These Ranch Chicken Nuggets turn out super crispy right in your air fryer! We’re making these chicken nuggets a little better for you, with a LOT less mess. You can also make a whole bunch of these nuggets and freeze them for easy meals or snacking.
Not a fan of Ranch? Try our regular Air Fryer Chicken Nugget recipe without ranch flavoring. And while we’ve got the air fryer out – don’t forget the French Fries!
Why We Love These Ranch Chicken Nuggets
Who doesn’t love ranch these days? Our friends across the sea seem to have adopted it as their new favorite condiment and we are here for it. Not only do we love these ranch flavored nuggets but we also love dipping them in our homemade ranch dip! I’m telling you, if we could have sold that during the World Cup games…we would have been billionaires.
But back to the chicken nuggets…these babies are so full of flavor and have an incredibly crispy coating, all done in your air fryer. No need for the extra calories and definitely no need for all that mess when deep frying.
They stay crisp, even upon reheating in the microwave if you can believe that. Also they freeze really well so go ahead and make a double batch!
How Does An Air Fryer Work?
An air fryer works by circulating hot air around food, similar to a convection oven. The air is circulated at a high speed which can then imitate the texture and flavor of fried food. The texture can be spot on but the flavor is still, in my opinion, is still better when fried the traditional way.
Most air fryers have temperature controls and timer controls that enable you to cook your food to allow for more precise cooking. Some air fryers have deep baskets to hold the food and some have shelves that allow food to be placed in a single layer.
If your air fryer is the basket kind, you’ll need to stir the food during the cooking process so that the food browns evenly. Our air fryer has shelves or racks so we can add food in a single layer and not have to turn it or stir it at all.
But…Can I Make These Chicken Nuggets In The Oven?
Yes, you definitely can and here’s how to do it: Grab a wire rack to place over a baking sheet, spray the chicken with cooking spray and bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, flipping once in between cooking.
I do have to tell you, they come out SO much more crispy in the air fryer, but the oven will do the trick!
Tips For Best Results
Even for an easy chicken recipe like this one, we do have some tips for the best results possible!
- Use panko breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs are going to get you the crispiest coating on these nuggets. Regular breadcrumbs will also work in a pinch, but the coating won’t be as flaky and crisp.
- Don’t crowd together: Cook the nuggets in a single layer with some room around each piece. If you crowd the nuggets together the air doesn’t circulate as well and you won’t get the crispiest exterior.
- Mindful breading: Make sure to let the excess egg drip off so that the breadcrumbs don’t clump together when you bread these. If the coating is clumped then it tends to fall off.
Sides To Serve With Chicken Nuggets
If you’re not grabbing these ranch chicken nuggets right from the fridge…we’ve got tons of great side dish ideas for you.
- Baked Steak Fries
- Air Fryer Baked Potato
- Super Creamy Coleslaw
- BBQ Roasted Potato Salad
- Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob
Can You Freeze These Chicken Nuggets?
Yes, as we mentioned before, we make big batches of these chicken nuggets and freeze them for easy meals. To reheat, preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees and then cook the frozen nuggets for 10-12 minutes until warmed through. Or, to reheat these nuggets in the oven, place them in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, flipping once during cooking.
Looking For More Easy Chicken Recipes?
- Sheet Pan Chicken Murphy
- The Ultimate Chicken Marsala
- Crock Pot Sticky Chicken Legs
- Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
- Baked Marsala Chicken Wings
- Chicken Francese
- 15 Minute Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti
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Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Nuggets
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThese Ranch Chicken Nuggets turn out super crispy right in your air fryer! We’re making these chicken nuggets a little better for you, and with a LOT less mess. You can make a whole bunch and freeze them for easy meals or snacking.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast, cut into large “nugget” size pieces
- 2 cups seasoned panko bread crumbs
- 2 ounces dry ranch seasoning
- 2 eggs, beaten with a splash of water
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Set up a breading station by placing the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl, the ranch seasoning in another bowl, and the eggs in another bowl.
- Coat each nugget with the ranch seasoning, then into the egg and finally a coating of the breadcrumbs.
- Place the breaded nuggets in a single layer in your air fryer for 8 minutes until browned and cooked through. Different air fryers cook at different speeds so make sure that the nuggets are white in the center and register 165 degrees.
- Repeat with remaining chicken nuggets, then serve with our homemade ranch dressing our Awesome Sauce!
Recipe Notes
Store: Store leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Reheat the nuggets in the microwave, oven or back in the air fryer until warmed through.
Reheat from frozen: Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees and then cook the frozen nuggets for 10 minutes until warmed through. To reheat these nuggets in the oven, cook them at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, flipping once during cooking.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
