Cornflake Chicken Nuggets
Bored of the same old nuggets? These cornflake chicken nuggets bring crunch, flavor, and just a hint of sweetness that make dinner way more fun.
Equipment
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 Baking sheet
- 3 medium sized shallow bowls
- 1 Food Processor optional, can also use a zip-top bag and a rolling pin to crush the cornflakes
- 1 Measuring spoons
- 1 mixing spoon
- 1 Fork
- 1 Meat Thermometer optional
Ingredients
Ingredients For The Flour Coating
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Ingredients For The Egg Mixture
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice brine juice from a pickle jar
Ingredients For The Cornflake Coating
- 3 cups cornflakes
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoons onion powder
Ingredients For The Chicken Pieces
- 2 pounds chicken breast boneless skinless, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Adding a wire rack to the pan can help the chicken to be more crispy, but I skip this step sometimes.
Making The Flour Coating, Egg Mixture and Cornflake Coating
- Add the all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper to a wide shallow medium sized bowl. Stir to combine.
- In a second medium sized bowl, crack the eggs and add the pickle juice brine. Scramble the eggs with a fork, mixing in the pickle juice brine also.
- In the bowl of a food processor add the cornflakes, panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon onion powder. Pulse for about 15 seconds until the mixture becomes a crumb-like texture that is even in size. Transfer the cornflake mixture to a third shallow medium sized bowl.
Coating The Chicken
- Season the chicken pieces with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Toss each chicken in the flour mixture, coating all sides then shaking off any excess flour. Transfer the chicken to the egg mixture and toss the chicken in the egg. Then add the chicken to the cornflake mixture, pressing the cornflakes into the chicken. Add each piece of coated chicken to the baking sheet.
Cooking The Chicken
- Bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes, flipping about halfway through to encourage the chicken to be crispy on both sides. The chicken is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F when measured with a meat thermometer, is golden brown and has no pink on the inside. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
Notes
I know this recipe seems like it has a long ingredient list, but some of the spices are used in multiple places in the recipe. I've separated the spices out and listed them multiple times to hopefully make it clearer when you are measuring everything out.
It can be helpful to place the three bowls of the egg mixture, flour mixture and cornflake crumb mixture in a row. Then you can move each chicken piece quickly from one bowl to the next when coating the chicken.
Don't have a food processor? You can place the ingredients in a strong zip-top bag and crush it gently with a rolling pin or even a heavy can of beans or canned vegetables. Your crumbs may not be quite as even crushing the cornflakes by hand, but it will still work just fine.
Adding the chicken back to the flour and then the egg a second time before adding it to the cornflake crumb mixture will give the chicken an extra crispy coating.
Placing a wire rack on top of the pan and cooking the chicken on top of it will allow the chicken to be a little more crispy but you can skip this step, I do sometimes. The chicken can be cooked on the pan though, just make sure to flip it halfway through the cooking time so both sides get crispy.
You can skip the pickle brine if you don't have any, but the chicken will be more tender with it.
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 945mg | Potassium: 510mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 523IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 5mg