Wondering how to make homemade nuggets that kids will love? Look no further than this healthy chicken nuggets with veggies recipe, made with ground chicken, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes and baked in the oven! It’s great for babies, toddlers, older kids, and adults.
Chicken nuggets made a reappearance in my diet over the past year, as my daughter entered the world of toddler-friendly foods. While I’m definitely not opposed to making store-bought chicken nuggets as part of a balanced family meal, I started to imagine how I could make my own Veg World inspired version. I love my Veggie Chicken Burgers and Healthy Spinach Chicken Meatballs, after all.
It turns out it’s incredibly easy to make homemade nuggets and include some extra nutrients from “hidden” vegetables in there too! First, I considered which veggies to add. Riced cauliflower seemed like a good addition since it could be easily dispersed throughout the ground chicken. Next, I wanted to add something with a slightly sweet flavor to balance out the cauliflower. So naturally, I turned to sweet potatoes (a favorite in our house).
Lastly, I settled on some spices for extra flavor and breadcrumbs for coating the nuggets. It all turned out great, and I am thrilled to have a new go-to recipe for an easy finger food to have on hand for the whole family.
And the best part? You can prep these chicken nuggets with veggies in advance and easily double or triple the batch to keep in the freezer for when you need a quick meal. They’re such a fun way to eat veggies without even really thinking about it!
Jump to:
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ground chicken: You can probably substitute ground turkey for this recipe if needed.
- Sweet potato: You’ll use shredded/grated sweet potato to make chicken nuggets with veggies, so there’s no need to worry about cooking sweet potato in advance. Just grate it raw, preferably into a fine shred using a hand or box grater with tiny holes. The finely shredded pieces seamlessly blend into ground chicken. If you don’t have sweet potato, try a regular potato.
- Riced cauliflower: I usually “rice” it myself in a food processor (more on that in the Equipment section), but there are so many store-bought versions these days. You can find fresh riced cauliflower in the produce aisle of some stores or a frozen version in almost all stores. If using frozen, you’ll need to thaw or cook it first so that it doesn’t contribute excess water to the nuggets. If you don’t have cauliflower, consider “ricing” broccoli instead (here’s my tutorial on How to Make Riced Broccoli if needed).
- Cumin, garlic powder, and salt: Omit any or all and/or switch up the seasonings based on your kids’/family’s preferences. If you’re making homemade chicken nuggets for baby led weaning, omit the salt.
- Panko breadcrumbs: I like to coat the nuggets in breadcrumbs to resemble pre-made nuggets as closely as possible. Panko breadcrumbs work great, but you can use any kind of breadcrumbs or just omit them entirely and bake the nuggets without them. Use gluten free crumbs if needed.
Equipment
A food processor is helpful when making this recipe, since you can use it to make riced cauliflower very easily. You can also use a shredding/grating disc to shred the sweet potato. However, it’s not necessary to use a food processor. Instead, just buy pre-made riced cauliflower and shred the sweet potato into a fine shred with a hand or box grater. If you can’t find riced cauliflower, chop cauliflower florets as finely as you can with a knife.
Instructions
The full recipe card for chicken nuggets with veggies is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you in the kitchen.
Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor if you don’t have pre-made riced cauliflower.
Mix together the ground chicken, riced cauliflower, grated sweet potato, and spices.
Roll the nugget mixture into ovals about 1 tablespoon each. Coat the ovals in the breadcrumbs and place on a lined baking sheet.
Bake until lightly browned and crispy, flipping halfway through.
Storage and Reheating
Keep leftover chicken nuggets with veggies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 to 7 days. For best results, reheat in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes at 350 degrees F/177 degrees C. You can also reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
To freeze, let the nuggets cool completely then transfer to airtight containers or bags. I like to store them in a single layer in Stasher bags. If storing in a different container, consider putting a piece of parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking. Reheat from frozen in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees F/177 degrees C or until warmed through. Use within 3 months.
Serving
These taste great with a dipping sauce! Ketchup or tomato sauce work great, or you can try them with my Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce, Canned San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Avocado Spread with Garlic, hummus, or another bean dip like my Caramelized Onion White Bean Dip.
More Kid-Friendly Veggie Recipes
Love these chicken nuggets with veggies? Check out these other veggie-loaded recipes for kids while you’re here:
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Nuggets with Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 cup riced cauliflower
- 1 cup shredded sweet potatoes - from about 1 small sweet potato; preferably a fine grate (see instructions)
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder - omit or decrease as needed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin - omit or decrease as needed
- ½ teaspoon salt - omit or decrease as needed
- ⅔ cup Panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/177 degrees C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
- First, prep the veggies. If using frozen riced cauliflower, let it thaw in the fridge and use a paper towel to blot out any excess water. If you don't have time to thaw it, cook it in a skillet for a few minutes to get rid of extra moisture. If using fresh riced cauliflower, you can add it to the recipe as is. Finally, if you don't have pre-made riced cauliflower, pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor fitted with an S-blade until you have tiny pieces. You can also chop them very finely with a knife. For the sweet potato, use a hand or box grater, preferably one with tiny holes, to finely grate it. A small shred works great for this recipe because it easily blends into the ground chicken and the flavor gets dispersed throughout the nuggets, but a larger shred also works.
- In a large bowl, combine the riced cauliflower, shredded sweet potato, ground chicken, garlic powder, cumin, and salt. Mix until well-combined.
- Pour the breadcrumbs onto a rimmed plate or shallow bowl.
- Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and shape into an oval that resembles a chicken nugget. Roll the nugget in the breadcrumbs to coat. Place on the lined baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the mixture until you have about 28 nuggets, give or take a few.
- If desired, you can spray the tops of the nuggets with some avocado oil or olive oil spray. This can help them get a little crispier in the oven, but I have tried it with and without an oil spray and have found no significant difference in results. So, it's up to you!
- Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, flipping halfway through, until lightly browned and crispy.
- Enjoy warm as is or with a dipping sauce of choice!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- You can sub other breadcrumbs, including gluten free varieties, if needed or omit them entirely and just bake the nuggets without them.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 to 7 days. Or, you can freeze the nuggets in tightly sealed bags or containers (preferably in single layers or with wax or parchment paper separating layers to prevent sticking). Use within 3 months for best results.
- To reheat from the fridge, bake for 5 to 7 minutes at 350 degrees F. To reheat from frozen, bake for 7 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees F or until warmed through.
- If making for baby led weaning, omit the salt. Remember to serve in age-appropriate sizes/shapes that suit your child’s feeding abilities.
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