Cooking frozen chicken nuggets in an air fryer is a quick and easy way to enjoy crispy and delicious nuggets without a need for a lot of oil. These air fryer chicken nuggets always turn out crispy and perfectly cooked through.
Well, let’s face it – we all love making homemade and healthy meals for our families, but nobody can replace the love we have for chicken nuggets! It’s all about the balance, we always have a packet full of frozen chicken nuggets in our refrigerator.
I don’t know about you all, but when I have some free time, I air fry these frozen chicken nuggets and mix them in my chicken nugget salad or chicken nugget cob salad for a change, it’s quite convenient to make busy weeknight meals within minutes.
These air fryer chicken nuggets are pretty simple, with no preheating in the oven or 30 to 40 minutes of cooking time – these air fryer frozen nuggets get ready in minutes.
The best way to cook frozen Chicken Nuggets
- No fuss, No clean up: You can make the frozen food right out of the fridge, you dont need to defrost anything. The air fryer gets all the frozen food hot in minutes with zero mess and cleans up. You just need to place the frozen nuggets in the basket and let the air fryer do its thing.
- Quicker than oven: The oven requires preheating and will take about 20 minutes to cook the frozen chicken nuggets. Whereas you can cook the chicken nuggets in the air fryer in just 10 minutes minus the preheating.
- Requires a little oil: air frying the frozen chicken nuggets is the lighter and healthier alternative to deep frying chicken nuggets. The hot air circulating in the air fryer makes the chicken nuggets perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
How to cook frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer
You can find the detailed instructions at the bottom of the page on the printable recipe card.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes.
- Place the frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook until they turn golden brown and crispy. Follow the recipe instruction below.
Tips for the best air fryer chicken nuggets
- Preheat your air fryer: Always preheat your air fryer before cooking the chicken nuggets. This helps to ensure even cooking and crispiness.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket: Make sure to place the frozen chicken nuggets in a single layer in the air fryer basket or the tray and avoid overcrowding or overlapping. This allows the hot air to circulate around the nuggets nicely, resulting in crispier and evenly cooked chicken nuggets.
- Flip the nuggets: Flip the chicken nuggets over halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking.
- Use a cooking spray: You can spray the air fryer basket with a cooking spray or lightly coat the chicken nuggets with oil to help them crisp up and prevent sticking to the air fryer basket.
How to store cooked chicken Nuggets
Keep the leftover air-fried chicken nuggets in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
Reheating chicken nuggets
You can reheat the chicken nuggets in the air fryer, place them in the basket and cook for a couple of minutes or until just warmed through.
Do I need to defrost the chicken nuggets before air frying them?
No, you don’t need to defrost the chicken nuggets before air frying them. Cooking frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer helps to ensure that the nuggets cook evenly and turn out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
And if you decide to defrost the chicken nuggets before cooking them, they may turn out soggy and unevenly cooked.
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Cauliflower
- Air fryer Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Baked Plantain Chips
- Air Fryer Chickpeas (5 Ways)
- Air Fryer Tofu nuggets
- Air Fryer Carrot
- Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes
