These homemade Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets bring back memories of childhood dinners! They're a great copycat recipe of the classic frozen food. Made with just 6 simple ingredients and baked in the oven, they're a healthier version of this nostalgic favorite, perfect for kids and adults alike.
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📋 About the Recipe
- No artificial ingredients. These copycat dinosaur chicken nuggets have no artificial ingredients. They are made simply with ground chicken, eggs, breadcrumbs, and seasonings.
- Baked not fried. Unlike the store-bought kind, these nuggets are baked in the oven, not deep fried. They still cook up golden brown and crispy without the added oils and extra fat.
- Great for kids and adults. Although this is a childhood favorite, these dinosaur chicken nuggets are perfect for both kids and adults. They're a hearty protein source paired wonderfully with any of your favorite dipping sauces.
- Easier than you think. Don't be afraid to make these from scratch! With just a few ingredients, a little bit of hands-on time, dinosaur shaped cookie cutters, and some freezing/cooking time, it's a really easy recipe, you'll be shocked how simple it is!
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Ground chicken: Ground chicken is the perfect base for this recipe. Instead of boneless chicken breasts, which can turn tough, it cooks up nice and tender. It also has the same texture as the frozen nuggets without any of the artificial fillers.
- Eggs: Eggs help the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken. Make sure to coat the dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets fully in the eggs, so that the breadcrumbs stick on all sides.
- Breadcrumbs: I like to use regular breadcrumbs over panko, as they provide a more traditional looking coating. If you like some added crunch, you can use panko. I also use plain breadcrumbs so I can adjust the seasoning to my own taste.
- Seasonings: I use simple seasonings, like garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper to keep these chicken nuggets tasting as close to the original version as possible. However, feel free to experiment with other seasoning flavors if you'd like.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
- Can't find ground chicken? You can use ground turkey instead!
- Breadcrumbs: I like using plain, regular breadcrumbs, but in a pinch, you can use panko or seasoned breadcrumbs instead.
- Seasonings: I opted to keep these seasonings fairly simple. However, you can add ranch seasoning, Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, or cayenne (for some spice), if you'd like to switch things up.
- No dinosaur shaped cookie cutters? Feel free to use any shape you like! You can even make the basic round nuggets with this recipe instead.
📓 Instructions
- Place parchment paper on 3 large baking sheets. Add ground chicken to one of the baking sheets. Spread in an even layer on top of the parchment paper until it’s about ½-inch thick.
- Place baking sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes so the chicken can slightly harden.
- Remove the chicken from the freezer. Use the dinosaur cookie cutters to cut out nuggets. *If the chicken is too hard, let it defrost slightly before proceeding. If it is too soft, freeze for another 10 minutes.
- Place cutout nuggets on one of the other prepared baking sheets. Once you’ve cut out as many as possible, place the baking sheet with the nuggets back in the freezer.
- Re-form the scraps of ground chicken into a ½-inch thick, even layer. Refreeze for about 20 minutes or until hardened again, then repeat steps 3 and 4. Continue over again until all scraps have been used up. Make sure all nuggets have a chance to refreeze for at least 15 minutes before proceeding.
- When the chicken is almost done in the freezer, preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Whisk eggs in a small bowl.
- In another bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Dip each dinosaur nugget in the eggs to coat both sides. Then, coat in the breadcrumbs on all sides.
- Place coated nuggets back on the parchment lined baking sheets. Spray nuggets on both sides with nonstick spray.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then flip, and bake another 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown and the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Serve dinosaur chicken nuggets with your favorite dipping sauces, like ketchup, BBQ sauce, ranch, or honey mustard.
❄️ How to Store
To store: Allow dinosaur chicken nuggets to come to room temperature, then add them to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
To freeze: Just like the store-bought kind, these homemade chicken nuggets are great for freezing. After cooking, allow to cool, then freeze in an airtight container up to 6 months.
To reheat: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. You can heat the chicken nuggets directly from frozen. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, warm for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until warmed through.
🔍 Recipe FAQs
Frozen store-bought dinosaur chicken nuggets typically aren't the healthiest, as they include a lot of artificial ingredients and are usually deep fried.
However, this copycat recipe is made a lot healthier, using all natural ingredients. They are also baked, instead of fried, for a crispy crust without all the added oils.
Freezing the ground chicken makes it easier to work with. If you don't freeze it, it'll be too soft to cut into with the cookie cutters and you won't be able to get the cute dinosaur shapes.
The second freezing is to ensure that the dinosaurs retain their shape while you bread them and bake them.
Some store-bought ones might be gluten free. You'll have to check the labels to make sure the breading is made with gluten free ingredients.
These homemade ones can be made gluten free if you use gluten free breadcrumbs.
💭 One More Tip
Make sure to use dinosaur shaped cookie cutters that are 3 to 3 ½-inches wide at their widest part. (Usually, from head to tail.) If you use anything smaller than this, the nuggets might dry out while cooking. And if you use anything larger, you'll get fewer nuggets and the cook time might need to be adjusted.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups plain breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place parchment paper on 3 large baking sheets. Add ground chicken to one of the baking sheets. Spread in an even layer on top of the parchment paper until it’s about ½-inch thick.
- Place baking sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes so the chicken can slightly harden.
- Remove the chicken from the freezer. Use the dinosaur cookie cutters to cut out nuggets. *If the chicken is too hard, let it defrost slightly before proceeding. If it is too soft, freeze for another 10 minutes.
- Place cutout nuggets on one of the other prepared baking sheets. Once you’ve cut out as many as possible, place the baking sheet with the nuggets back in the freezer.
- Re-form the scraps of ground chicken into a ½-inch thick, even layer. Refreeze for about 20 minutes or until hardened again, then repeat steps 3 and 4. Continue over again until all scraps have been used up. Make sure all nuggets have a chance to refreeze for at least 15 minutes before proceeding.
- When the chicken is almost done in the freezer, preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Whisk eggs in a small bowl.
- In another bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Dip each dinosaur nugget in the eggs to coat both sides. Then, coat in the breadcrumbs on all sides.
- Place coated nuggets back on the parchment lined baking sheets. Spray nuggets on both sides with nonstick spray.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then flip, and bake another 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown and the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Serve dinosaur chicken nuggets with your favorite dipping sauces, like ketchup, BBQ sauce, ranch, or honey mustard.
Notes
- Make sure to use dinosaur shaped cookie cutters that are 3 to 3 ½-inches wide at their widest part. (Usually, from head to tail.) This will ensure the perfect "nugget size" and even cooking.
- Don't skip the freezing process. This helps the chicken retain its shape while breading and cooking.
- With these dinosaur shaped cookie cutters, this recipe made about 30 to 33 chicken nuggets.
Nutrition
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Lynsey says
What temperature etc do you rebake the nuggets if they have been frozen
Alana Lieberman says
Hi Lynsey! The section above on "How To Store" explains how to reheat. I recommend heating directly from frozen at 375 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until warmed through! Let me know if you give them a try 🙂
Courtney says
Super tasty and I love that they are baked and not fried. We will be making these again!
Alana Lieberman says
Thanks so much for giving them a try! I'm so glad you loved them!
Laurel says
Have you tried freezing these after they are baked and stored them? I’m looking to make bulk and microwave a few at a time.
Alana Lieberman says
Yes! They freeze really well. Just make sure to double bag/wrap them to help prevent freezer burn.
Amira says
Can you make these in the airfryer? What is the temperature and time?
Alana Lieberman says
Yes, you can definitely make them in the air fryer. I haven't tested it myself yet, so I'd assume 400 degrees F for about 8 minutes on each side should work. However, you might want to test one first before doing the rest.