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Hands down the easiest chicken nuggets you will ever make. You only need three ingredients and it comes together in 15 minutes. It is awesome for meal-prepping and a great way to get in a high protein meal!

Three ingredients is all you'll need for the easiest three ingredient chicken nugget recipe EVER!! They are awesome for #mealprepping and they make quick weeknight dinners so easy and no stress! #chickenrecipes #chickenugget #mealprep #easymeal #mealpreppingrecipe #makeaheadmeal
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Holy crap. The response to these three ingredient nuggets have been overwhelming.

I knew you guys loved quick and easy but you guys REALLY love quick and easy.

I made these on Instagram the other day because I had heard of this recipe from Gina who heard about it from Brandy who found it in their macro accountability group.

Apparently in the “macro world” it is all the rage right now because

  1. the macros on it are amazing; see nutrition facts below,
  2. it is SO incredibly easy to put together.
Three ingredients is all you'll need for the easiest three ingredient chicken nugget recipe EVER!! They are awesome for #mealprepping and they make quick weeknight dinners so easy and no stress! #chickenrecipes #chickenugget #mealprep #easymeal #mealpreppingrecipe #makeaheadmeal

What is shake ‘n bake?

Haha, when I made these last week, it was the first time I had ever bought shake ‘n bake in my entire life.

I still don’t quite know what it is but I think they’re just breading packets.

I hear the crunchy pretzel one is the best because of the flavor and also the macro count.

Do you have to use shake ‘n bake?

I mean, I guess technically you could just use breadcrumbs but I think shake ‘n bake has some sort of flavoring in their packets.

Do you have to use crunchy pretzel flavor?

No! The first time I made these, I used the regular chicken flavor because I couldn’t find the crunchy pretzel.

Three ingredients is all you'll need for the easiest three ingredient chicken nugget recipe EVER!! They are awesome for #mealprepping and they make quick weeknight dinners so easy and no stress! #chickenrecipes #chickenugget #mealprep #easymeal #mealpreppingrecipe #makeaheadmeal

How do you form the nuggets?

After I mix everything together, I use a two tablespoon cookie scoop (or known as a medium cookie scoop) to scoop out the filling onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Then once they’re all scooped out, I gently press them down with my hands then form them into kind of like egg shapes.

So they resemble nuggets.

You don’t have to do it this way but I think they look better!

Three ingredients is all you'll need for the easiest three ingredient chicken nugget recipe EVER!! They are awesome for #mealprepping and they make quick weeknight dinners so easy and no stress! #chickenrecipes #chickenugget #mealprep #easymeal #mealpreppingrecipe #makeaheadmeal

Do you add anything special to the chicken mix?

I like putting a lot of spices in my food so I added onion salt, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

You don’t have to if you don’t want to but I definitely encourage some sort of seasoning, like salt and pepper, at the minimum.

You could also put fresh herbs in if you want!

Can you use a different kind of meat?

You can! Any ground meat is great but I would stay more on the lean side like with ground turkey or ground chicken.

This hardly had any oils/fat come out and soak the breading but I imagine if you used higher fat protein like ground beef in 80/20 or ground pork, you could have more oil seep out.

Three ingredients is all you'll need for the easiest three ingredient chicken nugget recipe EVER!! They are awesome for #mealprepping and they make quick weeknight dinners so easy and no stress! #chickenrecipes #chickenugget #mealprep #easymeal #mealpreppingrecipe #makeaheadmeal

What do you serve the chicken nuggets with?

We served it with roasted parmesan carrots!

We put the carrots in first because they cook at the same temperature but just for longer.

Once the carrots are almost done cooking, we slide in the baking sheet with the nuggets to let them all finish cooking together.

Three ingredients is all you'll need for the easiest three ingredient chicken nugget recipe EVER!! They are awesome for #mealprepping and they make quick weeknight dinners so easy and no stress! #chickenrecipes #chickenugget #mealprep #easymeal #mealpreppingrecipe #makeaheadmeal

Do they freeze well?

Yes. I haven’t done it myself but I hear of a lot of people who have meal prepped this that have froze them with success.

How would you freeze them?

I would personally just form the nuggets and then put them into a plastic bag and put them in the freezer to bake later.

I only suggest this because I feel if you bake them, freeze them, then re-bake/re-heat, they could get a little dry because there isn’t much fat with these.

Three ingredients is all you'll need for the easiest three ingredient chicken nugget recipe EVER!! They are awesome for #mealprepping and they make quick weeknight dinners so easy and no stress! #chickenrecipes #chickenugget #mealprep #easymeal #mealpreppingrecipe #makeaheadmeal

Tips to make successful chicken nuggets

These are kind of foolproof as they are and that’s what I think everyone loves about them but some general tips:

  • Don’t overmix the mixture. Just mix it with your hands enough that everything is incorporated.
  • Season, season, season.
  • Don’t bake them too long! They’ll dry out.
  • Use a leaner cut of ground meat.

How did you get yours nicely browned on top?

The broiler for about 2 minutes — watch them carefully!

Can you make these in the air fryer?

YES! I just did this recently.

I put it in the air fryer for 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 7 minutes and they were completely cooked through and 100% crispy on the outside!

Three ingredients is all you'll need for the easiest three ingredient chicken nugget recipe EVER!! They are awesome for #mealprepping and they make quick weeknight dinners so easy and no stress! #chickenrecipes #chickenugget #mealprep #easymeal #mealpreppingrecipe #makeaheadmeal

If you love how easy this recipe is, you’ll love these easy recipes too

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Three ingredients is all you'll need for the easiest three ingredient chicken nugget recipe EVER!! They are awesome for #mealprepping and they make quick weeknight dinners so easy and no stress! #chickenrecipes #chickenugget #mealprep #easymeal #mealpreppingrecipe #makeaheadmeal
4.84 from 6 votes

Easiest Three Ingredient Chicken Nuggets

The easiest chicken nuggets you will EVER make; they’re also impressive because they don’t taste like three ingredients. They are SO good!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Servings: 18 nuggets

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound (454 g) ground chicken
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 pouch crunchy pretzel shake ‘n bake
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Optional seasonings

  • 2 teaspoons onion salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 °F (191 °C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients.
  • Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop filling onto prepared baking sheet.
  • Once filling is all scooped, form into egg/nugget shapes.
  • Bake for 12 minutes, or until fully cooked through, then put under broiler for 1-2 minutes, if you desire a browner color.
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Nutrition

Serving: 1nugget, Calories: 58kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 3g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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26 Comments

  1. Jojolene says:

    Can these be air-fried?

    1. Julie Chiou says:

      yes, this is written in the blog post and gives directions. it is under the heading, “Can you make these in the air fryer?”

  2. Linda says:

    I haven’t been able to find the Pretzel Shake and Bake in my area; bummer. I have made something very similar in the past. I had about half an 8 ounce bag of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Mix (not the cubed ones). I put the stuffing mix in a plastic bag and smashed it up with a rolling pin. I used about 2 Tablespoons of melted butter to help the stuffing stick to the nuggets. They were pretty good and except for a little addition of poultry seasoning and black pepper, I didn’t add any other seasoning. Looking forward to locating the Pretzel Shake and Bake! Thanks.

  3. callie adams says:

    these look so awesome! two questions: 1) could i just smash up pretzels to use i/o the shakenbake? 2) could i throw some minced veggies in there like broccoli or carrots to sneak in some veggies?

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      1. no, it needs breadcrumbs too (plain or italian seasoned) to bind everything together and hold it all together. 2. you could, definitely.

  4. Neysa says:

    Can’t wait to try these…looks easy too

  5. Allison says:

    Making this for a 2nd time in a week because… #1 -it’s so easy & #2 – it’s delicious. Oh, & totally kid approved. Also making the parmesean roasted carrots as a side. Such a perfect, quick meal everyone loves!! Yum! :)

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      Love it!