Baked Chicken Nuggets
Delicious Baked Chicken Nuggets are marinated for flavor, then coated with Parmesan cheese, almond flour, and poultry seasoning and baked. The healthy kid-friendly chicken nuggets are great with Ranch dipping sauce and this is a meal the whole family will enjoy!
PIN the Baked Chicken Nuggets to make them later!
Baked Chicken Nuggets are a tasty dish I’ve made so many times since I first came up with it, and I’m reminding you about this recipe for today’s Friday Favorites pick. If you’re a mom who’s trying to follow a lower carb eating plan and looking for things the kids will eat, I promise, the kids will love this recipe!
And although the baked chicken nuggets may look a bit messy when they’re cooking, we absolutely loved these tasty pieces of chicken! If you wanted to serve some raw veggies to go with the nuggets and ranch dip, that could be a healthy kid-friendly dinner! I hope you try it.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)
- large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- mayo
- Dijon Mustard (affiliate link)
- white balsamic vinegar (affiliate link)
- water
- Garlic Powder (affiliate link)
- Poultry Seasoning (affiliate link)
- Parmesan cheese
- Almond Flour (affiliate link)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Tips for success with the Baked Chicken Nuggets:
When I make an older recipe again I’m always improving it! And when Kara and I worked on this chicken nuggets recipe we discovered that using Parchment Paper (affiliate link) to cover the pan when we baked them made a big difference in keeping the chicken from sticking. We also used a Food Processor (affiliate link) to buzz the coating mixture, which helped the it stick to the chicken better.
What Dipping Sauce did we use for the Chicken Nuggets Recipe?
We served the chicken nuggets with Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip, which was perfect. Another good option would be BYU Creamery Ranch Dressing.
More Low-Carb Dipping Sauces for Baked Chicken Nuggets:
- Greek Yogurt Vegetable Dip
- Southwestern Ranch Dip
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Sriracha Aioli Dipping Sauce
- Market Street Grill Cucumber Dill Sauce
How low in carbs are the Baked Chicken Nuggets?
These tasty kid-friendly chicken nuggets have only about 3 net carbs per serving and 30 grams of protein!
How to Make Baked Chicken Nuggets:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Trim chicken breasts and pound until they are close to an even thickness and not much more than 1/2 inch thick.
- Cut the pounded chicken breasts into nuggets.
- Mix mayo, Dijon mustard, white balsamic vinegar, water, Garlic Powder, and Poultry Seasoning to make the marinade.
- Then put the chicken into a Ziploc bag or plastic container and let it marinate 3-4 hours or all day in the fridge. (You could cut up the chicken and mix the marinade the night before and refrigerate; then add the the marinade to the bag before you go to work or leave for the day.)
- When it’s dinner time, dump marinated chicken into a colander placed in the sink and let the excess marinade drip off while the oven heats.
- Line the sheet pan with Parchment Paper (affiliate link).
- We used a Food Processor (affiliate link) to buzz together the Parmesan cheese, Almond Flour, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper, but if you don’t have one you can mix it with a fork if your almond flour and Parmesan is finely ground.
- One at a time, dip nuggets in the almond flour mixture and place on the parchment paper.
- Bake nuggets without turning for 12-15 minutes or until they’re starting to get browned. Then turn then and cook about 10-12 minutes more. Total cooking time will be 20-25 minutes, depending on your pan and oven temperature.
- Serve Baked Chicken Nuggets hot, with Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip, or another dip of your choice. (See more dipping sauce ideas above.)
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
Baked chicken nuggets would taste great with one of these side dishes for a low-carb meal:
- Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad
- No-Mayo Vinegar Coleslaw
- Sugar Snap Pea Salad
- Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta
- Kalyn’s Keto Coleslaw Recipe
Want more options for low-carb baked chicken?
Check out Keto Baked Chicken Recipes for lots more options for tasty oven dinners made with chicken.
Baked Chicken Nuggets
These tasty low-carb and Keto Baked Chicken Nuggets are kid-friendly and delicious and this is great for a family-friendly low-carb dinner! Serve with your favorite Ranch or dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 4 very large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Marinade Ingredients:
- 2 T mayo
- 2 T Dijon mustard (see notes)
- 1 T white balsamic vinegar (see notes)
- 1 T water
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
Coating Ingredients:
- 4 T Parmesan cheese (see notes)
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (see notes)
Instructions
- Trim any undesirable parts from chicken, then put each chicken breast into a Ziploc bag and pound with a meat mallet (affiliate link)(or something heavy) until the chicken is an even thickness, not much over 1/2 inch thick.
- Cut the chicken breasts into nugget-size pieces.
- Whisk together mayo, Dijon, white balsamic vinegar, water, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning.
- Place chicken strips and marinade in plastic bag and marinate in refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours or as long as all day.
- When ready to cook, dump chicken into a colander placed in the sink so the excess marinade runs off and let chicken come to room temperature while you preheat oven to 450F/230C.
- If needed, use a food processor to finely grind the almond flour (affiliate link), Parmesan, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper, and put coating in large flat bowl. (If your almond flour and Parmesan are both finely ground you can probably just stir it together with a fork.)
- Cover baking sheet with Parchment Paper (affiliate link).
- Dip each chicken piece into coating, turning to coat both sides, and arrange in single layer on baking sheet.
- Bake without turning for 12-15 minutes, or until the chicken is starting to look a little brown on the top.
- Then use metal turner and go under each piece of chicken to carefully turn each piece.
- Cook 10-12 minutes more on the second side until chicken is well browned and cooked through.
- Total cooking time will be 20-25 minutes, depending on your pan and oven temperature.
- Serve hot.
- If you’re reheating this in the microwave, be careful not to overcook or it will get dry. It is definitely best reheated in a hot pan or toaster oven.
Notes
If you don't like Dijon, use any mustard that appeals to you.
Use slightly less than 1 T white vinegar if you don’t want to buy white balsamic vinegar just for this.
Freshly grated Parmesan is best, not the kind that comes in a can. Parmesan is salty so I didn't use much salt.
Recipe adapted from Cooking New American.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 293Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 73mgSodium 382mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 3gSugar 1gProtein 30g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Baked Chicken Nuggets would be a good option for any low-carb or Keto eating plan, and also for all phases of the original South Beach Diet. For the South Beach Diet, almond flour is not officially approved for phase one, and for phase 2 or 3 be sure to consider the almond meal as your allowance of nuts for the day.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Oven Dinners to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This tasty recipe for chicken nuggets that are marinated and then baked was first posted in 2008! The recipe was updated with new photos in 2016, and it was last updated with more information in 2025.
79 Comments on “Baked Chicken Nuggets”
How many grams or ounces would you consider to be “very large”? Portion size is important when calculating calories. Thanks!
I don’t ever weigh the chicken when I make a recipe, but I’m guessing the chicken breasts are close to 8 ounces when I consider them large. You could weigh the chicken you’re using and use that to calculate the calories if you really want it to be accurate.
I wish I knew how to cook this in the Airfryer…..
I’m sorry I can’t advise you on that. I’ve been hesitant to try it in the Air Fryer because of the way some of the coating sticks to the parchment paper when you make it in the oven. But if you do get brave enough to try it, I would love to hear how it goes!
Hi again! Any thoughts on this version of nuggets in the Air Fryer? Maybe not so much due to having been marinaded? Thanks!
I haven’t tried this in the Air Fryer. We did attempt Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets once (not exactly this recipe) and the breading fell off and made a mess, so I’m not sure I’d recommend it. Although I have seen recipes for it, let me know how it goes if you do try it!
That information is already in the recipe.
Any idea of what I could sub the Mayo with? Everything sounds great except the Mayo!!
You could try something like Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream, but truthfully I don’t know if it will hold the coating on as well as the mayo does. The mayo in this recipe is used to marinate, so most of it drips off before the chicken is cooked, and I don’t think there is much mayo flavor.
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 117
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4.5g 6%
Saturated Fat 0.5g 2%
Cholesterol 34mg 11%
Sodium 243mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 2.7g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0.7g 3%
Total Sugars 0.4g
Protein 16.7g
Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
Calcium 7mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 13mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Hi, can you please post the Nutrition label? That really helps to see why its considered low-carb.
Hi Kalyn! Do you still have the older version of this recipe on the blog? It was one of my absolute favorites!
Brianna if you will e-mail me (kalynskitchen@comcast.net) and tell me if you're talking about the recipe without Parmesan that had paprika, I can send it to you.
Made these tonight, boy were they yummy! This will go in my file for sure. Thank you!
Thanks, so glad you enjoyed them!
Thanks Olivia, so glad you're enjoying the recipes!
Thanks for all the low-carb/SB recipes. They can be a real God-send. I tried the chicken fingers today. Worked just great. Some crust loss, but not that much. I enjoyed it with a roasted red pepper-based, no-sugar BBQ sauce. Perfect for a late summer day.
Cornflakes would not be South Beach diet friendly, but I bet it would be tasty!
I tried making this for lunch today. Final result was tasty but despite being super careful I did lose a fair bit of crumb.
I have a recipe given to me by a family friend that is similiar but has a cornflake crumb with a yoghurt marinade (I don't know if thats South Beach friendly, I come here for the recipes and leave the diets for someone else)
Thanks Becca!
This chicken recipe looks delicious!
I must make this again soon just to try the parchment! So glad you enjoyed it.
I made this tonight for the first time, was delicious. I used parchment paper like Vicky suggested and minimum loss of crust!!! Success!
Vicky now I am asking myself why I didn't think of parchment paper!
Kalyn, made this chicken tonight and it was so good. I did have trouble with the coating sticking to the pan instead of the chicken so I'll either try putting it on parchment paper in the pan (sprayed with Pam) or use a rack like someone else did. Putting the recipe in my cookbook. Thanks!!
Christal, that's an excellent suggestion, thanks!
I invert the rack from my roasting pan on a rimmed baking sheet when I cook chicken like this…no turning and it gets browned all around. Less coating lost!
Since almonds are the main ingredient in the coating, I'm not coming up with anything else that would work and also be phase one, sorry!
Kalyn – any ideas for someone with a nut allergy? I know bread is not allowed on phase 1 – but the almonds won't work.
Thanks for any suggestions you might have.
Anita
I keep all my old recipe binders so that if someone has a problem with a recipe like you did I can go back and look it up. My notes for this say say 450F, cook 15-20 minutes, turn carefully and cook 10 minutes more. I would have been cooking it in a toaster oven, which could have made a difference. I see there are several comments from people who had success with it, but one other person who thought it was overdone.
I'd have to guess at what made the difference, but maybe the thickness of the chicken or how cold it was when it went into the oven would affect it. Also some ovens can be much hotter than others even if set at the same temp. If you liked it, I'd try again at 400F and start to check a little sooner.
Great recipe, I was excited to try it. But at 450 degrees, it was way overcooked. I baked for 15 minutes, chicken was already done but coating was not crispy. I put the broiler on and that worked to crisp the outside but I ended up with really dry chicken. Very sad, not sure what the right temp and time would be.
Haley, so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this last night for my family. I tried the wire rack as some other people had suggested I didn't turn chicken but it was evenly browned and the crust stayed on really well. I didn't have almond meal so I finely ground almonds and it truned out great. Everyone in my family loved it. I gave the receipe to my sister to make for my 1 year old niece. Thanks Kalyn for all your hard work. I will be trying more of your stuff in the future.
Amy, yaay! So glad it was a hit!
Huge winner in my house tonight! All 3 of my picky eaters of various ages gobbled them down!
Well of course you *could* make it with regular balsamic vinegar, but I honestly don't know how it would work, since I haven't tried it that way. Seems like the vinegar will turn the coating dark, but it might be okay.
I've been wanting to make these, but can I use regular balsamic vinegar? I rarely use white vinegar or white balsamic. Is it just for looks?
It will depend on your oven too; some are definitely hotter than others at a set temperature!
Pretty good, just dont overcook, like i did.. 30 mins is too much! id go 25 @ 425 degrees
I'm not sure how this would work without almonds. If they can eat other types of nuts, I'd grind up some peanuts or cashews and use in place of the almonds. It may work without doing that, but I can't really say for sure.
Can I leave the Almonds out of the recipe? The people I want to cook it for don't eat them.
Nicole, not sure I have tried this cold, but I'm thinking I would like it too!
This is one of my absolute favorite South Beach Diet dinners!! It's delicious! I like having some in the fridge left over for a (small) snack the next day…I think it's yummy cold (though I might be the only one). 🙂 Thanks, Kalyn!
Cristy, you can definitely do that. The almonds won't be quite as finely ground, but I think it will still be good.
I couldn't find almond meal at our little store here in podunk ha ha! Is there any other way I could make this? Perhaps just put some almonds in my food processor with the parmesan?
Kayln- I cooked this dish for my family last night and they ALL loved it. My little sister said it doesn't even taste like "diet food". Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into this site! It makes the SB lifestyle A TON easier!
Cody, thanks and glad to hear you're enjoying the blog.
I cooked this dish last night for my family and they all loved it! My husband and I just started South Beach and when I found your blog I wanted to cry! Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into this blog! It's so well organized and everything is easy to find. Loved this recipe and will be visting here again to find more!
Hi Kalyn, I've eaten these little darlings with the green salad you've sugested…they are TRULY wonderful! I cannot tell you have glad I am finding your lovely site!!!It's an Aladdin's Cave!
Rachel, glad you liked them!
Hi Kayln,
I made this recipe last night and it was so easy to make and very tasty. I took the suggestion of one of your other posters and made it on a wire rack (sprayed with cooking spray!) on a foil-lined cookie sheet. My only recommendation is to still turn the chicken strips over as your recipe suggests as the bottoms didn't get browned like the top. I turned them over and they lost a bit of the coating, but it wasn't too a great loss. We'd definitely make them again. Thanks again for your great recipes!
Kayln, thanks for all of your great recipes! We're giving this one a try tonight.
Laura, you're so welcome. Thanks for taking the time to let me know you're enjoying the blog.
Wow this was delicious!! One of my new favorite dinners. I've been following your blog for a while but only recently did I actually start the diet and this has been the best thing I've tried yet! Your blog has really made it so much easier, thank you!
Lauren so glad you liked it. Thanks for taking time to let me know.
Yum! I made these chicken strips for dinner tonight, and they were delicious!!! I can’t wait to make them for company!
Kerry, great idea! I haven’t seen that in Cook’s Illustrated, but I think I’ll try it too.
Tried this last night and my husband really liked it. Smelled so good while it was cooking but I think I would have liked it better if it had more time to marinate.
Next time I’ll try the Cook’s Illustrated method of baking on a wire rack over the rimmed sheet pan and bake without flipping it. It really did lose a lot of the coating when I turned the pieces.
This is so lovely, Kalyn. I have tried to avoud bread nowadays, and this would make a perfect substitution for breadcrumb!
Oooh, I like the mayo-balsamic vinegar combination idea. I’m big fans of both of those, and I’ve had them mixed together as a sandwich condiment and loved it. I will definitely try this soon.
Before my wedding I did South Beach. I was very successful on it but it was not realistic for me to stay on it.
But that is some good looking food, “diet” or not.
these look and sound delicious. thanks for posting.
That looks like something that I could easily abuse of :)…wicked good!
Wow that does look beautiful…I think I will start cooking this now.
Zoe, I do think you could make this without the mustard, but you’d need to replace it with something else. I might try 2 1/2 T mayo and 1 1/2 T white balsamic vinegar. You could also use something completely different in place of mustard; there are lots of possibilities that might be good (Ranch dressing is one that comes to mind.)
For the combo of 2 1/2 T mayo and 1 1/2 T balsamic vinegar I might add a tiny bit more poultry seasoning. Let me know if you try a variation, I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Do you think this would have enough flavor with the mustard omitted? Other than the mustard, it sounds like a recipe right up my alley (love almonds, love parmesan). Mustard is one of the few foods that I truly despise. I can handle it in tiny quantities, but this amount would be taste-able, I think. 🙂
Thanks everyone for the nice comments. I had this for lunch yesterday and it was great!
Thanks for posting this recipe Kalyn. I need to get on the right track.
How do you do this? I’ve still got to make the Chicken Picatta with Fried Capers.
And now this. I love little bites like this. You win again Kalyn.
Kalyn – I’m on the North Beach diet right now, but those chicken strips look delicious! Happy new year!
Looks good and yummy. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Great recipe! I love nut-crumbs. 🙂 I made a tilapia like this and it was fabulous! Happy New Year, Kalyn!
The chicken strips look tasty. The almond crust sounds really good.
That sounds really good and not to complicated. I’ll have to try it.
Great recipe, for South Beach or not. I don’t usually keep poultry seasoning on my spice rack; I think I’ll try herbes de Provence instead!
Yum! Those look great and easy. Cool idea to subsitute ground almonds for breadcrumbs.
Sounds delish, even to us non South Beachy types!
Happy New Year.
Kalyn, I too recently enjoyed a nut-crusted dish…great alternative to bread crumbs and tasty!
That looks like an excellent buffet dish – thanks for sharing, Kalyn! And wish you a Happy New Year, of course!!