Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

Love buffalo chicken? These Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets are big on flavor but are healthier than most buffalo chicken dishes out there. With a little prep ahead, you can have this dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. 

Overhead view of a plate of baked buffalo chicken nuggets with a bowl of blue cheese dressing in the center for dipping.

My coronacation is coming to an end. It’s never been a picnic, but work had been picking up and within a few weeks, life will resume to whatever our new normal is – figuring out how to work full-time while helping two young kids through 100% distanced learning (how, in the world, does a kindergartner do distance learning???) with only two days of help lined up. If life wasn’t crazy now, what in the world is it going to look like in a week or two? 

I’m no stranger to busy nights but I’m not going to lie, I’m nervous about what’s to come. And so, when the kids were away for a week last month, I prepared as best as I could – knocking out whatever chores and errands that I knew would creep up, and stocking my freezer to make dinnertime easier for us.

Overhead view of baked buffalo chicken nuggets still on baking sheet, fresh from the oven

Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets is one of our go-to, healthy dinners. When I have the chicken already cut up into nuggets, it takes just 10 minutes to get into the oven and is ready about 20 minutes later. No fuss, healthy, and big on flavor. 

Best yet? I usually make a double or triple batch so that we have lots of leftovers for lunch the next day, or leftovers for dinner. We serve these a couple different ways (see Serving Suggestions in the Recipe Notes below) so leftovers aren’t boring. 🙂 

Overhead view of a plate of baked buffalo chicken nuggets with a bowl of blue cheese dressing in the center for dipping.

Recipe Notes:

  • Prep Ahead: I like to pre-cut chicken into nugget pieces and stash a package or two in the freezer for this recipe and for Chicken Scaloppini Saltimbocca. Having the pre-cut chicken makes a busy weekday a little easier. 
  • Ingredients: Skinny Taste uses a combination of panko breadcrumbs and whole wheat plain breadcrumbs. I have made it with a mix of panko and regular breadcrumbs (rarely whole wheat) but I usually use all plain (unseasoned) breadcrumbs because I don’t always have panko on hand. 
  • Serving Suggestions: My husband’s favorite way to eat these is with a baked potato and ranch. I usually eat them with blue cheese dressing for dunking and a side of veggies or on top of a salad. If I have a baked potato, I like to top the potato and chicken with some cherry tomatoes sauteed in a little olive oil and garlic instead of with blue cheese. Or, if you’re entertaining, simply serve with your choice of dip, celery sticks and/or carrot sticks as you would with wings (how good would that be for Game Day!)

Side view of a plate of baked buffalo chicken nuggets with a bowl of blue cheese dressing in the center for dipping.

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Overhead view of a plate of baked buffalo chicken nuggets with a bowl of blue cheese dressing in the center for dipping.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

These Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets are big on flavor but are healthier than most buffalo chicken dishes out there. With a little prep ahead, you can have this dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. 

Course Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 232 kcal
Author Liz

Ingredients

  • cooking spray
  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized (about 1-inch) pieces
  • 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbs. Frank's Red Hot Sauce
  • 2/3 c. unseasoned bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Set both baking sheet and cooking spray aside.

  2. Place chicken pieces in a gallon sized ziplock baggie. Add olive oil and hot sauce. Seal and squish around so that sauce coats chicken.

  3. In a shallow bowl, combine remaining ingredients - the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in breadcrumb mixture, rolling around to coat on all sides. Transfer to greased baking sheet and continue working until finished.

  4. Spray top of chicken with cooking spray. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Flip, and bake for another 5 minutes, until golden brown and cooked throughout. (If you double the batch and have a stuffed baking sheet, you may need to cook for a few minutes longer).

  5. Remove from oven and serve hot, with your choice of dipping sauce.

This recipe was adapted from Skinny Taste.

Overhead view of a baked buffalo chicken nuggets on a plate surrounding a bowl of blue cheese dressing, for dipping.

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