You can't beat homemade chicken nuggets. Chunks of lean, protein packed chicken breast in a crunchy coating that is baked to perfection. These Parmesan Chicken Bites take chicken nuggets to the next level, with grated Parmesan mixed into the breading for extra crunch and cheesy flavour.
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Tender bites of chicken breast in the best homemade crunchy coating. Now that's what I call comfort food. Serve with homemade fries and your favourite dips and you have yourself a meal that the whole family will love.
Parmesan chicken bites are ready in just 20 minutes too. Make a double batch - everyone will love them!
If you want more quick chicken recipes, try our delicious Teriyaki Chicken Wraps, creamy Green Goddess Chicken Salad or our protein packed Chicken Bowl.
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Why You Will Love Them
- Ready in 20 minutes
- Simple to make
- Kids love helping to make them and love to eat them
- Healthier than store bought chicken nuggets
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Chicken breasts - using chicken breast for these Parmesan chicken bites makes them nice and lean. However, you could swap them for boneless and skinless chicken thighs.
- Egg - this helps the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken.
- Parmesan cheese - this not only adds a strong cheesy flavour, but parmesan gets nice and crispy once it is cooked. You can swap it for a mature cheddar instead.
- Panko breadcrumbs - this helps the coating get really crispy when baked. However, you could swap it for regular breadcrumbs, but they won't get as crispy.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
Step By Step Instructions
Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
- Step one: In a large bowl, combine the Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside.
- Step two: Take the pieces of chicken and dip into the egg, then coat in the in Panko mixture. Put on a baking tray.
- Step three: Put the breaded chicken on a lightly oiled baking tray and put into the oven. Bake for 12 -15 minutes (flipping halfway through) until the breadcrumbs are crisp and the chicken is cooked through.
- Step four: Serve scattered with chopped herbs and Parmesan shavings (both optional).
What Breading Is Best?
The secret to these super crispy homemade chicken nuggets is to use Panko breadcrumbs. These mixed with Parmesan and you get yourself and amazing crispy coating, without having to fry them. These are all cooked in the oven.
You can use regular breadcrumbs, but you won't get that same crunch. Panko is pretty easy to find in supermarkets now, and can be found with the other Japanese ingredients.
You can also swap the Parmesan for grated cheddar.
How To Cook
We baked these chicken bite, because it uses less oil and keeps them lower in calories. However, if you wanted to get them super crispy, then you could fry them. Add the coated chicken to a pan of 2 inches of hot oil and cook for 5-6 minutes each side until cooked through.
Flavour Options
The great thing about these parmesan chicken bites are, they are so easy to adapt with other flavour. You can make them herb packed or spicy, whatever you prefer. Here are some seasoning options that you can add to the breadcrumbs:
- Paprika - this adds a nice bit of smokiness to the bread crumbs, without adding spice.
- Cayenne pepper - an easy way to add a kick of heat to the parmesan chicken bites.
- Dried herbs - we love a mixture of marjoram, thyme and oregano.
- Garlic granules - garlic and Parmesan go so well together and using dried garlic granules is an easy way to do this.
- Fajita seasoning - add some spice, and plenty of flavour with your favourite fajita seasoning mix, or even a Cajun seasoning.
Serving Suggestions
These little chicken bites go really well with some really good chips (fries), some potato wedges or some mashed potato.
Of course, you will want something to dip these into, so how about our Healthy Tomato Kechup or Homemade BBQ Sauce? Oh, and why not try our Healthy Ranch Dressing with these. SO GOOD!
Dannii's Top Tips
- Serve with a sprinkling of fresh chopped basil for extra flavour.
- These freeze well, so make a double batch and freeze them.
- Serve with our homemade ketchup or BBQ sauce.
- If you can't find Panko breadcrumbs, you can use any breadcrumbs, but you won't get that same crunch.
- You can swap Parmesan for grated cheddar.
Frequently Asked Questions
The internal temperature of cooked chicken should be at least 75°C (167°F). To get an accurate reading, we'd definitely recommend using a meat thermometer like a Thermapen.
If you don't have a meat thermometer, when cooked the chicken should have no pinkness to the meat and the juices should run clear. For more information, you can read some information from the Food Standards Agency.
Once the Parmesan chicken bites have fully cooled, portion them out and put them in freezer bags. They are best used within three months, to prevent freezer burn and to keep the best quality of the taste. Do not freeze if they are still hot! Make sure they are completely cooled before freezing.
Defrost in the fridge overnight. These are really easy to heat back up. You can reheat them in the microwave, or heat them in the oven for a few minutes when you are ready to eat them.
Yes, these can be made in the air fryer. They will take about 7-8 minutes to air fry when cooked in a single layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook in batches.
More Chicken Recipes
If you've tried this Parmesan chicken bites recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Parmesan Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 300 g (10.5 oz) Chicken breast - cut in to bite sized pieces
- 1 Egg - whisked
- 60 g (0.66 cups) Parmesan - grated
- 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 100 g (1.66 cups) Panko breadcrumbs
- 0.5 teaspoon Garlic granules
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
- In a large bowl, combine 100 g Panko breadcrumbs, 60 g Parmesan, 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper and 0.5 teaspoon Garlic granules. Set aside.
- Take a piece the 300 g Chicken breast and dip into 1 Egg (whisked), then coat in the in Panko mixture. Put on a baking tray. Repeat with all of the chicken pieces.
- Put the breaded chicken on a lightly oiled baking tray into the oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes (flipping halfway through) until the breadcrumbs are crisp and the chicken is cooked through.
Recipe Tips
- Serve with a sprinkling of fresh chopped basil for extra flavour.
- These freeze well, so make a double batch and freeze them.
- Serve with our homemade ketchup or BBQ sauce.
- If you can't find Panko breadcrumbs, you can use any breadcrumbs, but you won't get that same crunch.
- You can swap Parmesan for grated cheddar.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Deborah says
Recipe says garlic powder but not how much. Recipe doesn't mention cooking temp. I'm experienced enough to figure it out but a newer cook could use the details. My family found the dish fairly average but I like that it was quick and easy. Maybe less blog/advertising and more attention to detail in the actual recipe to which many of us just jump.
Dannii says
Hello. Thank you for pointing out that me missed those things out from the recipe. That was an error and we have now fixed it. As for "less blog/advertising", this is a free recipe that we have provided you with. The blog part is to meet Google guidelines and the adverts are to compensate for the hours spent creating posts, which I am sure you can appreciate that we can't do for free. If you would prefer no adverts, then we do have 2 cook books published that you can buy on amazon.