Make Baked Parmesan Chicken Nuggets with just a handful of ingredients. Dip boneless chicken in melted butter, dredge in breadcrumbs and parmesan, and fry until crispy. Pair it with your favorite sauce or dip!
How to Make Parmesan Chicken Nuggets
When we were kids, my mom used to make this parmesan chicken dish that was so good we fought over every last crumb. She started with a whole chicken, removed the skin and bones (and used them to make chicken broth), then cut the meat into small pieces. (She was making “chicken nuggets” before anyone called her that!)
Then she dipped these chicken nuggets in melted butter, rolled them in breadcrumbs and Parmesan, and baked them.
My god they were good.
The Secret to the Best Parmesan Chicken Nuggets
When I asked Mom for her Parmesan Chicken recipe a few years ago, she hadn’t made it in so many years, she’d completely forgotten how. After several false starts, my dad and I finally recreated what comes closest to their original recipe.
The secret, of course, is the melted butter.
When we did the parmesan chicken with olive oil, it was okay, but not the earth-shattering deliciousness we were looking for. At least the part of the recipe that my mom remembered (when we were halfway through our recipe discovery)!
When using boneless, skinless meat that has been cut into small pieces, the ratio of buttery, crispy coating to meat is much higher than regular coated baked or broiled chicken.
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Check out this delicious Parmesan Chicken Recipe
Swaps and Substitutions
More Baked Chicken Recipes to Make!
- Classic baked chicken
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Breaded and baked chicken thighs
- Herbed chicken tenders with tomato sauce
- Goldfish Chicken Tender
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Baked Parmesan Chicken Nuggets
The color of your frying pan can affect your results. A dark skillet (as shown) can give off more heat and brown the bottom of the chicken more.
ingredients
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1/2 Cup buttermelted
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1 teaspoon chopped garlic
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1 Cup dried breadcrumbs
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1/3 Cup grated parmesan cheese
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2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
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1/4 teaspoon kosher Salt
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1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (can replace regular salt)
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Big pinch dried Italian spice
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1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
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2 lb skinless, boneless Chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
method
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preheat the oven
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Position a rack in the middle.
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Pat chicken pieces dry:
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Patting the chicken pieces dry will give the chicken a crispy breading as it cooks.
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Prepare the butter and breadcrumbs:
In a small bowl, stir the chopped garlic into the melted butter. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper.
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Dredge chicken pieces:
Dip the chicken pieces, one at a time, into the melted butter mixture. Then dredge in the parmesan and breadcrumbs mixture to brush them.
Note: If your chicken pieces are cold, this can cause the melted butter to thicken and cause too much butter to stick to the chicken pieces. If you notice this, simply reheat the butter.
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Place the chicken on the roaster:
Place the coated chicken pieces on a 9″ x 13″ (or larger) skillet. Try to leave a little space between each piece for air circulation. (You may need to use more than one skillet.) Drizzle with the remaining garlic butter.
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Bake, then serve:
Bake uncovered at 450°F for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted at thickest point reads 165°F. Note that the chicken will brown a lot more on the bottom than the top, especially if you’re using a nonstick pan.
Allow to cool slightly before serving.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 481 | calories |
| 23g | Fat |
| 14g | carbohydrates |
| 51g | protein |
