If you’re new to air frying or interested in checking out, it can be overwhelming. There are dozens of models to choose from and the internet is raining recipes. When people ask me what my favorite thing to make in the air fryer is, it’s a tough call to make, but I always come back to CHICKEN NUGGETS.

Type “air fryer chicken nuggets” into Pinterest and you’ll be overwhelmed by the number of recipe options. If you are starting from square one, how do you pick a recipe out of the 651,862,109 available? For me, I usually pick recipes based on a) ingredients I have available, and b) ingredients my belly can tolerate.

That’s why my favorite recipe so far is from rachelpaulsfood.com, a website/blog dedicated to low FODMAP products and recipes. No clue what low FODMAP means? Read my low FODMAP diet post to learn more. This recipe is not even one that was designed for the air fryer, but I knew the nuggies would crisp up really well in there. Almost any food that is designed to be pan-fried with oil crisps up perfectly in an air fryer using LESS oil. Plus, less mess and less of a hassle. Wins all around. If you don’t have an air fryer, no problem – the original recipe was designed to cook on the stove top.

I almost crumbled to the ground when I ate my first air fryer chicken nugget using this recipe. This is the best chicken nugget I’ve ever had.

*GASPS FROM THE CROWD*

Chick-fil-a fans and Wendy’s lovers are laughing as they read this. But I swear if they gave them a try, they would agree. If you are gluten-free or dairy-free, you’re in luck – you can enjoy these, too!

I’ve realized that the key to this recipe is the low FODMAP “buttermilk” (3/4 cup lactose-free milk and 1 tbsp vinegar). I use regular milk since I can tolerate moderate amounts and apple cider vinegar if I don’t have white vinegar on hand. The recipe has you dip the chicken pieces in a buttermilk/egg mixture, then into the almond flour/spice mixture to coat. However, I marinate the chicken in the buttermilk/egg mixture for at least an hour first, and I find that this makes the chicken INCREDIBLY tender. If you don’t have an extra hour, no big deal, but if you do, DO IT! You won’t regret it.

After all the coating steps, instead of pan frying them, pop them in the air fryer. Don’t crowd the basket – you may need to cook in batches. Alternatively, use a double layer rack to avoid crowding and cook more food at once. Each air fryer is different, so your nuggies may take more or less time, but start with 8 minutes at 350 degrees and go from there.

Other Options/Ingredient Alternatives

If you are wondering where the heck to find almond flour or you just don’t feel like using that, use panko bread crumbs or Italian breadcrumbs instead. I’ve done both ways and they are all great. If I could tolerate garlic, I would absolutely sprinkle some garlic powder into the spice blend for even more flavor.

Too lazy to chop up your chicken into tiny nuggets? No problem. Get those chicken tenderloins from the grocery store and follow the same process. Hello, perfect chicken tendies.

These nuggies are great by themselves, but I also love throwing them in pasta, on salads, or even chopping them up for quesadillas, nachos, or tacos. NUGGIES EVERYWHERE, PLEASE.

Want more chicken recipes for the air fryer? Make sure to check out my Air Fryer Chicken Pinterest Board!