Proper chicken nuggets | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

DifficultyNot too tricky

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1. Start by cutting 1kg of chicken breasts into nugget-sized portions. The easiest way to do this is to use your scales to help you get it right the first time – you want each nugget to be just over 30g, then visually that will give you a guide for the rest. Cut up all the chicken, putting it on a tray as you go.
2. To make the marinade, crush 2 unpeeled garlic cloves through a garlic crusher over the chicken. Add 1 level teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika, 1 heaped tablespoon of yoghurt, 1 egg, and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Finely grate over the zest from 1 lemon and squeeze over all the juice, then use your clean hands to massage all that flavour into the meat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
3. Tear 250g of wholemeal bread into a food processor, finely grate in 50g of Parmesan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and whiz until you have fine breadcrumbs, then tip into a large shallow tray. Working in batches, use two forks to transfer the pieces of chicken into the crumbs, using the forks to gently flick crumbs over each piece of chicken so they’re well coated.
4. Transfer the nuggets to a deep tray lined with greaseproof paper, layering them up between sheets of paper as you go (this is probably more bread than you need, but it’s easier to work with – simply discard whatever’s left). Cook right away or freeze in the tray – once frozen, you can pop them into a tub or sandwich bags for easier storage.
5. To cook, place however many nuggets you need on a rack in a roasting tray in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Tips

HOW TO COOK IN AN AIR-FRYER
Place the chicken nuggets in the air-fryer* in a single layer and cook at 200°C for 7 minutes, or until cooked through (you may need to do this in batches). If your air-fryer has a basket rather than shelves, you should turn the chicken nuggets over halfway through cooking.
*Tested in a 4.2-litre air-fryer. All air-fryers are different, so results may vary.

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