everyone will love but you’ll love knowing that each serving contains only 166 calories and delivers a powerhouse of 27 grams of protein.

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Ingredients

Recipe yields 4 servings

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How to Make Chicken Nuggets

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 400°.

  2. Step 2

    Cut chicken into 1-1/2 -inch pieces. In a bowl combine flour, paprika, pepper and salt. Roll chicken pieces in the flour mixture to cover on all sides, shaking off excess flour. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    In a small bowl lightly beat egg whites and buttermilk. In another bowl, place the cornflakes. Dip each chicken piece into egg mixture then coat with cornflakes, covering completely.

  4. Step 4

    Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer on rack. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, until golden. Serve with ketchup or honey mustard, if desired.

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size:
4 pieces

166
Calories
2
g
Fat
40
mg
Cholesterol
641
mg
Sodium
12
g
Carbs
0
g
Sat. Fat
1
g
Fiber
27
g
Protein
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More Recipes Like Healthy Chicken Nuggets

For more delicious chicken recipes that are surprisingly healthy even though they taste decadent, try our Crispy Southern Chicken, Crisy Baked Chicken or Buffalo Chicken Tenders. If you don’t want to turn on the oven, there’s no doubt that grilled chicken is healthy, so why not try one of these grilled chicken recipes for dinner tonight?

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