These delicious and easy Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets recipe are a homemade sensation with a crispy outside and tender center. Cornmeal Nuggets have the perfect coating to make that gluten free meal you love. My family can't get enough of this recipe.
This meal is perfect for both kids and adults! This homemade copy cat Chick-Fil-A chicken is better than fast food or Applegate or Tyson's! Make them as an after school snack, summer time lunch, or back to school easy dinner.
This is an easy 3 ingredient recipe that isdairy-freee and is without eggs, cornstarch, or breadcrumbs.
Make our Gluten Free Orange Chicken using the same idea as this recipe, or pair it with the perfect side with our air fryer Brussels Sprouts.
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Ingredients
This is such a simple meal to make! It only uses 3 ingredients and simple seasoning.
- Yellow Cornmeal- Most chicken nuggets are breaded with flour, these use cornmeal making them gluten free. Even if you don't eat a gluten free diet, we love how this makes a crispy outside and tender chicken nugget.
- Chicken- Thaw the chicken the night before. When ready to use, pat dry. You don't want excess water on the chicken. It makes the cornmeal hard to stick.
- Olive Oil- This is used to cook the nuggets on the stovetop. It crisps them up nicely.
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Learn how to make these tasty homemade chicken nuggets in no time at all. Follow these step-by-step process photos for the best results.
- Combine cornmeal, salt and pepper in a mixing dish. Place pieces of chicken in the cornmeal mixture and coat all sides. Set aside all of the cornbread coated chicken pieces until all are coated.
2. Heat olive oil on a frying pan on medium heat. Add the gluten free chicken nuggets. They can be touching but don't overlap.
3. Flip each piece of chicken over after about 3-4 minutes and cook on the other side until completely cooked through. Flip again if needed.
4. Dip these tasty cornmeal nuggets in your favorite dipping sauce like ketchup, or honey mustard. Top a salad with this gluten free meat.
Hint: Flip the chicken when the side on the pan is golden brown and crispy looking. You may need to cook small batches at a time depending on how big your frying pan is.
Substitutions
- Almond Flour - instead of cornmeal, use almond flour at a 1:1 ratio. The coating will vary and may not stick to the chicken as well as the cornmeal.
- Red Pepper Flakes- use red pepper flakes instead of black pepper for a spicy version.
- For more homemade goodness, try this ground chicken version, homemade chicken nuggets with ground chicken.
Helpful Hints
I've made these over the stove top but I've also made them in the oven and in the air fryer. My two favorite methods are the stove top and the air fryer. They are both super quick.
For the oven, place coated chicken on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Depending on your oven, the time may vary.
For the air fryer, cook in a preheated air fryer at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Shake the basket at five minutes. Add additional time as needed.
Storing Gluten Free Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Store uneaten nuggets in an air tight container for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave. For a crispy reheat, reheat in the oven or air fryer.
You can freeze the prepared nuggets just after you coat them. Or you can freeze them after you cook them. If you haven't cooked them, thaw them and then cook according to recipe directions. This isn't recommended. When I tried this, the coating had a hard time staying on.
Top tip
Make sure the outside is crispy and browned before flipping the chicken. This will help give you the perfect texture you are looking for.
Recipe
Homemade Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Combine cornmeal, table salt and ground black pepper in a mixing bowl. Coat each piece of chicken completely in the cornmeal mixture.
- Heat a frying pan and olive oil on medium heat. Add the coated chicken pieces and cook for 3-4 minutes or until chicken is golden brown on one side.
- Flip each nugget and cook until chicken is done all the way through.
Notes
- Alternate cooking methods:
- Cook in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes
- Or cook in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Make sure to cook the chicken all the way through. The internal temperature should be at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
MacKenzie says
My family loved these nuggets. I doubled the batch and added them to their school lunches. It worked perfectly!
Annie says
My family loves making this easy gluten free chicken nugget recipe. I loved the cornmeal coating and that it was egg and dairy free. Such a winner recipe.
Chenée says
This is the perfect way to enjoy chicken nuggets that are gluten free! We all loved them!
Ashley Marchena says
Hi! So I make dinner almost every night using different recipes and I NEVER leave comments but in this case I had to! I have tried a few different gluten free nugget recipes and this one was by far the easiest and crispiest yummy one so far. of course I spiced up the flour with my seasonings of choice (onion powder garlic powder dash of cayenne) and they were fantastic! wonderful base recipe. I appreciate you!
Andrea says
Thank you so much! Your review means so much to me and I'm glad you love it so much.