Crispy air fryer chicken nuggets

Chicken nuggets were my favourite food as a child, I could eat them any meal of the day. Even as an adult, they are definitely my fast food guilty pleasure. I've been playing with homemade versions of nuggets for a while but I haven't been able to get the right crispiness that a good nugget needs. This is where the magical air fryer comes in.

I think we all know my obsession with the air fryer by now but it just always impresses me with how crispy everything gets. I will include oven cooking time as well for those of you without an air fryer but I do think that gives it that extra delicious crunch.

This panko bread crumb coating is also super versatile, I love using it on whole chicken breast, white fish or salmon.

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs chicken breast

• 2 tbsp dijon mustard

• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

• 2 tbsp fresh parsley (or 1 tbsp dried)

• 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese

• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

• Dice chicken breast into cubes

• Coat the chicken breast in mustard, I like to use a large bowl to toss the chicken in mustard

• Combine panko bread crumbs* with seasoning and coat chicken, again I recommend using a large bowl to toss

• Place chicken in the air fryer and spray with oil, this is super critical to make sure it's crispy

• If using an air fryer, bake at 400 for 10 minutes**

• If using an oven, bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes

*Tip: for extra crispy nuggets I recommend toasting the panko crumbs first (do not add the seasoning yet). I do this for 5 minutes at 400 giving them a toss half way.

**Tip: make sure not to crowd the air fryer, otherwise the air can't circulate and crisp up the chicken. It's better to do multiple batches to ensure they are cooked properly.

Macros: 1 serving (recipe makes four), 26p/6c/4f