Parmesan Chicken Bites

My wife mentioned these Parmesan chicken bites the other day. I made them a long time ago and posted them on our old blog, Crossroads of America, and somehow had forgotten about them. That’s a shame because they’re really great. They aren’t nuggets like you might think. And they aren’t crunchy because they aren’t fried. They have a light coating, with a great herb-and-butter flavor. They are very addicting. Bite after bite, you’ll find yourself unable to stop eating them. The flavors are amazing. So make a double batch. You’ll be glad that you did.

Parmesan Chicken Bites

I continued the herb theme and served these Parmesan chicken bites with a cool Ranch dressing for dipping. A Dijon dipping sauce also works great, as does blue cheese dressing. These little yummy morsels are a great alternative to deep-fried chicken nuggets. They are a bit more difficult to pick up with your fingers, so be prepared to serve them with small appetizer forks.

I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.

Want ’em crunchy? Try my homemade chicken nuggets.

Parmesan Chicken Bites
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Parmesan Chicken Bites

These aren’t nuggets like you might think. And they aren’t crunchy because they aren’t fried. They have a light coating, with a great herb-and-butter flavor. They are very addicting.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken nuggets, Parmesan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 173kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breast halves boneless skinless, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • ½ cup bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ cup unsalted butter melted
  • Your favorite dipping sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.
  • Combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil and spread out in a pie plate.
  • Working in batches, dip the chicken pieces into the melted butter and shake off the excess. Roll in the breadcrumb mixture.
  • Place chicken on foil and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the thickest pieces are cooked.
  • Serve with your favorite chicken nugget dipping sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 425mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 393IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Pizza Pretzel Nuggets

I loved making simple little bites like these pizza pretzel nuggets. They took no time, little ingredients, and came out great. This recipe makes a decent-sized batch of snacks, enough for my wife to take to work and share with her co-workers. Every bite has a wonderful, light pizza flavor. You’ll think you’re biting into your favorite deep-dish pie. Just the right combination of pizza sauce, cheese, and yes, salty crunchiness.

Pizza Pretzel Nuggets

I left the red pepper flake out when I made these pizza pretzel nuggets since I didn’t know how that’d go over at my wife’s office, but for me, this dish could use a bit of spiciness. It’s great on it’s own, don’t get me wrong, but I’m always of the opinion that spicy is better.

Also check out my balsamic, cheddar, and spicy garlic ranch pretzel bites! They are all out-of-this-world good too! And my homemade pizza rolls are well worth the time they take to make.

Pizza Pretzel Nuggets
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Pizza Pretzel Nuggets

I loved making simple little bites like these pizza pretzel nuggets. They took no time, little ingredients, and came out great. 
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword pizza, pretzels
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 274kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 275ºF.
  • Line a large baking sheet with foil.
  • Place pretzel nuggets in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil and toss to coat.
  • Sprinkle the nuggets with the Parmesan, spaghetti seasoning and red pepper flake (if using). Toss to coat.
  • Spread pieces out evenly onto the foil and bake for 15 minutes.
  • Stir, and bake another 15 minutes.
  • Let cool before serving.
  • Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 653mg | Potassium: 9mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Chipotle Popcorn Chicken Bites

I love fried chicken, specially if it has been marinated in buttermilk. But, silly me, I’d never thought of adding chipotles in adobo to the marinade. These chipotle popcorn chicken bites are soooo good. They’re tender and tasty thanks to the buttermilk and they have a really nice kick to them thanks to the smoked jalapenos. Not too hot, but they definitely pack a little spiciness.

Chipotle Popcorn Chicken Bites

I served these little yummy chipotle popcorn chicken bites with your standard Ranch dressing for dipping. They’d also be great dunked my copycat Chick-fil-A sauce.

If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.

Also try my copycat of Popeye’s popcorn chicken bites!

Chipotle Popcorn Chicken Bites
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Chipotle Popcorn Chicken Bites

I love fried chicken, specially if it has been marinated in buttermilk. But, silly me, I’d never thought of adding chipotles in adobo to the marinade. 
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword popcorn chicken, spicy
Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 day 20 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 275kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place chicken into a bowl.
  • Add buttermilk and chipotles and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • Heat oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 350 F.
  • Working in batches, shake off excess marinade and fry chicken 2-3 minutes until done and golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt and pepper.
  • Serve with Ranch dressing for dipping.

Nutrition

Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 380mg | Potassium: 377mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1074IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Well, I’ll be. You could just knock me over with a feather. These little yummy homemade chicken nuggets taste even better than those little things you’d get at all of the fast food restaurants! The texture is exactly the same. So much so you’ll think you’re at a McDonald’s. They’re crazy addicting, that’s for sure.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

We really liked these homemade chicken nuggets. They were very flavorful and were almost like eating just-fried chicken bites. We served them with warmed Russ and Frank’s Sassy BBQ sauce and some homemade sweet-and-sour dipping sauce.

What else would go with these little yum-yums? Yeah, homemade McDonald’s fries. For a more ‘adult’ version, try my Parmesan chicken bites or my crazy-yummy blackened chicken fingers..

Copycat McDonald's Sweet and Sour Sauce
Print Pin
4 from 1 vote

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Well, I’ll be. You could just knock me over with a feather. These little yummy homemade chicken nuggets taste even better than those little things you’d get at all of the fast food restaurants! 
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken nuggets, homemade
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 423kcal

Ingredients

For the nuggets

For the egg wash

  • 2 eggs beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

For dredging

Instructions

  • Pour 2″ of oil into a skillet, deep fryer or Dutch oven. Heat to 350 F.
  • Place all of the nugget ingredients into a food processor and pulse until it is well combined and forms a paste. If you are using ground chicken, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
  • Place the egg wash into a pie pan.
  • In another pie pan place the dredging ingredients.
  • Roll the chicken into small balls (about the size of a big marble).
  • Roll the chicken around in the dredging mixture. Shake off any excess.
  • Roll the chicken around in the egg wash. Shake off any excess.
  • Roll the chicken around in the dredging mixture again. Shake off any excess and place on the parchment paper.
  • Using the back of a spoon, lightly press down on each chicken ball to flatten it out to form a nugget.
  • Working in batches, dip the nuggets in flour one more time. Shake off the excess and add to the oil.
  • Fry on each side about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
  • Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauces.

Nutrition

Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 173mg | Sodium: 1360mg | Potassium: 628mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 167IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.