Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets

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See how easy it is to make perfectly crisp air fryer frozen chicken nuggets! We love this easy method for making our kids’ favorite lunch!

A white plate filled with air fried chicken nuggets and apple slices.

Other easy recipes in the air fryer we have made are air fryer bacon, air fryer sausageair fryer grilled cheeseAir Fryer Breaded Pork ChopsAir Fryer Snickers, and Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies.

A picture showing the cover images for all three cookbooks written by Aileen Clark.

Why make air fryer frozen chicken nuggets?

My kids love their chicken nuggets, yes they do! Sometimes, I like to eat a few, too. It is protein, isn’t it?

I’m not a fan of how they turn out in the microwave. Which is, honestly, my usual go-to because it’s fast. 

They taste much better in the oven but I don’t always want to turn on my oven (especially in the heat of summer). Also, my oven takes a lot longer to preheat than my air fryer.

So, that is what brought me to experimenting with cooking frozen chicken nuggets in my air fryer. 

More frozen foods to cook in your air fryer

If you are looking for more ways to utilize your air fryer with simple frozen foods, try these recipes:

Close up of Dino-shaped air fryer frozen chicken nuggets.

Crunchy Air fried frozen chicken nuggets

I have to admit, I had low expectations, but was impressed! Air fryer frozen chicken nuggets really do come out much more crunchy. They taste more like fried (in oil) chicken nuggets. My kids only get those when their Pop Pop (grandpa) makes them, which is not very often! 

Air fryer chicken nuggets are just as crispy and still come out with that “fried” texture that we all love. Yet, they are healthier and less messy to make!

A white plate filled halfway with Dino chicken nuggets and half way with sliced gala apple.

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Which frozen chicken nuggets can I use?

As you can see, my kids are partial to the dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. We buy then in bulk at Costco but we also like the Tyson chicken nuggets. You can use whatever chicken nuggets you have on hand for this recipe. They are all roughly the same size, so they will cook at the same rate.

MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES:

White plate filled with air fried frozen Dino shaped chicken nuggets.

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets Recipe

Aileen Clark
See how easy it is to make perfectly crisp air fryer frozen chicken nuggets! We love this easy method for making our kids' favorite lunch!
4.45 from 72 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Dish Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings
Calories 297 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 6 frozen chicken nuggets
  • cooking spray

Instructions
 

  • Preheat air fryer to 400°F.
  • Once air fryer is preheated, place chicken nuggets inside air fryer. Arrange them so they are not touching.
    Box of Dino nuggets in front of air fryer oven.
  • Air fry for 5 minutes.
  • Flip chicken nuggets and spray both sides with cooking spray.
  • Air fry frozen chicken nuggets for an additional 5 minutes.
    Chicken nuggets inside air fryer.
  • Remove from air fryer and serve with ketchup or other favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

More chicken nuggets may be cooked (depending on the size of your air fryer) but don't overlap them or they won't get as crispy.

Nutrition

Serving: 6nuggetsCalories: 297kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 15gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 570mgFiber: 1g
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Collage photo of chicken nuggets inside air frier and air fried nugget on a white plate.

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4.45 from 72 votes (72 ratings without comment)

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