Perfectly crispy and tender hidden veggie chicken nuggets for picky eaters and toddlers! You really can’t taste the veggies at all, and these can be baked, air fried, or pan fried. Plus, these are gluten free and can be made nut free or egg free if you have allergies in the house!
Sometimes, you do your best to hide veggies for your toddler or picky eater and they somehow instantly know and decide it’s not for them. I’ve been there, and it can be incredibly frustrating. However, these homemade chicken nuggets with vegetables were an instant success with my 2 year old. We love dipping them with ketchup or “honey” mustard sauce. They are so easy to make, especially if you have a food processor, and can be frozen as well!
Watch a Short Video of This Recipe
Hidden Veggie Chicken Nuggets Recipe
I added cauliflower, carrots, and garlic in the chicken mixture when making this homemade chicken nuggets recipe. However, you can be versatile with whatever veggies you have on hand! The breading gets crispy and crunchy with a nutty flavor, and the finely chopped veggies blend so well with the chicken that you’ll hardly notice they are there. Even my husband and I love these nuggets!
Healthy Chicken Nuggets Ingredients
There are 2 components for the recipe: the filling and the breading.
For the Filling
- cauliflower: Broccoli will also work well!
- carrots
- garlic
- ground chicken: You can also substitute with ground turkey.
- egg: If there’s an egg allergy, feel free to leave this out.
- sea salt
- onion powder
For the Breading
- egg: Again, if there’s an egg allergy, you can leave this out. The filling will be moist enough that the breading can still stick.
- almond flour: You can use almond meal or blanched almond flour. If you are making it nut free, you can crush up plantain chips or tortilla chips in the food processor and use that instead.
- arrowroot starch: Either arrowroot starch or tapioca starch will work.
- paprika
- sea salt
How to Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Vegetables
- For baked chicken nuggets, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. To air fry, preheat to 390 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add cauliflower florets, carrots, and garlic to the food processor, and process until finely chopped.
- Combine the veggies in a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients for the filling, and mix together. Use your hands to form into balls, flattening slightly. I made about 32.
- In a small, shallow bowl, beat an egg. In another shallow bowl, mix together almond flour, arrowroot starch, paprika, and sea salt.
- Dip a nugget into the egg wash, then dredge in the breading mixture to coat completely. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet (use the baking sheet even if you are air frying or pan frying so the nuggets don’t stick to each other or other surfaces before cooking).
- OVEN BAKED CHICKEN NUGGETS: Spray the tops of the nuggets with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, spray again with cooking spray, then bake for another 10 minutes until golden.
AIR FRYER CHICKEN NUGGETS: Add the nuggets to the air fryer tray or basket in a single layer – you may need to do multiple batches. Spray the tops with cooking spray, then cook for 4 minutes. Flip, spray again with cooking spray, then cook for another 4 minutes until crispy and golden.
PAN FRIED CHICKEN NUGGETS: Heat about 1/4 inches of your favorite neutral oil to a skillet over medium heat. Once sizzling hot, add the nuggets in a single layer. Pan fry for 4 minutes, flip, then pan fry for another 4 minutes. - Serve warm with ketchup, honey mustard, or your favorite dipping sauce!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is very forgiving in that you can use whatever veggies on hand! I’ve used broccoli, sweet potatoes, chopped spinach, or even zucchini. If you do use veggies with lots of moisture like zucchini, make sure to squeeze out the liquid after chopping.
To make nut free gluten free chicken nuggets, replace almond flour with crushed up plantain chips or tortilla chips.
Yes! Just omit in the filling and skip the egg wash step in the breading. The nuggets might be a bit more fragile without the egg to bind everything together, but they’ll still be delicious. As for the egg wash, the nuggets themselves have a lot of moisture from the added veggies so you’ll still be able to make the dry breading mixture stick.
My favorite way to cook these for the crispiest texture is to pan fry them. If I do have leftovers, I reheat them in the air fryer to crisp them back up without adding more oil.
To freeze, cook the nuggets first then cool completely. Transfer to a freezer safe bag, then freeze for up to a month. You can reheat frozen in the air fryer or the oven.
Want more kids toddler-friendly recipes like these hidden veggie chicken nuggets?
- Healthy Homemade Popsicles for Toddlers
- Homemade Baby Puffs Recipe for Babies Over 6 Months (Gluten Free & Dairy Free)
- Paleo & Whole30 Salmon Cakes with Zucchini (Nut Free, Keto)
- The BEST Gluten Free Cornbread (No Flour)
Hidden Veggie Chicken Nuggets (Baked, Air Fried, or Pan Fried)
Ingredients
Filling
- 1/2 head cauliflower cut into florets
- 2 carrots cut into chunks
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 large egg *See notes for egg free
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Breading
- 1 large egg *See notes for egg free
- 1/2 cup almond flour **See notes for nut free
- 1/2 cup arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Cooking spray or oil depending on how you cook it
Instructions
- If you're making oven baked chicken nuggets, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. For the air fryer method, preheat to 390 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add cauliflower florets, carrots, and garlic into the food processor, and process until finely chopped.
- Add to a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients for the filling, and mix together until combined. Use your hands to form into balls, flattening slightly. I made about 32.
- In a small, shallow bowl, beat an egg. In a separate shallow bowl, mix together almond flour, arrowroot starch, paprika, and sea salt.
- Dip a nugget into the egg wash to coat, then immediately dredge in the breading mixture to coat completely. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet (use the baking sheet even if you are air frying or pan frying so the nuggets don't stick to each other or other surfaces before cooking).
- TO BAKE: Spray the tops of the nuggets with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, spray again with cooking spray, then bake for another 10 minutes until golden.TO AIR FRY: Add the nuggets to the air fryer tray or basket in a single layer – you may need to do multiple batches. Spray the tops with cooking spray, then cook for 4 minutes. Flip, spray again with cooking spray, then cook for another 4 minutes until crispy and golden.TO PAN FRY: Heat about 1/4 inches of your favorite neutral oil (I like avocado oil) to a skillet over medium heat. Once sizzling hot, add the nuggets in a single layer. Pan fry for 4 minutes, flip, then pan fry for another 4 minutes.
- Serve warm with ketchup or honey mustard. You can freeze these after cooking.
Video
Notes
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Thank you so much!! I used the baking method and my whole family just loved this. My kids have been rejecting veggies and they gobbled these up!