20 Healthy Meals to Make with Frozen Chicken Nuggets

I might be the world’s biggest fan of frozen lightly breaded chicken breast bites. I’ve tried every version from every store both baked and air fried. I’ve used them to make everything from chicken parm sandwiches and chicken caesar wraps to honey sesame chicken and breakfast burritos.

And in this post, you’ll find all my creations using frozen chicken nuggets in one place. Just keep scrolling and get ready for the ideas to flow.

kirkland signature lightly breaded chicken breast chunks, just bare chicken breast chunks, and tyson lightly breaded chicken bites

One quick note before you get to the recipes. My two favorite frozen chicken breast nuggets are Kirkland and Just Bare. Perdue Farms also makes a completely baked nuggets product that’s quite good, and it might be the only option that doesn’t set the breading by frying.

The recipes below work with any frozen chicken bites. Most call for air frying, but there are a few that bake the chicken alongside veggies on a sheet pan. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Take a look for yourself!

1. Firecracker Chicken and Broccoli

sheet pan baked chicken nuggets and broccoli florets with firecracker sauce in a rice bowl garnished with green onions

An easy sheet pan recipe for roasted broccoli and crispy baked chicken nuggets with a sweet and spicy firecracker sauce. This combo makes great rice bowls with sliced green onion and toasted sesame seeds.

Calories: 475
Protein: 33g
Carbs: 61g
Fat: 12g

Recipe: Firecracker Chicken Nuggets and Broccoli

2. Chicken Caesar Wraps

chicken caesar wraps in a bowl with a cup of low calorie caesar dressing

Chopped chicken nuggets and romaine lettuce, light caesar dressing, crunchy parmesan crisps, and shaved parmesan are wrapped in high fiber tortillas.

Calories: 305
Protein: 27g
Carbs: 31g
Fat: 14g

Recipe: High Protein Chicken Caesar Wraps

3. Bang Bang Chicken and Brussels Sprouts

baked chicken nuggets and brussels sprouts with bang bang sauce and jasmine rice

Frozen chicken bites and brussels sprouts are baked together on sheet pans then finished in a low calorie bang bang sauce. Served over rice with green onions and toasted sesame seeds, this combo makes amazing protein bowls.

Calories: 310
Protein: 25g
Carbs: 26g
Fat: 14g

Recipe: Bang Bang Chicken Nuggets and Brussels Sprouts

4. Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches

two chicken parm sandwiches garnished with basil pesto and Calabrian chili peppers

Frozen chicken nuggets make surprisingly great chicken parm, and these sandwiches are the perfect example. Air fried nuggets are stuffed inside sandwich rolls, topped with marinara and cheese, and finished right in the air fryer.

Calories: 670
Protein: 50g
Carbs: 59g
Fat: 26g

Recipe: Air Fried Chicken Parm Sandwiches

5. Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

serving a slice of lasagna out of a baking dish with a wooden spatula

Layers of chopped chicken nuggets, blended cottage cheese alfredo, lasagna noodles, and cheese. So creamy, cheesy, and rich for a high protein lasagna.

Calories: 500
Protein: 43g
Carbs: 31g
Fat: 24g

Recipe: Protein Packed Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

6. High Protein Dynamite Chicken

eating sauced chicken nuggets with chop sticks

A 5-ingredient recipe for air fried nuggets tossed in a low calorie sauce that’s creamy, tangy, sweet, and spicy. Great for snacking or making protein bowls with rice and roasted veggies.

Calories: 230
Protein: 22g
Carbs: 15g
Fat: 10g

Recipe: Dynamite Chicken Nuggets

7. Crispy Chicken Breakfast Burritos

chicken breakfast burrito on a cutting board sliced in half

Frozen chicken nuggets are baked on a sheet pan alongside frozen hash browns then wrapped in flour tortillas with cheese and scrambled eggs before toasting in a pan until golden brown.

Calories: 365
Protein: 25g
Carbs: 31g
Fat: 16g

Recipe: Chicken Breakfast Burritos

8. Crunchy Buffalo Ranch Chicken Wraps

buffalo ranch chicken nuggets wrap sliced in half on a cutting board

Creamy buffalo ranch coleslaw, leafy greens, cheese, and chopped air fried chicken nuggets are wrapped in tortillas or flatbreads.

Calories: 400
Protein: 40g
Carbs: 50g
Fat: 17g

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Nuggets Wraps

9. Chicken Flatbread Pizza

picking up a slice of chicken flatbread pizza

Chopped nuggets are tossed in a Calabrian chili pepper, balsamic, and honey sauce then baked on a flatbread with fresh mozzarella cheese.

Calories: 395
Protein: 32g
Carbs: 35g
Fat: 16g

Recipe: Calabrian Chicken Flatbread Pizza

10. Not-So-Fried Chicken Tacos

cheese crusted tortilla topped with chopped chicken nuggets, pickle de gallo, and ranch

Think: fried chicken tacos without all the calories. Chopped chicken nuggets on cheese crusted tortillas with pickle de gallo and low calorie ranch.

Calories: 275
Protein: 19g
Carbs: 22g
Fat: 13g

Recipe: High Protein Baked Chicken Tacos

11. Korean BBQ Chicken Tacos

chicken nuggets with Korean bbq sauce on cheese crusted tortillas with pickle de gallo and gochujang mayo drizzle

Crispy chopped chicken is tossed in a homemade gochujang BBQ sauce and served on cheese crusted tortillas.

Calories: 310
Protein: 21g
Carbs: 32g
Fat: 11g

Recipe: Crispy Korean Chicken Tacos

12. Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

pesto pasta topped with chopped chicken nuggets

Protein pasta and creamy blended cottage cheese pesto, crispy baked and chopped chicken nuggets, parmesan, and pistachios.

Calories: 420
Protein: 30g
Carbs: 46g
Fat: 14g

Recipe: Creamy Pesto Cottage Cheese Pasta

13. Honey Chipotle Chicken Sandwiches

drizzling honey over a honey chipotle chicken sandwich

Homemade sticky sweet and spicy honey chipotle sauce is perfect for coating air fried or baked chicken nuggets. This recipe sandwiches the sauced chicken inside a toasted baguette with low calorie ranch spread, pickle de gallo, and a honey drizzle.

Calories: 495
Protein: 32g
Carbs: 75g
Fat: 9g

Recipe: Honey Chipotle Chicken Sandwiches

14. Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos

three chicken tacos on a sheet pan with guacamole, queso fresco, and pickled onions

The same honey chipotle sauce makes amazing chicken tacos when combined with warmed tortillas, guacamole, pickled onions, and queso fresco.

Calories: 350
Protein: 23g
Carbs: 42g
Fat: 11g

Recipe: Air Fried Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos

15. Honey Chipotle Chicken Bites

honey chipotle chicken nuggets in a bowl

Tacos and sandwiches are great, but there’s nothing wrong with serving the honey chipotle chicken on their own with fries or other appetizers.

Calories: 250
Protein: 22g
Carbs: 30g
Fat: 7g

Recipe: Honey Chipotle Crispy Chicken Bites

16. Black Pepper Chicken and Peppers

air fried chicken nuggets and bell peppers with black pepper sauce and sticky rice

Air fried nuggets and bell peppers are tossed in an umami black pepper sauce. Perfect for making rice bowls.

Calories: 265
Protein: 24g
Carbs: 27g
Fat: 8g

Recipe: Air Fryer Black Pepper Chicken

17. Chicken and Waffles

protein waffles topped with air fried chicken nuggets, butter, and syrup

What better way to add more protein to protein waffles than topping with air fried or baked chicken nuggets? And my 3-ingredient protein pancake mix in this recipe makes high protein waffles a breeze.

Calories: 380
Protein: 36g
Carbs: 40g
Fat: 8g

Recipe: High Protein Chicken and Waffles

18. Buffalo Chicken and Cauliflower Bowls

drizzling ranch over a buffalo chicken nuggets and roasted cauliflower power bowl

Sheet pan crispy buffalo chicken nuggets and ranch roasted cauliflower are served with mixed greens, fresh veggies, low calorie ranch, and blue cheese crumbles.

Calories: 465
Protein: 42g
Carbs: 39g
Fat: 18g

Recipe: Sheet Pan Chicken and Cauliflower Bowls

19. Sweet and Sour Chicken Nuggets

holding a rice bowl with sweet n sour chicken nuggets

Air fried frozen chicken nuggets, bell pepper, and onion are tossed with a low calorie sweet and sour sauce and served with rice.

Calories: 200
Protein: 15g
Carbs: 22g
Fat: 6g

Recipe: Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken

20. Buffalo Chicken Pasta

a bowl of buffalo chicken nuggets pasta topped with green onion and bleu cheese crumbles

Chickpea pasta, buffalo pasta sauce, blue cheese crumbles, and chicken bites make a great high protein pasta option.

Calories: 320
Protein: 24g
Carbs: 29g
Fat: 12g

Recipe: Easy Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Final Thoughts

I hope this post inspires you to get creative with frozen chicken nuggets. You can easily customize the frameworks like sheet pan nuggets plus a veggie, tacos, sandwiches, and stir fries with your own sauces and pairings. Let me know in the comments if you have an idea or recipe you’d like to share.

And if you’re a fan of this roundup and easy high protein meals, be sure to check out my collections of high protein rotisserie chicken recipes or protein bowls next.