Perfectly crispy on the outside, yet juicy on the inside! These homemade extra crispy spicy chicken nuggets can be made at any level of heat or with a touch of sweetness added. Easy to make and ever easier to eat! A dish the anyone will love- adults and kids, alike!
I feel like growing up there were two types of people: people who ordered burgers at a fast food restaurant and people who ordered chicken nuggets. I was a chicken nugget-er through and through. My aunt always told me when ordering anything chicken nugget, chicken wing, etc. (we also called them “wing dings”) to order them extra crispy. And to this day, I love me some extra crisp!
I’ll make these spicy chicken nuggets and throw them on a salad, like my spinach blueberry salad, replace them for the ground meat a hamburger salad, or toss them in a DIY nourish bowl. Or, I’ll eat them as-is and dip them into my FAVE copycay Chick Fil A sauce!
CopyCat Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Nuggets Recipe
Wendy’s is the queen of the spicy chicken nuggets. But, I am going to go out on a limb here and say “Hey, Wendy? Ya might want to hand over your crown…” Yep. I said it. Not only are these extra crispy spicy chicken nuggets that you can make at home JUST as delicious, well, you can make that at home! I.e. in your pajamas, while saving money. I don’t know about you, but I love BOTH of those things.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Here is what you’ll want to gather up to make your extra crispy nuggets:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Corn flakes
- Milk
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
- Paprika
- Salt
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- Honey (optional)
How To Make Extra Crispy Chicken Nuggets That Are Spicy
You can make these chicken nuggets two ways: in the oven or in the air fryer. Here are your directions for both ways:
How To Make Spicy Chicken Nuggets At Home In The Ovens
First you’re going to want to pop you bread crumb ingredients (the cornflakes and spices) into a blender and pulse them a few times until the cornflakes have crushed up, but not so much as to where they’re a super fine powder. It’s okay to have some bigger flakes still!
Then, take your chicken and cut it into bite sized pieces.
Next, dip your chicken pieces into milk, then into the cornflake mixture, which you’re going to want to place in a shallow bowl or on a plate.
Line a baking sheet with either a non-stick spill mat (I’m obsessed with these super affordable spillmats!) or parchment paper. Bake your nuggets for 20 minutes at 375 degrees, flipping them over at the 10 minute mark.
Remove them from the oven and enjoy!
How To Make Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Same thing here. First you’re going to want to pop you bread crumb ingredients (the cornflakes and spices) into a blender and pulse them a few times until the cornflakes have crushed up, but not so much as to where they’re a super fine powder. It’s okay to have some bigger flakes still!
Again, take your chicken and cut it into bite sized pieces.
Next, dip your chicken pieces into milk, then into the cornflake mixture, which you’re going to want to place in a shallow bowl or on a plate.
To cook your spicy chicken nuggets in the air fryer, set your air fryer to 370 and lightly spray your air fryer basket with non-stick spray. Then place your chicken nuggets in the air fryer and cook them for 15 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
After you cook these for 15 minutes I recommend popping them BACK in the air fryer for 2-4 minutes at 400 degrees. This will get them niiiiiice and crispy!
Turn Your Spicy Chicken Nuggets Into A Spicy Chicken Breast
Let’s be real…. there might be days when you don’t want to cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. Totally fine! You can easily turn this into a spicy chicken breast by following the same instructions with a whole chicken breast VS bite sized chicken pieces. For this you’ll just need to extend your cooking time by 5-10 minutes. I like to use a meat thermometer to know when it’s done, which is when it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F!
How To Make Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets
You can SO easily turn these into DIY frozen chicken nuggets! Simply cook them according to the recipe, then freeze. I like to freeze them on a baking sheet, placing them so they’re not touching.
Then, once frozen, you can place them into a freezer bag for storage.
To make your air fryer frozen chicken nuggets all you have to do is pop them into your air fryer basket (spray it with non-stick spray, first!) then cook at 370 for about 10 minutes to re-heat them. BOOM! So easy and a munch more affordable option rather than using store-bought nuggets to make air fryer chicken nuggets.
What To Serve With These Nuggets
Here are some side-dishes that go so well with these spicy chicken nuggets:
Want even more air fryer recipes? You might also like these:
- Crispy air fryer quesadillas
- Air fryer tilapia
- Air fryer frozen shrimp
- Perfect air fryer french toast sticks
If you love this recipe be sure to leave a star rating on the recipe card and a comment! I love hearing from you!
Happy eating!
XOXO
-Colleen
Extra Crispy Spicy Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
- 1.5 cups cornflakes
- 1.5 tsp cayenne powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender pulse together cornflakes, cayenne powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
- Next, dip each piece of chicken into the milk, then into the cornflake mixture that has been placed in a bowl or on a plate. Coat until the chicken is fully covered in the cornflake mixture.
- Repeat this process with all of the chicken pieces.
- For oven cooking: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray with non-stick spray. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the nuggets over halfway through.
- For air fryer cooking: Spray your air fryer basket with non-stick spray. Place nuggets into the basket and cook at 370 degrees for 12 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
- Enjoy your cooked spicy chicken nuggets! Dip them in ketchup, copycat Chick Fil A sauce, or even some 2 minute avocado lime crema!
Elizabeth Stang says
Omg these are incredible! I love that they are baked so they don’t make me feel as bloated and uncomfortable as fried chicken nuggets. Highly recommend