Easy Air Fryer Chicken Bites (Grilled Nuggets)
Easy Air Fryer Chicken Bites are going to become a weeknight favorite! These are a copycat recipe for Chick Fil A Grilled Nuggets and they are phenomenal! Serve them with a spicy honey mustard dipping sauce. Perfect to meal prep protein for the week!
Calories: 237kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs or tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup pickle juice
- ⅓ cup buttermilk see notes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt such as Lowry’s
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika hot or smoked
- Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce in notes
Instructions
- SOAK: In a medium bowl, combine the pickle juice and buttermilk. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (ideally, it’s best if you do this several hours in advance – up to 24 hours.)
- SEASONING: In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, powdered sugar, seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
- SPRINKLE: Drain the chicken from the marinade in a colander, but do not rinse. Then place it back in the bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken and using a spoon or with your hands make sure the seasoning coats all of the chicken pieces.
- PREHEAT: the air fryer to 425ºF for a few minutes. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray (or line with a liner.)
- AIR FRY: Add the chicken pieces in a single layer. Spray with cooking spray and cook for 7-9 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through to 160ºF. You can broil the nuggets for 30 seconds if your air fryer has that function to give them a bit more color. Serve with homemade sauce (in notes) if desired!
Notes
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, use 2 tsp distilled white vinegar and ⅓ cup 2%. 1%, or skim milk. Let ingredients mix in bowl for 5 minutes before adding the pickle juice.
- Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce: In a bowl, combine 1 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp BBQ sauce, ¼ cup mayo, 1 tbsp, mustard, ½ tbsp sriracha, 2 tsp lemon juice. Stir, taste, and adjust to preference.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 7g
