Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets
These fuss free crispy chicken nuggets are flavoured with smoky BBQ sauce for a delicious, slimming friendly family dinner.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories287
- Carbs23g
- Protein40g
- Fat2.8g
- Saturates0.6g
- Sugars9g
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
Just when you thought that the humble chicken nugget couldn’t get any better, we’re introducing Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets!
With a smoky sauce and a crispy breadcrumb, they’re a delicious alternative to standard nuggets. They’re really easy to make and take just 15 minutes to cook. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can cook them in the oven too – you can find details here.
We’ve marinated the chicken for as little as thirty minutes, but if you’d prefer a stronger flavour you can leave them for longer to let the flavours infuse. For the ultimate fast food, you can even freeze and reheat on busy days!
Serve with crispy homemade oven chips for family friendly dinner that will soon become a weeknight staple.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets?
Nope! All of the ingredients you need to make Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets is easily found in the supermarket. We’ve used an air fryer to create these Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets, and there are a number of different options to pick from!
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‘No more shop bought nuggets. These are so quick and easy to make too.’
This post contains affiliate links: what this means
A Tefal Actifry is a great budget friendly air fryer that makes crispy chips with ease.
The Ninja Foodi is a multicooker that includes an air fryer, so it’s a great space-saver by combining multiple appliances!
How many calories are in these Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets?
There are 287 calories per portion in this Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets recipe, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category.
To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment!
This Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets recipe is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
In a small bowl combine the BBQ sauce, BBQ seasoning, ketchup, honey, chipotle paste and garlic granules and stir together.
Step 2
Add the chicken to a separate bowl and pour over the sauce mixture. Stir the chicken until fully coated, cover the bowl with cling film and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 3
Place the bread into a food processor and blitz into fine breadcrumbs. Pour out onto a plate.
Step 4
Preheat your air fryer to 170ºC.
Step 5
Remove the chicken from the fridge and dip each chicken piece into the breadcrumbs completely coating on all sides.
Step 6
Repeat with the rest of the chicken, spray lightly with low-calorie cooking spray and place into the air fryer. You may need to split into 2 batches.
Step 7
Cook for 15 minutes until the nuggets are crispy and golden. To test that the chicken is cooked, cut a piece in half, the juices should run clear and there should be no pink remaining.
Step 8
Serve with your choice of accompaniment.
What could I serve with these Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets?
Serve with your favourite sides or a fresh, crisp salad to keep it light. For inspiration, try some of our tasty suggestions:
How do you know when these Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets are cooked?
You should cook these Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets until there is no pink remaining and the nuggets are crispy and golden. This will take around 15 minutes.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep BBQ Chicken Nuggets in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of BBQ Chicken Nuggets in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so and reheat from chilled.
Can I freeze Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets?
From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
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Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Nuggets
These fuss free crispy chicken nuggets are flavoured with smoky BBQ sauce for a delicious, slimming friendly family dinner.
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
-
Cook Time
15 MINS
- KCals 287
- Carbs 23G
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the BBQ sauce, BBQ seasoning, ketchup, honey, chipotle paste and garlic granules and stir together.
- Add the chicken to a separate bowl and pour over the sauce mixture. Stir the chicken until fully coated, cover the bowl with cling film and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Place the bread into a food processor and blitz into fine breadcrumbs. Pour out onto a plate.
- Pre-heat your air fryer to 170ºC.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge and dip each chicken piece into the breadcrumbs completely coating on all sides.
- Repeat with the rest of the chicken, spray lightly with low-calorie cooking spray and place into the air fryer. You may need to split into 2 batches.
- Cook for 15 minutes until the nuggets are crispy and golden. To test that the chicken is cooked, cut a piece in half, the juices should run clear and there should be no pink remaining.
- Serve with your choice of accompaniment.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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We agreed with Slimming World to remove their trademarked terms from our website
Recipe notes
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6 comments
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Paul FosterTuesday 24th January 2023
When using the Actifry, did you remove the paddle first?
HollyTuesday 31st January 2023
Hey Paul, we didn’t test this recipe using an Actifry but removing the paddle may be best to stop the nuggets sticking together, hope that helps!
BethTuesday 21st September 2021
O.M.G!
The acti-fry nuggets are so tasty and easy to make! We just can’t get enough off them!
LisaWednesday 22nd September 2021
Glad you enjoyed them, Beth!
JaneWednesday 21st July 2021
Lovely. Don’t have an air fryer so grilled for 15-20 mins…. kids loved them 😋
HollyMonday 26th July 2021
Hey Jane, Glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! We have an oven method for these BBQ Chicken Nuggets too which you can find HERE
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