How Long Does It Take To Cook Chicken Nuggets In An Air Fryer?

Chicken nuggets make wonderful snacks that are quite perfect for a silent evening. They are portable in the sense you can travel anywhere, packing and carrying them in your travels as well.

 It is a crispy food item that is demanded more. It is surprisingly also cooked more because of the ease at which it can be cooked. 

Chicken nuggets can be cooked in 10 to 12 minutes maximum. The temperature of the air fryer stands at 350 degrees F. It is also flipped once halfway through when it is air fried to get both sides equally cooked.

An air fryer is nothing basically but a mini convection that is placed on the kitchen countertop. They have a heating element with an electric fan inside to spread the heat around the food item.

It is commonly used for frying items and finishes the job sooner than you think.

In this article, we will see how chicken nuggets are cooked in the air fryer and the exact duration for that process to complete.

How Long Does It Take To Cook Chicken Nuggets In An Air Fryer?

Chicken nuggets are cooked faster than chicken tenders and become extremely crispy when cooked on air fryers. Sometimes chicken nuggets are half-cooked as they are sold in the shop as frozen foods.

This hastens the cooking process further by reducing the time substantially. However, if you have raw chicken nuggets, then it is better cooked at medium temperature for a long time.

It must be cooked with all the stuffing’s filled inside the nuggets. Hence it might take a little longer, but the temperature kind of dictates how much longer.

The air fryer is preheated to 360 degrees F for 3 to 5 minutes straight. Then after the chicken nuggets are added to the basket or a pan to be shoved inside the air fryer, it is cooked for 7 to 8 minutes.

Halfway through, the nuggets are flipped backside so that the nuggets are fully cooked front and back.

Why Is Air Frying Preferred More Than Oven Cooking?

1. Faster

Air frying any item is faster than the oven cooking method. The temperature at which your air fry the food items can be constant, and there is no need for any modification in the middle. This also makes your items crispier.

2. Efficient

An air fryer is efficient and befits the contemporary millennials who don’t prefer to slog in the kitchen. It takes care of all the procedures, and there is no need to flip the pieces backward and front sometimes.

Even heat is pervaded thorough out with the help of the fan that runs inside the air fryer.

3. Healthier

Deep frying in oil is a concept that has lost its solidarity because of the health hazards it creates. Submerging the food in the oil is the last thing you want, and air fryers basically reduce that risk. They are healthy and at the same time give the effect of a fried food item.

4. Texture

Air fryers actually give a better texture than a microwave. They also mold the chicken nuggets to have a crunchy texture with a very attractive tenderness.

Step-By-Step Instructions On How To Cook Chicken Nuggets

1. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F for 3 to 5 minutes at a stretch.
2. Place the chicken nuggets in a single layer on the basket. Spread out the pieces as much as possible, so there is no overlap.
3. Cook chicken nuggets for 7 to 8 minutes in the air fryer. Make sure you flip the nuggets once in a while backward and frontwards to give it an even browning on the surface. This step is kind of optional but helps cook both sides evenly.
4. You should extend the cooking by 5 minutes if you have raw nuggets. 
5. Take out the nuggets and check if they have been cooked. They should look brown and give a feel of having been thick-fried.
6. Serve the chicken nuggets on a plate with dipping sauces or excellent sides that go well with the dish.

How Do You Cook Chicken Nuggets From Scratch?

Sometimes, instead of buying ready-made nuggets from the shop, you may want to have them cooked from scratch. It could be a nice experiment and will give you the satisfaction of preparing a favorite item that entices all in your family.

Ingredients

1. Chicken – Chicken pieces like breasts or legs can be molded into nuggets.
2. Breadcrumbs – Bread crumbs are used for coating. Frying the nuggets requires a strong coating that does not dissipate in the oil or the fryer. 
3. Spices– This is basically your choice. The conventional ones on the list are paprika, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and even cayenne pepper. These are added to give excellent flavors.
4. Eggs and Milk – Dipping the chicken in the mix of milk and eggs give it moisture; hence the coating and the marinating sticks even after it is cooked.
5. Olive Oil– This is just to baste the chicken nuggets to evade any friction.

Preparation To Make Chicken Nuggets

Preparing chicken nuggets in the air fryer is not only easier but also quite efficient. It does not create a mess like an oven. The preparation for the chicken nuggets goes as follows.

1. Make a mix of milk and eggs combined in a bowl of spices and salt of your choice. Whisk it well so that it becomes slightly viscous.
2. Dump the chicken pieces in the mixture and make it soak for some time thoroughly.
3. Take out the pieces and get them rolled over with the bread crumbs. It is not just coating but full draping.
4. Use the air fryer to do the rest of the cooking based on the abovementioned steps. A temperature of 400 degrees F also would work and probably take around 10 minutes since they are raw.

How Long Does It Take To Cook Frozen Chicken Nuggets?

This is also a common practice, as the nuggets are always stored in the fridge to maintain their shelf life. So the chicken nuggets, when frozen, stay rigid and should be kept away from the fryer immediately.

Chicken nuggets have to be thawed in the first place before it is fried. It will be kept at room temperature for about 15 minutes until it melts and becomes soft and warm. Then it can be shoved inside the air fryer to get cooked efficiently.

Storing The Chicken Nuggets

Here are a few tips on how you can store your chicken nuggets. Keep reading!

Newly Purchased Chicken Nuggets

The newly purchased chicken nuggets readymade can be cooked immediately; otherwise, they are stored in the freezer for up to 3 months without any ado.

Before getting cooked, they are thawed and then molded for preparation.

Leftover Chicken Nuggets

It is better not to preserve leftover cooked chicken nuggets for a long time as the texture would be taken for a toss. Hence eating away the nuggets as soon as they are cooked is the best way forward.

If you still need to store it, it can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Freezing is not a good option. They can also be reheated in the air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes before they regain back their crispiness.

Conclusion

Chicken nuggets are the favorites of kids and aged people equally. They make a wonderful snack to be sided with beverages, cold and hot. Knowing the facts about air frying the nuggets would have been a thrill and a guide to try it at home. This article will give you insights on the same until we wait for the next set of cooking methods that excite us.

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