Crispy, spicy chicken nuggets made from scratch will always be better than fast food! Make your own juicy, tender, seasoned chicken nuggets on the stovetop, in a deep fryer, or in an air fryer. These spicy nuggets are flavor-packed and adaptable. I like to serve them with spicy ketchup on the side for an easy game day appetizer.
Move over Wendy’s, McD’s, and Chick-fil-A: These spicy homemade chicken nuggets are even better than the drive-thru! They’re tender, perfectly spiced, and extra crispy, made from juicy, sweet chili-marinated chicken pieces coated in a flavorful, seasoned breading. With hints of paprika, cayenne, chili powder, and sriracha, these nuggets don’t hold back in the heat department. But since you’ll make them at home, you can easily adapt the heat to taste. Spicy chicken nuggets make a delicious, family-friendly dinner with my best-ever chicken dipping sauce or creamy ranch dressing for dipping.
Why Homemade Spicy Chicken Nuggets Are Better Than Fast Food
- Adapt the seasonings to taste. Some like it hot, but I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea! Make these homemade spicy chicken nuggets exactly how you like them by adjusting the seasonings.
- Know exactly what you’re cooking (and eating). No mystery ingredients or questionable additives here. Just juicy chunks of whole chicken, a pantry-friendly marinade, and a 5-ingredient breading.
- Freshly fried and tasty. These are fried, but much crispier and tastier than nuggets that come off the fast food line.
- Air fryer option. Cooking them at home means that if you don’t feel like frying, you can make these spicy chicken nuggets in the air fryer instead!
What You’ll Need
This chicken nugget recipe combines two layers of flavor: A sweet-and-spicy chili chicken marinade and a fiery seasoned breading. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for both. See the recipe card for the exact measurements.
- Chicken Breasts – Boneless chicken breasts are easiest to cut into 1½-inch, nugget-sized chunks. You could also use boneless chicken thighs, which are a bit juicier.
- Garlic – Fresh cloves, minced. If you don’t have fresh garlic, substitute ¼ teaspoon garlic powder per fresh clove.
- Honey – I love the combination of honey and sriracha. Substitute brown sugar if needed.
- Sriracha – Or your preferred chili sauce or hot sauce.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Acidity enhances the spicy flavors. You can use red or white wine vinegar, or even distilled white vinegar, in a pinch.
- Cayenne Pepper – You can use chili powder or red chili flakes, too.
- Olive Oil – Or your choice of cooking oil.
- Breadcrumbs – Plain breadcrumbs are best, either store-bought or homemade in a food processor.
- Seasonings – Garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, additional cayenne, plus dried parsley.
- Vegetable Oil – For frying. Choose an oil with a high smoke point so it doesn’t burn at high temperatures.
How to Make Spicy Chicken Nuggets
To get a head start, marinate the chicken chunks in advance so they’re ready to bread and fry. Here’s how to make these spicy chicken nuggets in four easy steps.
- Marinate the chicken. First, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Combine the marinade with the chicken chunks in a large resealable bag. Marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
- Prepare the breading. When you’re ready to cook your nuggets, mix the breadcrumbs with your chicken nugget seasonings, and set aside.
- Coat the chicken. Next, take the chicken out of the fridge and discard the marinade. Roll the chicken chunks in the spicy breadcrumbs so they’re generously coated.
- Fry the nuggets. In a Dutch oven or deep fryer, heat oil to 375ºF. Fry the spicy breaded chicken nuggets in small batches until golden brown and crispy. Afterward, transfer the finished nuggets to a baking sheet inside the oven to keep warm. Once they’re all fried, serve your homemade spicy nuggets warm with your favorite dipping sauces. See the Dipping Sauces section for my suggestions.
Air Fryer Method
The air fryer is a great alternative to deep-frying these spicy chicken nuggets, using a fraction of the oil. Marinate and then bread the chicken nuggets as directed. Following a similar method as my air fryer popcorn chicken, cook the nuggets at 370ºF for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. For extra-crispy nuggets, switch the air fryer to 400°F for the final 2 minutes of cooking.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Marinate the chicken for long enough. Refrigerate the chicken pieces in the marinade for 3-4 hours to give the chicken time to soak up the flavors.
- Bring the oil to temperature. Make sure the oil reaches an optimal frying temperature of 375ºF. If the oil is too hot, the outside of the nuggets will burn before the chicken inside cooks through. If it’s too cold, the breading may crumble apart, and the chicken won’t cook evenly. To test it, dip a wooden spoon into the hot oil. If small bubbles start to form against the wood right away, the oil is ready for frying.
- Don’t leave the stovetop unattended. For safety, ensure your kitchen is clear of distractions while frying your chicken nuggets. Hot oil needs your full attention. Use a metal (NOT plastic) spoon to lift the fried nuggets from the oil to the baking sheet.
- Adjust the heat. The beauty of these spicy nuggets is that you can tweak the spice to suit anyone’s preference. Taste the chili marinade and spicy breading as you go, before they touch the raw chicken, until you reach your desired level of spiciness. You can always add an extra sprinkle of cayenne or chili powder after the nuggets are cooked for added heat.
- For a mild, kid-friendly version, bread a handful of these nuggets in the unspiced breadcrumb mixture before adding in the seasonings. You can also skip the spicy marinade or use my classic chicken marinade instead.
- Use a brine instead of a marinade. Make a version of these spicy nuggets brined in pickle juice, like my crispy chicken tenders. Try the juice from a jar of hot pickles to keep it spicy!
Dipping Sauces
Not only do these homemade spicy chicken nuggets taste better than takeout, but they’re easy to make for dinner, snacking, or as a game day appetizer. And nothing goes better with a big bowl of chicken nuggets than a tasty dipping sauce. I like to serve these spicy chicken nuggets with spicy sriracha ketchup, made by mixing ½ cup ketchup with 2½ tablespoons of sriracha, or to taste. Here are some more favorites:
- Homemade honey mustard is always a kid favorite
- Avocado salsa for a Southwestern twist
- Homemade BBQ sauce or Buffalo hot sauce
- Spicy mayo, like the recipe from my Popeye’s chicken sandwich
What to Serve With Spicy Chicken Nuggets
I like to serve these fiery chicken nuggets with veggies, like green beans, with spoon bread on the side. These are other ideas:
- With fries: Serve with French fries or air fryer sweet potato fries. I also love these cheesy ranch potatoes.
- Biscuits and bread: Make quick air fryer biscuits or try this stuffed garlic bread.
- As an appetizer: Pair crispy, spicy chicken nuggets with more finger foods, like pretzel bites and cheeseburger dip.
- As an add-on: Slice or dice the spicy chicken nuggets and add them to a salad, on top of pizzas, over nachos, or in a spicy chicken sandwich or wrap.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerate. Store leftover chicken nuggets in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, place the nuggets on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven for a few minutes until warmed through. You can also use your air fryer.
Can I Freeze Spicy Chicken Nuggets?
Yes! This recipe makes great DIY frozen chicken nuggets. Once your spicy nuggets are cooked and cooled, pre-freeze them on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer them to a resealable freezer bag to freeze until you’re ready to cook them. Reheat the chicken nuggets straight from frozen, either in the Dutch oven/electric fryer or the air fryer. Tada! Frozen chicken nuggets from scratch, to enjoy at home whenever you please!
More Easy Chicken Recipes to Try
Spicy Chicken Nuggets
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Description
Move over, Wendy’s spicy nuggets! These homemade spicy chicken nuggets are so easy to make in the deep fryer or air fryer. Ultra-crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, with a sweet-spicy kick.
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 – 3 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2- inch chunks
Breading:
- 2 cups plain breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 4 cups vegetable oil
Instructions
- Make the marinade. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, garlic, honey, sriracha, vinegar, cayenne pepper, and salt.
- Marinate. Place the cut chicken into a large zip-top bag and pour the marinade on top, massaging into the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate 3 – 4 hours.
- Breading. In a large bowl whisk together the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade. Coat each chicken chunk generously in the breading mixture.
- Fry. Turn your oven on warm and set aside a large baking sheet. Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven or electric fryer to 375°F. Working in small batches, fry the chicken until golden brown.
- Keep warm. Transfer the nuggets onto the baking sheet and place into the warm oven while you fry the remaining chicken.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in a 350°F oven for 5 – 10 minutes until warm.
- To make these chicken nuggets in the air fryer, set your air fryer to 370°F and lightly coat the basket with cooking oil or non-stick spray. Place the nuggets in the air fryer and cook them for about 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through. To get your chicken nuggets extra crispy, turn the air fryer temperature to 400°F for the final 2 minutes of cooking time.
- To dip: Mix 2 1/2 tablespoons sriracha sauce with 1/2 cup ketchup
375 degrees is much too hot and burns the breading leaving the nuggets raw. In search 350 is recommended for deep frying nuggets. That being said the black nuggets could have tasted great with your seasoning and marinade.