Yes, only 10 minutes – 5 minute prep, 5 minute shallow fry in a skillet – to get yummy, dippable chicken nuggets! Sounds too good to be true? Prove it to yourself by trying these 10 Minute No Dredging Skillet Chicken Nuggets!
I’m not a big fan of dredging. It takes time to dredge each piece of meat in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. With chicken nuggets, this takes TOO MUCH time since there are so many pieces! Half way through the dredging, my fingers are coated in a hot mess that I have to scrape off in order to coat the subsequent chicken properly. Of course, there are some dishes where dredging is a must, like these Air Fryer Crispy Pork Tonkatsu, that I don’t mind sacrificing a little time for. But if there is a way to get crispy, lightly breaded meat with only 5 minutes prep time, I will take it!
Just a note, these 10 Minute No Dredging Skillet Chicken Nuggets are a little different than what you might expect. Breadcrumbs aren’t used so there are no flaky crumbs falling off the chicken. These nuggets are similar to that of McDonalds nuggets. Note, I haven’t had McDonalds in more than 10 years, but from what I remember, the nuggets are not flaky and have a relatively smooth surface.
This recipe is the base to many other chicken recipes. Just add a sauce on top of these 10 Minute No Dredging Skillet Chicken Nuggets and you can get:
10 Minute No Dredging Skillet Chicken Nuggets
Equipment
- Skillet or wok
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 3 cloves garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar white or brown
Batter
- 1 lb chicken breast or thighs cubed
- 1 egg
- ½ C cornstarch
Shallow Fry
- ⅓ C canola oil or your preferred cooking oil
Instructions
- Marinate the cubed chicken with the marinade ingredients in a big bowl for at least 30 minutes (if you can spare it. If not, it's fine to continue on to the next step!)
- Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over medium high heat. While the oil is heating up, stir and mix the egg into the chicken bowl. Add the cornstarch and continue mixing until the chicken is coated and there is very little dry cornstarch left.
- Spread the chicken pieces out evenly and fry for about 2 minutes or until browned and crispy on the bottom side. Flip the chicken to brown the other side and fry for another 2 minutes or until browned and crispy on the bottom side. Depending on how big your skillet or wok is, you may need to shallow fry the chicken in batches.
- Transfer the chicken to a paper towel lined plate (to soak up extra grease).
- Serve with ketchup, ranch dressing, or your favorite condiment!
Adapted from Omnivore’s Cookbook Salt and Pepper Chicken
