Frozen Chicken Nuggets Air Fryer
Cook Frozen Chicken Nuggets in Air Fryer for one of the easiest, kid-friendly dinners you will ever make. As a healthy bonus these chicken nuggets don’t require any additional oil. You won’t find that at a fast food restaurant.
. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
Do your kids request chicken nuggets all the time? If you’re looking for a quick dinner, an appetizer for game night or a party, or an anytime snack your kids can cook on their own, you will love these Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets.
I get asked how to air fry frozen chicken nuggets a lot, and this post will show you how with lots of air frying tips and tricks to get them perfect every time fro the whole family.
Restaurant chicken nuggets are usually deep-fried. Place one on a paper towel and it won’t take long until you see a large grease circle. Deep frying chicken nuggets at home is a pain and baking them in the oven takes so long and they never get crispy enough.
Sometimes you need a quick and easy dinner that you don’t have to feel guilty about and it doesn’t get much easier than frozen chicken nuggets cooked in the air fryer.
Not only do these cook quickly and taste great, but they are also so easy enough for older children to make them on their own. Just like these Air Fryer Frozen Burritos, delicious Air Fryer Frozen Corn Dogs and Air Fryer Frozen French Fries.
Plus check out the EASIEST EVER Air Fryer Fish Sticks, super juicy Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breast and family loved Air Fryer Whole Chicken. Plus learn how to reheat pizza in the air fryer.
Cook frozen, store-bought chicken nuggets in the air fryer. They’ll be ready to dunk in your favorite sauce in no time.
Table of Contents
Why Make This Recipe
- Quick and easy – Simple and perfectly cooked in just minutes (under 6 minutes).
- Less oil – Crispy, juicy chicken without deep frying!
- Kid-friendly – Perfect for snacking (and a school snack) and big kids can make these on their own.
- Party Food – Make a big batch in no time for a delicious party snack.
- Versatile – Serve air fried chicken nuggets with your favorite Asian recipes, as an appetizer or dunk them in your favorite dipping sauces.
Ingredient Notes
This recipe uses store-bought frozen chicken nuggets that have not been thawed. They are cooked straight from frozen. No extra oil is needed for cooking these.
Chicken nuggets are available in a variety of shapes and sizes so be flexible the first time you cook these as cooking times may vary slightly according to the brand.
Ready to see how easy it is to make frozen chicken nuggets air fryer? Grab a box, and let’s get started.
How Do I Cook Frozen Chicken Nuggets In An Air Fryer
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C.
- Place frozen chicken nuggets in a single layer in the Air Fryer Basket, cooking in batches if needed.
- Air fry for 12-15 minutes turning halfway and cook until they are golden brown.
- These can be served alone or with your dipping sauce of choice. You can also use them in any recipe that would be delicious with crispy chicken nuggets.
Expert Tips
- Don’t crowd the basket of the air fryer. You need to leave space between each chicken nugget so they get crispy. Don’t overlap them.
- No extra oil is needed for this recipe. But if you want you can spray them with cooking spray to make them a little crispier.
- Cooking times can vary between brands of nuggets so be flexible as you cook until you become familiar with the time needed for your favorite brand.
- Preheat your air fryer. Everything will cook more evenly. This recipe uses a Cosori Air Fryer.
Air fryer temperatures can vary depending on the make and model. I recommend starting with less cook time, checking for doneness, then adding more time as needed.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken nuggets make a great meal or snack on their own, but they are also really versatile. Here are some of our favorite ways to serve chicken nuggets.
- Serve nuggets with fries. See our instructions for cooking them together in the air fryer below. Or with Air Fryer Frozen Tater Tots.
- Make mini chicken parmesan. Top each nugget with a dollop of marinara and a bit of mozzarella cheese. Let the cheese melt and serve.
- Toss cooked nuggets in sweet and sour sauce and serve them with fried rice.
The Best Dips for Chicken Nuggets
Chicken nuggets are designed for dipping and the possibilities are endless. Our favorite dipping sauce include:
- Yum Yum Sauce.
- Bang Bang Sauce.
- White gravy
- Ranch
- Honey Mustard sauce
- Ketchup
- Marinara
- BBQ Sauce
- Buffalo Sauce
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead – We do not recommend that you make these in advance but you can easily reheat leftover chicken nuggets in your air fryer. See the full instructions below.
- Store – cooled ones in an airtight container in a refrigerator for a couple of days.
FAQs
Different air fryers and different brands of nuggets can result in slightly different cooking times. Preheating the air fryer to 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C can cut down on the inconsistencies but it’s best to watch closely until you learn what works best.
In most cases, your chicken nuggets will be crunchy, golden, heated through and fully cooked in about 12 minutes.
You can easily cook an entire meal for two right in your air fryer! It’s so easy to make chicken nuggets and french fries in the air fryer.
– Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C.
– Place the nuggets on one side of the air fryer basket and the fries on the other side. Try not to overlap anything.
– Cook for 12-15 minutes giving everything a turn halfway through the cooking time.
You can start with your local store brand and see how you like it. Alternatively, Trader Joe’s or Tyson Chicken nuggets are some of the best chicken nuggets to use.
The most important thing is to start with a few nuggets from whichever brand you decide to use. Air fry them and note the time you need for your desired level of doneness. And go from there.
If you have leftover chicken nuggets or you want to reheat drive-thru nuggets, it’s easy to do in the air fryer.
Preheat to 300 degrees F / 149 degrees C.
Cook the nuggets for 2 to 3 minutes until they are crispy and heated through.
Plan for about 6 nuggets per serving with a side.
Can I Cook Veggie Nuggets In Air Fryer?
If you don’t eat chicken or are just looking for an easy way to get more veggies into your kid’s diets, veggie nuggets are a great choice. Vegetarian nuggets are easy to find in the freezer section of most grocery stores and they are easy to cook in the air fryer.
To make air fryer veggie nuggets you will use the same cooking temperature found below but you may need to shorten your cooking time. Veggie nuggets will usually be cooked through in 6-8 minutes.
More Air Fryer Frozen Food Hacks
Want even more how to cook frozen Food In the Air Fryer Hacks? Then check out these helpful frozen foods posts:
- Air Fryer Frozen Burrito.
- Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs.
- Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings.
- Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings.
- Air Fryer Frozen French Fries.
- Air Fryer Frozen Pizza.
- Air Fryer Frozen Corn Dogs.
- Air Fryer Frozen Pierogies.
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Green Beans.
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries.
- Air Fryer Tater Tots.
- How To Reheat Pizza In Air Fryer.
- Homemade Air Fryer French Fries.
- Air Fryer Hamburgers.
- Air Fryer Turkey Burgers.
Weight Watchers Points
There are 10 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
Tools Needed
Thank you for reading my Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
Get The Frozen Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer Recipe:
Don’t forget to tag #recipesfromapantry on Instagram or Twitter if you try Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets! It is really, really awesome for me when you make one of my recipes and I’d love to see it. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thank you for reading Recipes from a Pantry.
Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 12 frozen chicken nuggets
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C.
- Place the nuggets on one side of the air fryer basket and the fries on the other side. Try not to overlap anything.
- Cook for 12-15 minutes giving everything a turn halfway through the cooking time.
Notes
- Don’t crowd the basket of the air fryer. You need to leave space between each chicken nugget so they get crispy. Don’t overlap them.
- No extra oil is needed for this recipe.
- Cooking times can vary between brands of nuggets so be flexible as you cook until you become familiar with the time needed for your favorite brand.
- Preheat your air fryer. Everything will cook more evenly.
- There are 10 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of these.
I tried your “frozen instant chicken breast”, I came back today looking for a second course. And your blog didn’t disappoint me! great! thank you for that!
Great pleasure in visiting this blog and the food was excellent !!! Thanks For Sharing !!!