Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets
These gloriously sweet and sticky nuggets cook in just 20 minutes! Bang them in the air fryer until they’re crispy and golden, then smother them in our super-easy homemade sauce. Perfect for a quick meal in the middle of the week, the whole family will be obsessed!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories212
- Carbs23g
- Protein20g
- Fat3.6g
- Saturates1.1g
- Sugars13g
Your dishes
You’re amazing, look at the Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets dishes you’ve made…
We love making our own nuggets at home – not only do we think they turn out tastier, there’s no nasties in them either! These Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets can be made from scratch and cooked to perfection in just 30 minutes, which means they’re on the table faster than a trip to the drive-through.
On the outside, the panko breadcrumb coating gives you a lovely bite, with juicy, tender chicken inside. The sweet, sticky sauce is the cherry on the top – you only need to mix up a few simple ingredients (which you probably already have in your cupboards!) and drizzle it over the nuggets before popping them back in the air fryer for a few minutes.
You could serve them with veggies or salad, but we think they’re best dished up with our Homemade Oven Chips. What more could you want from a simple, slimming-friendly midweek meal?
You can also make this recipe in the oven! There’s a separate oven method right here.
What diets are these Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets suitable for?
This Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets recipe can be made gluten free, as long as you swap out the following ingredients for suitable gluten-free alternatives:
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Soy sauce
Please double check ingredients and preparation methods if cooking for people with allergies!
Do you need any special ingredients to make Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets?
Nope! This recipe is really simple and you should be able to pick up all the ingredients in your usual supermarket.
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‘Easy to prepare. Quick to cook. Tasted lovely. Will make more sauce next time as I halved the recipe. A new favourite.’
This post contains affiliate links: what this means
You will need an air fryer like this one to make this recipe. If you don’t already have one, they are available in lots of stores and some supermarkets, or you can find some good deals online.
You can never have too many mixing bowls! These space-saving kitchen bowls stack inside each other for easier storage.
How many calories are in these Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets?
There are 212 calories per portion in this Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets recipe, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category.
These Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets are perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and they fit 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
Preheat your air fryer to 170°C.
Step 2
Add the breadcrumbs and egg to two plates. Dip a piece of chicken first into the egg and then the breadcrumbs, completely coating all sides.
Step 3
Repeat with the rest of the chicken, spray lightly with low-calorie cooking spray and place into the air fryer basket. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to split into 2 batches.
Step 4
Cook for 15 minutes, turning halfway through until the nuggets are crispy and golden. To test that the chicken is cooked, cut a piece in half, checking that the juices run clear and there is no pink remaining.
Step 5
While the nuggets are cooking, add the ketchup, honey, soy sauce, Henderson’s relish, paprika and garlic granules to a small bowl and stir to combine.
Step 6
Transfer the chicken nuggets to a large mixing bowl and pour over the sauce. Toss to coat, then add back to the air fryer and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.
Step 7
Remove the chicken nuggets from the air fryer and serve with an accompaniment of your choice!
What could I serve with these Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets?
This recipe is one of our new favourite midweek meals. We like to serve it with Homemade Oven Chips (96 calories per portion) for a total of 308 calories for the whole meal. They go perfectly with any of the following side dishes:
How do you know when Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets are cooked?
You should cook these Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets until the chicken is cooked all the way through. The breadcrumbs should be golden and the chicken juices should run clear, with no pinkness in the middle This will take around 15 minutes in the air fryer.
Here in the UK, the standard advice is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and maintained that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep you and your family safe!
How long can you keep Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat this dish within 4 hours.
If you plan to keep any leftovers in the fridge, we would recommend refrigerating before adding the sauce, as it may make the coating soggy. Place the leftovers in an airtight container with a lid and chill in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Can I freeze Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but we would recommend freezing before adding the sauce as it may make the coating soggy. 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 Sticky Chicken Nuggets?
From chilled: Reheat in a moderate oven or air fryer until piping hot throughout. Add the sticky sauce as per step 6 of the recipe.
From frozen: Allow to defrost overnight and reheat from chilled.
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Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets
These gloriously sweet and sticky nuggets cook in just 20 minutes! Bang them in the air fryer until they’re crispy and golden, then smother them in our super-easy homemade sauce. Perfect for a quick meal in the middle of the week, the whole family will be obsessed!
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
-
Cook Time
20 MINS
- KCals 212
- Carbs 23G
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 170°C.
- Add the breadcrumbs and egg to two plates. Dip a piece of chicken first into the egg and then the breadcrumbs, completely coating all sides.
- Repeat with the rest of the chicken, spray lightly with low-calorie cooking spray and place into the air fryer basket. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to split into 2 batches.
- Cook for 15 minutes, turning halfway through until the nuggets are crispy and golden. To test that the chicken is cooked, cut a piece in half, checking that the juices run clear and there is no pink remaining.
- While the nuggets are cooking, add the ketchup, honey, soy sauce, Henderson's relish, paprika and garlic granules to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Transfer the chicken nuggets to a large mixing bowl and pour over the sauce. Toss to coat, then add back to the air fryer and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the chicken nuggets from the air fryer and serve with an accompaniment of your choice!
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
See what others have to say
MichelleTuesday 26th September 2023
Just made these. Absolutely lovely will be posting my picture on to FB.
Thank you PON.
SharonFriday 13th October 2023
Hi Michelle, thanks for your lovely comment! We’re so pleased to hear you enjoyed our Air Fryer Sticky Chicken Nuggets.
LESLEYTuesday 9th May 2023
Cannot find Henderson’s relish, anything else I could use ?
SharonFriday 12th May 2023
Hi Lesley, if you can’t find Henderson’s relish, you can use Worcestershire sauce instead. Hope this helps.
nickiMonday 22nd May 2023
Tesco sell this.
SharonWednesday 18th October 2023
Hi nicki, thanks for helping out with this query!
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