Covered in crispy seasoned breadcrumbs and served with warm marinara sauce the whole family will love these Italian chicken nuggets.

Italian chicken nuggets

From the recipe collection of Tara Ippolito

Italian chicken nuggets are the unique recipe that the whole family will love.

I really mean that, too! These are absolutely delicious.

I feel like people generally assume that chicken nuggets are reserved for kids but that’s not necessarily true.

And these aren’t really even traditional chicken nuggets anyway.

They’re pretty much just chicken cutlets cut into little bite size pieces with warm marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

The marinara sauce makes it!

I love making this family friendly recipe as a snack, side dish or main course.

My kids request that I make these all the time.

I’m sure If you give this recipe for Italian chicken nuggets a try you’ll love them just as my family does.

Dipping Sauces

I really love these with warm marinara sauce on the side. I have an awesome simple recipe for that HERE.

If marina sauce isn’t your thing, here are a few dipping sauces you might love, too.

• Taco Bell Copycat Quesadilla Sauce (goes great with chicken)
• Boom Boom Sauce
• Copycat Big Mac Sauce
• Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce

If you like more simple sauces ketchup, bbq sauce and honey mustard are also great options.

What Chicken Should I Use?

I used the chicken tenderloins for this recipe but you can easily use breasts, too.

I like tenderloins because it requires less cutting on my part. The tenderloins are the perfect width.

If you want to use breasts, just cut them into little cubes.

Chicken thighs would absolutely work, too. Just do the same and cut them into pieces.

What Breadcrumbs Should I use?

I highly recommend Italian seasoned breadcrumbs for this recipe.

They are Italian chicken nuggets after all.

You can find Italian seasoned breadcrumbs at any grocery store.

If you prefer panko breadcrumbs, you can use those as well. I just find that for these nuggets, the breadcrumbs are a bit too ‘chunky,’ if that makes sense.

If you don’t have seasoned bread crumbs on hand, you can always use plain breadcrumbs and add some seasoning to them like this:

• Parsley
• Basil
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Salt & pepper.

What oil should I use?

Vegetable, canola or even peanut oil is the best for frying these chicken nuggets because they all have high smoke points.

I prefer canola or vegetable oil personally. I feel like they both don’t have any flavor to them to transfer to the chicken itself.

Italian Chicken Nuggets Ingredients:

• Chicken tenderloins
• Eggs
• Milk
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• Canola oil/ vegetable oil

Instructions:

First, cut the chicken tenderloins into 1”-2” pieces.

Then generously season them with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Toss the chicken into the seasoning until it’s evenly coated.

Now in one shallow bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. (Make an egg wash)

In another shallow bowl, add the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs.

Next, in batches, take the pieces of chicken and dip them into to egg wash. Let the extra egg run off.

Then place them into the breadcrumbs and toss them until they’re completely coated.

Now in a large lipped skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat.

Once it’s hot and ready, carefully add the chicken in batches. Don’t overload the pan.

Fry them on all sides until they’re golden brown. This should take only a few minutes on each side because they’re small.

Once the chicken nuggets are cooked all the way through, remove them from the oil and place them on a wire rack or paper towels to drain.

Let them cool slightly and place them in a serving dish.

Finally serve them with warm marinara sauce on the side and enjoy!

What to serve with Italian chicken nuggets

This is entirely up to you of course but I do have some suggestions that I think would go together perfectly.

Here are a few:

• The Best Shells & Cheese
• One Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta
• Crispy Oven Roasted Potatoes
• Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread