These hidden veggie chicken nuggets are designed with your veggie hater in mind. Quick and easy to make, they are delicious and you wouldn't know they contain 3 different veggies! Easy to make with the help of your food processor, they are freezer friendly too, either cooked or uncooked. A great way to smuggle veggies! Chicken nuggets with vegetables are a game changer.
Why you're going to love this recipe
These nuggets came about as I wanted to see how well I could hide veggies. I have to say, I have succeeded. It's the panko. It hides anything. And in the case of these, it makes them crunchy and anything crunchy always works better than anything not crunchy.
- chicken nugget exture thanks to the cauliflower
- hiding three veggies- broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
- crunchy exterior
- great for dipping- mayonnaise, tomato sauce or even bbq sauce work well and they help to hide the veggies!
- serve them with veggies, because then they won't expect that you are hiding veggies, you can fuss about getting them to eat the other veggies on the plate and they will just eat the nuggets!
- freezer friendly
- great with best ever sweet potato fries or even zucchini chippies.
What goes into the recipe
- chicken mince- go free range where you can! This is just breast mince, and it works perfectly.
- cauliflower- you're only using half of a head in this recipe, so use the other half in something like this Chorizo and Chicken Spanish Rice
- eggs one for binding and one for the coating
- panko crumbs- you could use normal bread crumbs, but with panko crumbs readily available in most supermarkets, they are the best ones to use! If you can't find them in the normal bread crumb area, try the "asian" section of the supermarket.
How to make this recipe
- First, grate the carrots, floret the broccoli and cauliflower. (Images 1,2,3)
- Combine the chicken mince, grated carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and egg in the bowl of a food processor. (Image 4)
- Process until smooth (Image 5)
- Combine the egg and water in a jug and whisk to combine (Images 6,7)
- Grab tablespoonfuls of the mixture and form into nugget shapes with wet hands. (Image 8)
- Coat in the flour (Image 9)
- Then dip in the egg mix (Image 10)
- Finally coat in the panko crumbs and place on a lined baking tray (Images 11 and 12)
- Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake at 180º celsius (355F) for 40 minutes. Turn after 20 minutes and drizzle with a little extra olive oil if needed, then return to the oven for a further 20 minutes. (Image 13 and 14)
- Serve with the sauce of your choice (Image 15)
Air fryer cooking
Want to make these in the air fryer? It's super simple, they take about 20 minutes, and will need to be turned at the halfway point. The cooking time will depend on your air fryer. I set mine at 200 degrees celsius.
Expert Tips and FAQs
By definition, I don't spend much time hiding veggies, my kids are used to eating them and don't refuse them. So I originally made these just for my readers, but in all honesty, we do have them too, and we might as well, because any veggies that get eaten are good veggies! If you're smuggling veggies because your kids won't eat them, one way to try encouraging them is to grow your own veggies!
Yes! They can be frozen before cooking, and then can go straight into the oven or airfryer for cooking. They can also be frozen after cooking and can be defrosted to serve cold, or warmed up for eating.
I never have, because they all add something to it. The carrots help maintain the chicken colour, the cauliflower helps with texture and the broccoli is a must have in everything! If you are going to swap the veggies, it's going to take some trial and error, but give it a go and let me know!
More nugget ideas
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Hidden Veggie Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
Filling
- 500 grams chicken mince
- 1 egg
- ½ head caulifower chopped into florets
- ½ head broccoli
- 2 carrots grated
Coating
- 1 egg lightly whisked with ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup plain flour
- 1.5 cups panko crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees. (355F)
- Combine the mince, egg, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots into a food processor.
- Process until smooth and like a dough.
- With wet hands, form tablespoonfuls into nugget shapes.
- Coat in flour, then dip into the egg water then coat in the panko crumbs.
- Space them out on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees celsius, then flip and bake for a further 20 minutes. (355F)
Notes
Recipe video
Nutrition
Originally published in 2016, this post has been fully republished with new photos, process shots, FAQs and video in 2021.
Paige says
Can I freeze them raw and then cook from frozen. Like regularly chicken nuggets?
Kylie says
yes, you can!
Naisy says
Thanks for the recipe, do you know if it freezes well (raw)? Thanks 😊
Kylie says
I freeze them and then reheat in the oven.
Indianna says
Hey how come you mix the egg with water?
Kylie says
Just to make it thinner and to coat it easier.
Kylie says
So that I don't use 6 eggs! 😉
Cortney McDonald says
What sauce did you use in the photo? Do you have the recipe for that?
Kylie says
It's just mayonnaise! I make my own- egg, dijon mustard and oil...and blitz.
C says
I'm in the US and we don't have chicken mince here. Is it raw or cooked? Thank! This recipe looks great!
Kylie says
Chicken mince is uncooked raw chicken, basically ground chicken. 😉
Maxabella says
These look really good, Kylie. I'm adding them to the meal plan for next week. Great in lunch boxes too!!
Kylie says
They are so sneaky Bron! If you serve them for dinner, serve them with veggies, because then they won't suspect anything!