Making chicken nuggets at home has never been easier. Using your air fryer and just 5 simple ingredients, you'll have tasty, low carb, high protein chicken nuggets the whole family will love in under 30 minutes!
Healthy Chicken Nuggets
I have a short list, of sorts, of quick and easy meals that I almost always have the ingredients for.
They also meet my keto diet macro requirements, specifically helping me to hit my protein.
And these Keto Chicken Nuggets are one we eat regularly.
3-Ingredient Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Our air fryer has rapidly become a staple for cooking meals. It heats up quickly, cooks evenly, and makes even the trickiest dishes crispy (if you want them to be).
And while we lived in a camper for a year and half while building our home, the air fryer was our go-to to make home cooked meals for the entire family.
It's a lifesaver and I could not live without it.
These low carb chicken nuggets work especially well in an air fryer because it creates a crispy crust on the outside that an oven just cannot match.
Fast Food Chicken Nuggets vs. Keto Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
A 4-Piece McNugget has:
- 170 Calories
- 9 g Protein
- 10 g Total Carbs
- 10g Fat
Air Fryer Nuggets Have:
- 176
- 20 g Protein
- 1 g Net Carbs
- 9 g Fat
So In total, for the same number of nuggets, you're doubling the protein, cutting the carbs down by 90%, and keeping the fat and same, but you're getting far healthier ingredients!
Ingredients for Low Carb Nuggets
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No more hunting for just the right product – you can find them all right HERE.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you try this recipe I would love to see it and share it! Tag me on IG @fitmomjourneythm, using the hashtag #fitmomjourney
Chicken – either canned or ground (and cooked). Home-canned chicken is our favorite because it has a better texture than that from the store. But if you're not a canning enthusiast, then store-bought canned chicken will work just as well. Ground chicken will work, just cook in small crumbles before adding the remaining ingredients.
Shredded Cheese – Sharp cheddar is my go-to, but any shredded cheese will work. Monterey Jack, Mozzarella cheese, and Pepper jack are also really great.
Egg – this will bind the nuggets together.
Salt & Pepper – I don't count these in the ingredients, because hopefully everyone has them. Use a good quality sea salt, and fresh ground pepper is always delicious.
Paprika – Adds color and flavor.
Garlic Powder – measure with your heart.
Supplies for Keto Chicken Nugget Recipe
As always, having certain supplies on hand in the kitchen will make this recipe simpler, although many substitutions can be made for the exact items I used.
My kitchen essentials can always be found in my Amazon Storefront.
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipe
Drain canned chicken breast and put in a large mixing bowl. Break it up with either your stand mixer, handheld mixer, or food processor. The food processor will give you a finer texture, whereas the mixer will give you more chicken chunks.
Add spices and seasoning, egg, and shredded cheese to the meat mixture.
Mix until well combined.
Use a cookie scoop to portion out chicken nuggets, gently smashing into more of a flat nugget, before placing in a single layer in the air fryer basket sprayed with avocado oil cooking spray.
Air fry at 375 for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown, and internal temperature reaches 165 F.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce: keto chicken sauce, Sweet Siracha Mayo, or sauce of your choice.
Store leftover nuggets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer 5 minutes at 425.
How To Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets in the Oven
Use directions as described above, except lay on a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and baked at 350 degrees F but increase cooking time to 15-20 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165 F.
I don't recommend using a sheet pan sprayed with olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray, as the nuggets don't seem to have the best result.

3 Ingredient Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets - Low Carb, High Protein
Making chicken nuggets at home has never been easier. Using your air fryer and just 5 simple ingredients, you'll have tasty, low carb, high protein chicken nuggets the whole family will love in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 cups canned chicken
- 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar
- 1 Egg
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Drain canned chicken breast and put in a large mixing bowl. Break it up with either your stand mixer, handheld mixer, or food processor. The food processor will give you a finer texture, whereas the mixer will give you more chicken chunks.
- Add spices and seasoning, egg, and shredded cheese to the meat mixture.
- Mix until well combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out chicken nuggets, gently smashing into more of a flat nugget, before placing in a single layer in the air fryer basket sprayed with avocado oil cooking spray.
- Air fry at 375 for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown, and internal temperature reaches 165 F.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce: keto chicken sauce, Sweet Siracha Mayo, or sauce of your choice.
- Store leftover nuggets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer 5 minutes at 425.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 176Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 403mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 20g






These photos don’t seem to match the recipe.