Cooking Frozen Chicken Nuggets In Air Fryer

cooked breaded chicken nuggets in bowl with red dipping sauce in glass jar behind plus text overlay saying "air fryer frozen chicken nuggets"

Making air fryer frozen chicken nuggets is a breeze. When you make them in the air fryer, you can have a delicious crispy snack in no time at all!

Air fried frozen chicken nuggets are great with a side of fries – and don't forget your favorite dipping sauce!

crispy chicken nuggets in bowl with dipping sauce — Hot, crispy nuggets from frozen!

Recipe Tips/Substitutions

Air fryer frozen nuggets are pretty simple to make but have a read through these recipe tips for best results:

You don't need to spray or coat the frozen nuggets in oil before air frying them. However, you can lightly spray them with some avocado oil if you want to add some extra crispiness.
Since every air fryer is different and there are so many different brands of chicken nuggets, keep an eye on your frozen nuggets when making them for the first time. Our time is a guideline – your nuggets might be done faster or slower.

We use this air fryer for our recipes and it has been great.

Step by Step Instructions

This recipe is very easy. However, if you'd like to see visuals for how to make frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer, you can have a look at this section.

If you're ready to get air frying, skip below to the recipe card.

frozen chicken nuggets in black air fryer tray — Place the chicken nuggets into the air fryer.

First, preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the air fryer is hot, add the frozen nuggets in one even layer. If you can't fit that many pieces in one layer into your air fryer, cook them in two batches.

turning air fryer chicken nuggets with red tongs — Flip the nuggets.

Cook the chicken for a total of 10-11 minutes.

Cook the chicken nuggets for 5 minutes, flip them, and then air fry them for another 5-6 minutes until crispy (for a total cooking time of 10-11 minutes). We recommend using silicone tongs for flipping so you don't scratch your air fryer.

This cooking time can vary by chicken nuggets brand and air fryer so adjust your cooking time as necessary.

cooked chicken nuggets with dipping sauce in bowl — Our frozen nuggets turned out perfectly!

Remove the chicken nuggets from the air fryer and serve them hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Storage Tips

Once cooked, chicken nuggets should be eaten hot and fresh.

Try not to plan for leftovers since these kinds of greasy finger foods can get tough or soggy when they cool off and are definitely not as good as hot from the air fryer!

What to Serve Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets With

Frozen chicken nuggets make a great snack (for watching the big game with, maybe?) or they can be part of a larger easy meal.

We like to eat chicken nuggets with a dipping sauce – BBQ is popular, some people like ketchup, but we (only Eric, really) are big fans of plum sauce.

You can serve nuggets with frozen fries or even freshly made French fries – of course, in the air fryer!

Related Recipes

For more air fryer finger foods, check out these recipes:

Air Fried Onion Rings
Air Fryer Spring Rolls
Air Fryer Frozen Tater Tots

Ingredients

10 pieces of frozen chicken nuggets
your preferred dipping sauce

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the air fryer is hot, add the frozen nuggets in one even layer. If you can't fit that many pieces in one layer into your air fryer, cook them in two batches.
Cook the chicken nuggets for 5 minutes, flip them, and then air fry them for another 5-6 minutes until crispy (for a total cooking time of 10-11 minutes). This cooking time can vary by chicken nuggets brand and air fryer so adjust your cooking time as necessary.
Remove the chicken nuggets from the air fryer and serve them hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

There's no need to add oil to the chicken nuggets beforehand, but you can spray them with a little bit of avocado oil for extra crispiness if desired.
You don't have to defrost the nuggets first, just place them into the air fryer from frozen.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 279 Total Fat: 17g Saturated Fat: 3g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 12g Cholesterol: 45mg Sodium: 764mg Carbohydrates: 17g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 3g Protein: 14g

This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice. The exact values can vary depending on the specific ingredients used.