Chicken Nuggets

Tanya Eisenwasser

Print Recipe

Bite-sized chicken nuggets with a crispy gluten-free coating. A simple one-bowl toss-and-bake method keeps the recipe fast on a weeknight, and the small pieces cook through in about 15 minutes.

Prep 15 min

Cook 15 min

Serves 4

Gluten-freeDairy-free

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch bite-sized cubes (about 32 nuggets)
• 1/2 cup cassava flour
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons light olive oil, divided

Instructions

Prep

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Pat the chicken cubes completely dry with paper towels. Wet chicken makes the coating clump and slide off.

Coat the Chicken

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the cassava flour, arrowroot powder, sweet paprika, garlic powder, dried thyme, and salt.
2. Add the chicken cubes to the bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss until every piece is evenly coated. The oil helps the dry mixture stick.

Bake

1. Arrange the nuggets on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer with space between each one. Crowding the pan steams the chicken instead of crisping it.
2. Drizzle or brush the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Bake for 8 minutes, flip each nugget with tongs, then bake another 6 to 8 minutes until deeply golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
4. Serve immediately.

Tips & Substitutions

• Cube size matters. 3/4-inch cubes cook through evenly in 15 minutes. Smaller pieces dry out, and larger pieces stay raw inside while the coating overbrowns.
• Use fresh chicken. Buy it the day you plan to cook, or use chicken that was frozen quickly after purchase. Thaw in the refrigerator and cook promptly. Chicken that has been sitting in the fridge for days accumulates more histamine.
• Air fryer option. 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. Lightly spray or brush the nuggets with olive oil first. Air fryers crisp the coating more aggressively than the oven.
• Pan-fried option. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the nuggets in a single layer for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Work in batches.
• Flour swap. Equal parts white rice flour and cornstarch work in place of the cassava and arrowroot. Cassava alone gives a slightly crisper exterior; rice alone is a bit sandier.
• Skip paprika if sensitive. Some people react to dried paprika. Swap in extra dried thyme and a pinch of dried oregano for the same warm color and herbal flavor.
• Dipping sauces. Pair with no-tomato ketchup, dairy-free ranch, BBQ sauce, or honey garlic sauce, all of which skip the vinegar and soy sauce found in store-bought versions.
• Want strips instead? For a meatier hand-held option, see the crispy chicken tenders recipe, which uses a thicker two-step breading.

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Why This Works

Fresh chicken. Chicken itself is low in histamine when bought fresh and cooked the same day. Avoiding pre-marinated or previously frozen chicken keeps the histamine load lower.

Cassava flour and arrowroot. Both are gluten-free and commonly tolerated. The arrowroot helps the coating crisp up at oven heat without dairy or egg in the breading.

Olive oil. A well-tolerated cooking fat that handles oven and skillet heat without introducing fermented or aged components. The double coating, one tossed in and one drizzled on top, is what crisps the outside.

Sweet paprika and dried thyme. Both are often tolerated for everyday seasoning, though individual response varies (especially with paprika). Sweet paprika is the milder version; avoid smoked or hot paprika, which tend to be more variable.

No egg or milk wash. Toss-and-bake with oil skips both. Egg whites can trigger reactions in some people, so a dry-coat method removes that variable while still giving the nuggets a crisp exterior.

Storage

Best eaten right out of the oven or air fryer. Chicken is one of the foods most prone to histamine buildup in leftovers, so try to serve immediately. If you must store, refrigerate within 30 minutes and eat within 24 hours, or freeze portions right after cooking. Reheating does not reduce histamine that has already formed. Serve with roasted carrots, steamed broccoli, or baked sweet potato chips to round out the plate.