How long do you cook frozen chicken nuggets in the air?

If you have children or ever were one, you understand the pleasure of a great-tasting chicken nugget, preferably one that comes in amazing shapes–like dinosaurs. The struggle I always have with chicken nuggets isn’t about the shape or the lack of diversity it brings to the menu, but rather, the texture of a soggy, rubbery microwaved chicken nugget. However, when you cook frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer, you can deliver crisp, great-tasting nuggets every time.

Chicken Nuggets for any day of the week

We often use Kirkwood’s Dinosaur shaped nuggets, which are my four-year-old son’s favorite. We purchase them by the box at our neighborhood Aldi for around $6.99. These nuggets, which come in T-Rex, Triceratops, and Apatosaurus shapes, taste great, and they are relatively healthy, as far as chicken nuggets go.

In the microwave, chicken nuggets take around a minute to heat up, which is convenient, but the texture of most frozen-to-microwave products really disappoints me. It’s definitely worth the extra twelve minutes to prep these in the air fryer, which is still 8-10 minutes faster than baking them in the oven, not including the time it takes for your oven to preheat. Cooking frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer will never be a disappointment.

Using an air fryer is also a fast, easy way to reheat restaurant chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, or french fries your little one couldn’t finish while you were eating out. When it comes to texture and taste, an air fryer beats a microwave any day.

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Frozen Chicken Nuggets in Airfryer

Prep Time

1 min

Cook Time

12 mins

Total Time

13 mins

It's quick and easy to air fry frozen chicken nuggets. They come out so crispy!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Nuggets in Air Fryer, Frozen Chicken Nuggets

Servings: 1

Calories: 400 kcal

Ingredients

Chicken Nugget Ingredients

• 8 pieces frozen chicken nuggets

Instructions

Chicken Nugget Instructions

1. Preheat air fryer to 400° F | 204° C for 5 minutes

2. Add an air fryer liner, and place frozen chicken nuggets in the air-fryer basket.

3. Air Fry for 12 minutes at 400° F | 204° C

4. Shake or flip the chicken nuggets halfway through air frying at around 6 minutes.

5. Serve with your favorite sauce, plate and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Note: If you are making plant-based vegan nuggets, I suggest 380° F | 180° C for 10 minutes.   Using a food thermometer, they above the suggested 160° F | 71° C.

Making frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer is SO easy, and quick, and the air fryer makes the nuggets crispier than ever. This is the only way we make frozen chicken nuggets for my kids now.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about eating as healthy as possible as much as possible. Buuuuuuuuuttttttt with a full-time job, 3 kids, and a second full-time job as a personal chauffeur to 3 kids… I also know when to pick my battles.

That means some days it’s homemade, Whole30/paleo, copycat Chick-Fil-A nuggets… aaaaand some days I’m tearing open a bag of frozen chicken nuggets and dumping them into the air fryer. It’s called balance.

Hear me out.

What Makes This Method So Good

• There’s no heavy oil, so it’s a lighter alternative to deep fried or fast food chicken nuggets. They’re still deliciously crispy, though. And it’s pretty much foolproof. No burnt nuggets because your oil was too hot. No soggy nuggets because the oil wasn’t hot enough, or because you opted for the oven instead of frying them at all.
• You can cook them right out of the freezer. No, really – just tear open the bag or box and dump them straight into the air fryer. No thawing or defrosting. If you’ve ever had kids crying or acting out because they’re hungry and can’t wait ANOTHER SECOND to eat, you know just how much of a lifesaver this is.
• This is also a great way to reheat leftover chicken nuggets. Whether you cooked too many the first time around, or you’ve got extras from your last trip through the drive-thru (hey, no shame) you can just pop them in the air fryer at 400°F for 4-5 minutes and they’ll crisp right back up!

Can You Cook Chicken Nuggets and Fries in the Air Fryer At the Same Time?

You absolutely can! This is one of my favorite time-saving tricks. It’s especially great if you’re cooking small portions of both or if you have a larger air fryer.

Follow the instructions below, cooking for a total of 15-ish minutes instead of 10. Shake the basket and flip the nuggets after the first 7 minutes, then check the nuggets again around minute 12. If they’re crispy enough for your liking, take them out and let the fries cook until they’re done. It should only take another 3 minutes or so, depending on your preferred fry-doneness.

If you want to cook them separately, we’ve got the perfect method for Air Fryer Frozen French Fries, too!

Chef’s Tips

• You probably already know this, but all air fryers are not created equal. Just like any other appliance, they behave differently from one to the next… even if they’re both the same brand, same model, same age, and sitting on the same counter. The cook time also depends on the size of your chicken nuggets and how many you’ve got in the basket. 10 minutes in my air fryer may need to be 12 minutes or 8 minutes in yours, so just keep an eye on the food and adjust the time as needed.
• The spray oil is optional, so if you’re trying to use less oil or avoid it altogether, you can skip it here. If you like your nuggets really crispy, though, spray the basket lightly with spray oil, place the nuggets in the basket, then lightly (lightly!) spray the nuggets, too.
• I used a Chefman air fryer with a basket for these frozen chicken nuggets. This method works in an air fryer oven with racks, too! Just remember – you want a single layer of nuggets on the air fryer trays. No stacking or piling or overlapping. The details are still the same – 400° Fahrenheit, 10 minutes, flip the nuggets after 5 minutes. With an air fryer oven, you also want to rotate the trays when you flip the nuggets. That way they’ll all cook as evenly as possible.

Other Air Fryer Recipes You Have to Try

• Air Fryer Salmon with Brown Sugar Crust
• Air Fryer Hot Dogs
• Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Tater Tots
• Air Fryer Steak with Easy Herb Butter
• Frozen Shrimp in the Air Fryer
• Pizza Rolls in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Potato Wedges
• Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings in Buffalo Sauce
• Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings with an Easy Buffalo Sauce

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets

Prep:5 minutes

Cook:10 minutes

Total:10 minutes

Making frozen chicken nuggets in the air fryer is SO easy, and quick, and the air fryer makes the nuggets crispier than ever. This is the only way we make frozen chicken nuggets for my kids now.

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