Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

These baked buffalo chicken nuggets are a healthier alternative to the fried version. They’re made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and are baked in the oven until crispy.

Then they’re tossed in a homemade buffalo sauce with hot sauce, butter, and spices. Serve them as an appetizer or main dish with a side of ranch or blue cheese dressing.

How to make buffalo chicken nuggets:

First, start by cutting two large chicken breasts into nugget-sized pieces.

So, just do some strips and ten it so you have a bunch of bite-size pieces. Once you have all the chicken pieces cut up, set that aside and start putting together your breading.

Starting with one cup of dried breadcrumbs, add three tablespoons of Italian seasoning and half a teaspoon of salt, stir it together, then add half a cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

You’ll notice that the cheese gives an amazing flavour to the breading, which is going to up your nuggets a notch.

Use half a cup of Buffalo hot sauce to add a little heat to your chicken.

Pour that into a bowl with half a cup of melted butter and whisk it together until it’s all homogeneous. 

All of this is going to add an amazing flavor to the chicken, the parmesan is going to give it that tiny bit of bitterness and sourness that we love, and the hot sauce is just going to spice it up a bit.

Next, lightly grease a baking sheet and use a fork or your hands to dip a piece of chicken into the hot sauce and butter mixture, then place it into the breadcrumbs.

Roll around your chicken in the breadcrumbs and get it all nice and coated.

Do the same with the remaining pieces of chicken and bake them in a 400-degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the chicken has become nice and golden and has reached an inside temperature of 165 degrees.

After 25 minutes, put it under the oven broiler for a few minutes to crisp up that bread coating.

Keep on reading for more information on how to perfect this recipe.

Can I use almond flour instead of breadcrumbs?

Yes, you can replace breadcrumbs with almond flour.

The coarse texture and nutty flavour of almond flour make it the perfect substitute for breadcrumbs. To prepare, mix it up with spices that fit the flavour of your dish.

Then, heat this mixture in a pan with olive oil until the crumbs are as crispy as desired.

Tips for breading your gluten-free chicken nuggets

Gluten-free gets a bad rap, but gluten-free chicken nuggets can be amazingly good if you know how to make them. 

When breading your chicken nuggets, the trick is not to think of them as gluten-free but as simple, deliciously bad-for-you chicken nuggets. Using finely ground almond flour is the way to go.

Simply put your almond flour in a food processor or a coffee grinder and work it through. Why super fine almond flour, you ask? 

Because it will help coat the chicken easier and offer even more flavor. Who said gluten-free was born?

Can you make buffalo chicken nuggets with frozen chicken?

The answer to this is yes and no. We all know that you must let it thaw before baking frozen chicken. Of course, frying is not an option. 

Frying frozen chicken can go wrong quickly unless you have industrial cooking equipment with the proper fire control system.

And not all of us are professional chefs, so that’s not an option. So, always make sure to use an oven for frozen chicken.

So yes, you can cook wings that are frozen properly, but does it offer better results than thawing them?

First of all, thawing will allow spices and seasoning to work much better because they will be able to sink into the chicken. 

But, if you can’t wait for your chicken to thaw, here’s what you do: Preheat your oven, space your chicken evenly on a baking sheet, then when you’re halfway through the cooking process, pull the chicken out and cover it with the spices or sauce of your choosing, And put them back in the oven. 

Continue baking until the juices run clear and the chicken is fully cooked on the inside.

How do you make buffalo sauce?

So, you want to make Buffalo sauce from scratch? 

No need to worry about it. This delicious spicy sauce is pretty easy to whisk at home.

Simply put 1 1/2 cup of Frank’s red-hot sauce, 1 cup of unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons of white vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of paprika, and salt to taste to a saucepan.

Allow the butter to melt over medium heat. When the sauce starts to simmer, remove the pan from the stovetop and allow it to cool. All of this will take less than 15 minutes.

Can other sauces be used?

What a question! After all, there are no rules when it comes to chicken nuggets. So yes, of course other sauces can be used. 

You can swap the Buffalo sauce for any other wing sauce you prefer, such as sweet and sour or honey barbecue. 

These nuggets are simply a base recipe and work perfectly with any sauce.

What to Serve with Buffalo Chicken Nuggets?

While buffalo chicken nuggets are delicious, they can be even better when paired with the right side dish. For a classic option, try serving them with a simple green salad.

The crispness of the lettuce will contrast nicely with the rich flavour of the chicken. You could also choose a heartier option and pair the nuggets with roasted potatoes.

The potatoes absorb some buffalo sauce, resulting in a truly unforgettable dish. If you’re looking for something different, you could try serving the nuggets with savoury rice pilaf.

of course, no Buffalo chicken dish would be complete without some warm, fluffy rolls for dipping. So whatever you do, make sure to have plenty of napkins. Things are about to get messy!

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