Veggie-Loaded Baked Chicken Nuggets
Serves: 24 nuggets
Recipe by: Luka from Boob To Food
I think it’s safe to say—these are the kind of nuggets the whole family will find moooorish. Packed with veggies, baked until golden and crisp, and freezer-friendly, they’re a great way to boost nutrition without sacrificing on taste. Perfect for little hands and grown-up appetites alike.
I love using Harris Farm’s Imperfect Picks for meals like this, since the veggies are being blitzed up anyway, it’s a brilliant way to reduce food waste and save money.
Whether you're serving them up for dinner with a side salad or stashing some away for easy lunchbox wins, these nuggets are a weeknight winner.
A gentle note: At Boob to Food, we don’t usually recommend hiding veggies—but that doesn’t mean you can’t boost meals like this with added nutrition. It’s important to continue offering vegetables in their whole form so your little one gets familiar with their look, texture, and taste. But adding them into meals like this is a great alongside strategy—not a replacement. For more support on helping your child learn to love vegetables (without pressure!), check out our book Toddler to Table.
Serve with: your favourite dip—think aioli, hummus, or a simple dollop of whole-egg mayo. Great alongside a salad, steamed veg, or mashed sweet potato.
Age recommendation: Suitable from 12+ months
Ingredients
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1 cup snap frozen peas, defrosted
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2 carrots, grated
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1 zucchini, grated (squeeze out excess water)
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500g chicken mince
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2 eggs
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1 tsp salt
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1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
For the crumb:
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220g panko crumbs
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¾ cup spelt or whole wheat flour
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3 eggs, whisked
Method
- Preheat your oven to 190°C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Spread panko crumbs over the tray and bake for 5 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and pour into a bowl for crumbing later—you can reuse the tray and paper for the nuggets.
- In a food processor, blend the peas, carrot, zucchini, eggs, salt, and garlic powder (if using) until well combined. Tip the mixture into a bowl and gently fold through the chicken mince—this keeps the texture nice and tender.
- Form the mixture into nugget shapes using about 1 heaped tablespoon per nugget (makes around 24).
- Set up a crumbing station with flour on one plate, whisked eggs in a bowl, and panko crumbs in another bowl.
- Dip each nugget into the flour, then egg, and finally coat in the toasted panko crumbs. Place each nugget onto your prepared baking tray. Brush or spray with olive oil.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until golden, crispy, and cooked through.
Freezer: Freeze once cooled, either raw or cooked. To reheat, bake straight from frozen at 180°C for 20–25 minutes or until heated through.
Ingredient Swaps & Tips
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Chicken mince → You could use turkey mince or even firm tofu for a vegetarian option (although texture may vary slightly).
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Panko crumbs → Swap for breadcrumbs.
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Spelt/whole wheat flour → Sub for oat flour, buckwheat flour, or a GF blend if needed.
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Garlic powder → Optional, but you could also add a pinch of onion powder or dried herbs like oregano for extra flavour.
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Veggies → This recipe is super forgiving. You can try adding corn, finely chopped spinach, cooked pumpkin, or even grated beetroot. Just make sure to squeeze out excess liquid from watery veg like zucchini or spinach.
