Air Fryer Chicken Bites are the perfect chicken bite with a simple blend of seasonings. There is no breading, just a chicken bite that is “grilled” in the air fryer. These chicken bites make a healthy option for lunch or dinner.
Grilled Nuggets in the Air Fryer
These chicken bites are basically a grilled chicken nugget in the air fryer. There is no breading, just -perfectly seasoned chicken bites.
When I think of grilled chicken nuggets I basically think of a chicken nugget or chicken bite without breading-just chicken. And the good news is that no grill is needed – just an air fryer!
The air fryer is the perfect way to fry or cook food without frying it in oil. I love the air fryer because it cooks things fast and is a healthy alternative to frying food in oil.
The air fryer is the perfect way to cook these chicken bites so they taste grilled (without the breading).
So get out your air fryer to “grill” these tasty chicken bites!
Chicken
You will need about 1 pound of boneless chicken breasts. Cut them into bite sized pieces.
Next, place them in a zip top bag. You will pour the marinade in the zip top bag with the chicken so it can marinate in the fridge for a little bit.
The Marinade for Grilled Nuggets
The marinade for Air Fryer Grilled Chicken Nuggets is simple. All you need is a little Italian Dressing (any brand will work), some olive oil, paprika, black pepper and a bit of smoked paprika.
Mix up the seasonings in the Italian Dressing and olive oil. This makes the perfect marinade.
Adjust the seasonings to your liking.
If you don’t have smoked paprika you can use Dried Chipotle pepper seasoning (ground/powder seasoning), or liquid smoke. Keep the measurements the same.
NOTE: Sometimes I will add a little bit more smoked paprika depending on the brand of Italian Dressing. I have found some brands of Italian Dressing are a bit more “tangy” so I will add some more smoked paprika to balance out the flavor as needed. (This is optional – you don’t have to add more of any seasoning and the nuggets will be delicious!)
After you have made the marinade, you will pour it over the chicken in the zip top bag. Let the chicken pieces marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Cooking Air Fryer Chicken Bites
To cook the chicken bites you will need an air fryer. See above or below for the air fryer I have and love.
You will cook the chicken bites in the air fryer for about 8-10 minutes. Mine cook 8 minutes total.
Place the chicken bites in the air fryer.
Make sure the air fryer is not too full so the chicken can cook more evenly.
Cook the chicken bites in batches if needed. You will need to “shake” the basket of nuggets half way through air frying just to make sure they are evenly cooked.
NOTE: If your air fryer has racks or is an “oven” air fryer you can turn them by hand half way through cooking. If your air fryer has a rotating basket, just let it rotate as it cooks.
Check the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature needs to be 165 degrees F. If they are not quite to temperature, let them cook for another 2 minutes and check the temperature again.
Take the grilled chicken bites out of the air fryer when they are done.
NOTE: These chicken bites can be cooked in a pan/skillet on your stovetop with some olive oil over med-low heat. Turn them as they cook and make sure the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Serving Chicken Bites
We love to eat our grilled chicken bites with a good sauce. Dip these chicken bites in Chik-fil-a sauce, ranch dressing, bbq sauce, sweet and sour sauce, honey mustard sauce or any sauce you like.
Every chicken bite is juicy and perfect!
Other Ways to eat Air Fried Chicken Nuggets
These chicken bites can be added to pasta dishes; try my Easy Homemade Alfredo.
Add these bites to a salad like my Tex-Mex BBQ Chicken Salad, or to a sandwich wrap like my Oriental Chicken Wraps.
This air fryer chicken would be delicious added to a Chicken Caesar salad with my Homemade Caesar Dressing.
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Air Fryer Chicken Bites
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken breasts
Marinade
- 1/3 cup Italian Dressing *any brand- not “light” dressing
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil *canola or vegetable oil will work
- 1/2 tsp Paprika *or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper *ore more to taste
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika *see notes
Instructions
- Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces and place it in a zip top bag.
- Mix together the ingredients for your marinade. Adjust the seasonings to your liking. See notes for more about the smoked paprika.
- Pour the marinade into the zip top bag of chicken bites. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Place the chicken bites in your air fryer. Do not over crowd the air frying basket. You may have to cook them in batches. Cook the grilled chicken nuggets for 4 minutes at 350℉ to start. Shake the basket of chicken bites so they can move around a little bit. Then raise the air fryer temperature to 400℉ and cook for another 4-5 minutes. The chicken bites are done when the internal temperature reaches 165℉. Cook longer as needed.
- Serve the chicken bites with your favorite dipping sauce.See blog post above for some other ideas on how to use these chicken bites.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
