Check out my recipe for making Ninja Foodi Grill BBQ Chicken Nuggets using the grill function!
Chicken nuggets are so incredibly popular. But, if you’re like me, you kind of wonder what’s inside frozen chicken nuggets when you are eating them. Making your own chicken nuggets at home helps to ensure that you are eating…chicken…and nothing else! This recipe is for BBQ chicken nuggets that have been grilled using the Ninja Foodi Grill. There is no breading or any unknown ingredients.
This recipe was made using the Ninja® Foodi® Smart XL Pro Grill & Griddle, but any Ninja Foodi Grill can be used for this recipe.
I like to buy boneless skinless chicken breasts when they go on sale at the grocery store. I usually will buy them in bulk and then come home and package one or two breasts in a freezer bag and throw them in the freezer until I’m ready to use them. Separating the chicken out into smaller packages before freezing helps make dinner planning (or lack thereof) much easier!
I almost always buy boneless skinless chicken breasts. But, if you prefer you can use thighs for this recipe, just make sure that they are boneless and measure the temperature with the probe or instant-read thermometer.
While you can bake or roast chicken nuggets on a pan in the oven, I find that grilling them adds so much flavor and texture. THe bbq sauce carmelizes nicely and adds a bit of a crispy texture to the perfectly tender and juicy chicken “nuggets.” If you don’t want to use bbq sauce, you can use any other sauce that you would like. You could even switch things up and add teriyaki sauce or soy sauce to add a totally different flavor!
Tips for making Ninja Foodi Grill BBQ Chicken Nuggets
Traditional chicken nuggets that are frozen and breaded, cook up really nicely if you air fry them. For air fryer chicken nuggets, just add the nuggets to the air fryer basket, lightly spray the nuggets, and air crisp until hot and crispy. For bbq chicken nuggets, using fresh chicken, the grill function is the best option if you are using an indoor grill!
Whenever you are grilling chicken, you need to use a probe or thermometer to check for the internal temperature. Because chicken varies in size and thickness, there is no rule of how long you should cook chicken. Instead, cook chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Serve chicken nuggets with mac and cheese, french fries, potato salad, green beans, corn on the cob, or any of your favorite side dishes! BBQ chicken nuggets are really good on top of a salad or in a wrap too!
Yes! Preheating is important! If you don’t preheat the grill, you will be cooking on a cold surface. Make sure that you fully preheat the grill before adding food. If you don’t preheat, you won’t get any grill marks and the food will not have the grilled flavor that we are going for.
Usually, if the Ninja Foodi Grill is producing a lot of smoke, it’s because something is burning. In most cases, there is something on the grill that has a higher sugar content like bbq sauce or a low smoke point oil or butter. While there is a fan inside of the unit to help with this, it’s best to avoid adding high-sugar or low-smoke oils until the very end of the cooking cycle. For example, when making chicken wings, if you add the sauce at the beginning of the cooking time, the sauce will burn and produce a lot of smoke. If you wait until the very end to coat the wings, less smoke will be produced because the sauce is cooking for a shorter period of time.
Yes! You can. Just be careful what you are using in the marinade as you don’t want it to burn on the grill. Things like brown sugar and honey should be avoided as they will burn quickly on the grill. To marinate chicken nuggets add all your marinade spices to a medium bowl and cover for anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours in the refrigerator. When ready to grill, remove the chicken from the bowl and grill as directed.
Looking for more Ninja Foodi Grill Recipes? Check out all of our grill recipes here!
Ninja Foodi Grill Hard Boiled Eggs
Ninja Foodi Grill Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Croissant Sandwiches
What you’ll need to make Ninja Foodi Grill BBQ Chicken Nuggets:
Ingredient substitutions and tips for making Ninja Foodi Grill BBQ Chicken Nuggets:
The full ingredient list is found at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Chicken Breasts- I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I cut them into 1-inch chunks before cooking. To save time, you can use raw chicken tenders and cut them into smaller pieces. If preferred, you can use chicken thighs- just make sure they are boneless. The cooking time may vary if using different cuts of chicken. Use the probe or instant-read meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is cooked throughout.
Salt and Black Pepper- I prefer to freshly grind both my salt and pepper, but you can use whatever kind you have on hand. Also, you can use flavored seasoning salts to add more flavor.
Avocado Oil- Any oil that is non-aerosol and that does not contain lecithin can be used. Olive Oil or canola oil are good substitutes and are easily found in non-aerosol form at the grocery store.
Barbeque Sauce- Choose your favorite barbecue sauce. I usually have Sweet Baby Ray’s in the pantry, but you can use any type of bbq sauce that you would like…even homemade! There are so many varieties of bbq sauces out there. Choose from sweet and spicy, tangy, or even honey bbq sauce.
Steps for making Ninja Foodi Grill BBQ Chicken Nuggets:
Directions for making Ninja Foodi Grill BBQ Chicken Nuggets:
1. Cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes and season with salt and pepper.
Using the Smart Ninja Foodi Grill
1. Turn the Ninja Foodi Grill “ON.”
2. If you have the Smart Ninja Foodi Grill, insert the probe into a piece of the chicken and choose the “GRILL” option. Push the “PRESET” button and turn the dial until it reads “CHICKEN.” Press “DONENESS” and turn the dial until it reads “WELL.”
3. Push “START” and close the lid. The Ninja Foodi Grill will start to “PREHEAT.”
4. Once preheated and the grill says “ADD FOOD,” open the lid and lightly spray the grill plate with avocado oil.
5. Add the chicken. Since the chicken is cut into small pieces, it will cook quickly and will be flipped quickly. For this reason, I leave the lid open while cooking.
6. After about 4 minutes, or when the Ninja Foodi Grill says “FLIP” (whichever is sooner), flip the chicken.
7. Cook for about 3 minutes and then brush with sauce. Once the sauce is added, flip the chicken several times to fully coat all sides of the chicken. Continue to cook until the Ninja Foodi Grill says “GET FOOD.” Plate chicken and serve with barbeque sauce to dip in.
Using an Instant Read Thermometer
1. Turn the Ninja Foodi Grill “ON.”
2. If your grill does not have the Smart feature, push the “FUNCTION” option and turn the dial until it is on “GRILL.” Push the”TEMP” button and choose “HIGH.” Push the “TIME” button and choose 8 minutes.
3. Push “START” and close the lid. The Ninja Foodi Grill will start to “PREHEAT.”
4. Once preheated and the grill says “ADD FOOD,” open the lid and lightly spray the grill plate with avocado oil.
5. Add the chicken. Since the chicken is cut into small pieces, it will cook quickly and will be flipped quickly. For this reason, I leave the lid open while cooking.
6. Flip the chicken after 4 minutes.
7. Cook for about 3 minutes and then add sauce. Once the sauce is added, flip the chicken several times to fully coat all sides of the chicken. Continue to cook until the internal temperature of the chicken is at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Plate chicken and serve with barbeque sauce to dip in.
Pin Ninja Foodi Grill BBQ Chicken Nuggets on Pinterest:
Recipe
Ninja Foodi Grill BBQ Chicken Nuggets
Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts (Large-Boneless and Skinless- Cut into 1 inch cubes)
- Pinch Salt
- Pinch Pepper
- Avocado Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Barbeque Sauce
Instructions
- Cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes and season with salt and pepper.
Using the Smart Ninja Foodi Grill
- Turn the Ninja Foodi Grill "ON."
- If you have the Smart Ninja Foodi Grill, insert the probe into a piece of the chicken and choose the "GRILL" option. Push the "PRESET" button and turn the dial until it reads "CHICKEN." Press "DONENESS" and turn the dial until it reads "WELL."
- Push "START" and close the lid. The Ninja Foodi Grill will start to "PREHEAT."
- Once preheated and the grill says "ADD FOOD," open the lid and lightly spray the grill plate with avocado oil.
- Add the chicken. Since the chicken is cut into small pieces, it will cook quickly and will be flipped quickly. For this reason, I leave the lid open while cooking.
- After about 4 minutes, or when the Ninja Foodi Grill says "FLIP" (whichever is sooner), flip the chicken.
- Cook for about 3 minutes and then add sauce. Once the sauce is added, flip the chicken several times to fully coat all sides of the chicken. Continue to cook until the Ninja Foodi Grill says "GET FOOD." Plate chicken and serve with barbeque sauce to dip in.
Using an Instant Read Thermometer
- Turn the Ninja Foodi Grill "ON."
- If your grill does not have the Smart feature, push the "FUNCTION" option and turn the dial until it is on "GRILL." Push the"TEMP" button and choose "HIGH." Push the "TIME" button and choose 8 minutes.
- Push "START" and close the lid. The Ninja Foodi Grill will start to "PREHEAT."
- Once preheated and the grill says "ADD FOOD," open the lid and lightly spray the grill plate with avocado oil.
- Add the chicken. Since the chicken is cut into small pieces, it will cook quickly and will be flipped quickly. For this reason, I leave the lid open while cooking.
- Flip the chicken after 4 minutes.
- Cook for about 3 minutes and then add sauce. Once the sauce is added, flip the chicken several times to fully coat all sides of the chicken. Continue to cook until the internal temperature of the chicken is at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Plate chicken and serve with barbeque sauce to dip in.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only.
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
Keep scrolling to see my newest recipes!
Ninja Creami Blueberry Coconut Frozen Yogurt
↓ Jump to RecipePrint Recipe I LOVE blueberry and coconut flavored things! They are each really good on their own, but together they are the perfect combination of flavors. My recipe for Ninja Creami blueberry coconut frozen yogurt is the perfect combination of flavors with just the right amount of blueberries and shredded coconut added in for texture. This is a super easy recipe to make, thanks to flavored yogurts! The number of yogurt flavors readily available at the grocery store has skyrocketed in the past few years. Blueberry and coconut flavored yogurts make this a super easy recipe to […]
Ninja Creami Cranberry Orange Sorbet-Low Calorie
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Did you know that you can make sorbet out of cranberry sauce in the Ninja Creami ice cream machine? Well, you can and it’s super easy to do and tastes amazing. I used canned cranberry sauce, but you could very easily use homemade cranberry sauce leftover from the holidays. This recipe comes in at 278 calories, 1 gram of protein, 56 grams of sugar, 120 carbs, 70 grams of net carbs and 0.2 grams fat. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts. You can’t have Thanksgiving dinner without […]
Ninja Creami Maple Bacon Protein Ice Cream
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Bacon makes everything better! That goes for Ninja Creami ice cream too! If you love bacon as much as I do, you have to try my recipe for making Maple Bacon ice cream in the Ninja Creami ice cream maker! It’s sweet, it’s savory, it has a creamy texture, and it even has extra protein added in. This recipe comes in at 643 calories, 35 grams of protein, 61 grams of sugar, 21 grams of fat, 98 carbs, 88 net carbs (total carbs-allulose) for the ENTIRE pint. See the recipe card at the bottom of […]
Ninja Creami Butterfinger Ice Cream
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe If you like Butterfingers, you’re going to love my recipe for making Butterfinger ice cream in the Ninja Creami ice cream maker. It’s super creamy with the perfect amount of crunch. The rich vanilla base goes really well with the peanut butter and chocolate flavored flaky, crunch, candy pieces. Why does everyone love Butterfinger candy bars so much? Yes, Butterfingers taste great. They combine the flavors of peanut butter and chocolate. You can’t go wrong with that flavor combination! But, I think the texture sets them apart from just about every other candy bar […]
Ninja Creami White Chocolate Peppermint Low Calorie Ice Cream
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe White chocolate peppermint ice cream makes me think of the colder winter months….but it can be eaten all year round! To add to the peppermint flavor and provide a bunch of little crunchy bits, I used starlight mints. But, if you want to make it a little more festive, use candy canes during the winter holidays. This recipe comes in at 285 calories, 9 grams of protein, 29 grams of sugar, 96 carbs, 46 grams of net carbs and 7 grams fat. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition […]
The BEST Ninja Creami LOW CALORIE Recipes
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Check out my favorite LOW CALORIE Ninja Creami Ice Cream Recipes! If you’re new to the Ninja Creami ice cream maker, or craving something new, I’ve got you covered! Eating low calorie doesn’t have to be hard. The good news is you can still have delicious, creamy, thick ice cream, while sticking to a low calorie diet. I’ve perfected some basic recipes like vanilla and chocolate low calorie ice cream but have also created more complex recipes like chocolate brownie, birthday cake, pumpkin pecan, peanut banana crunch, blueberry cheesecake frozen yogurt, and cherry almond […]
Ninja Creami Jamoca Almond Fudge Protein Ice Cream
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Jamoca Almond Fudge is a really popular ice cream from Baskin Robbins. It’s basically a coffee flavored ice cream with ribbons of fudge and pieces of almonds, mixed throughout. Even though you can’t really make fudge ribbons, you can make something pretty similar at home, using your Ninja Creami ice cream machine. This recipe comes in at 340 calories, 32 grams of protein, 1 gram of sugar, 37 carbs, and 18 fat. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts. Jamoca Almond Fudge ice cream is the perfect combination of […]
Ninja Creami Blueberries and Sweet Cream Ice Cream
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe I absolutely LOVE all things blueberry! I can’t get enough of them. I find myself coming up with new Ninja Creami ice cream maker blueberry recipes all the time! My Ninja Creami blueberries and sweet cream recipe is super easy to make, doesn’t have a bunch of ingredients, and is so delicious! Blueberry ice cream isn’t super popular at the grocery store, but you can make it at home using the Ninja Creami. The flavor is great, and the texture is so so smooth and creamy! I make blueberry ice cream all the time. […]
Ninja Creami Chocolate Sorbet-Low Calorie
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Have you ever had chocolate sorbet? It’s super thick, super creamy, and super chocolatey, dairy-free, sugar-free, and fantastic tasting! You can even make it in your Ninja Creami ice cream maker! With just 4 simple ingredients (plus water), you’ll be adding this recipe to your regular rotation in no time! This recipe comes in at 55 calories, 20 sugar, 117 carbs, and 17 net carbs (total carbs-allulose) for the ENTIRE pint. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts. While I’d like to say that I created the idea […]
Ninja Creami Rocky Road Protein Ice Cream
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe I absolutely love rocky road ice cream! But, the chocolate ice cream has to be super chocolatey! I made the perfect, super chocolatey, rocky road protein ice cream using my Ninja Creami ice cream maker. It’s soooo good! This recipe comes in at 342 calories, 30 grams of protein, 18 grams of sugar, 64 carbs, and 12 fat. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts. Adding protein to Ninja Creami ice cream isn’t hard. You can use protein powder (in this case, I used unflavored Whey protein powder) […]
Ninja Creami Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream-Low Calorie
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe If you love pumpkin spice flavored things, you’ve got to try my recipe for making a low calorie treat in the Ninja Creami ice cream maker! Since the recipe doesn’t actually use pumpkin pie, the ingredients are easy to find year round (not just during the Fall season), which means you can have pumpkin pecan ice cream anytime you want to! This recipe comes in at 265 calories, 12 protein, 20 sugar, 77 carbs, and 27 net carbs (total carbs-allulose). See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts. […]
Ninja Creami Espresso Sorbet-Low Calorie
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Get ready to have the creamiest, smoothest, richest espresso sorbet with the best consistency ever! The Ninja Creami ice cream maker turns just 4 simple ingredients into a thick and creamy Espresso sorbet with only 2 calories in the ENTIRE pint! It’s even dairy-free! This recipe comes in at 2 calories, 67 carbs, and 0.0 net carbs (total carbs-allulose). See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts. I made this recipe as an experiment and had low hopes that it would turn out anything but icy. Well, I […]
Ninja Creami Peaches and Cream Protein Frozen Yogurt
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Use fresh peaches to make protein packed frozen yogurt in the Ninja Creami ice cream maker. The Ninja Creami is a game changer and lets you take ingredients like peaches and turn them into a high protein frozen treat with a creamy texture and a whopping 39 grams of protein for the entire pint! This recipe comes in at 356 calories, 39 grams of protein, 29 grams of sugar, 11 WW points, 57 carbs, and 5 fat. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts. To help make your […]
Ninja Creami Butter Pecan Protein Ice Cream
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Butter pecan ice cream is one of the most popular ice cream flavors found at an ice cream shop. It really is the perfect dessert! Traditionally, butter pecan ice cream is a bit higher in fat and calories than some would like. But, don’t worry about that! With the Ninja Creami machine you can turn just about anything into ice cream! To help reduce the calories and fat content, while increasing the protein, this recipe uses unflavored protein powder. This recipe comes in at 345 calories, 27 grams of protein, 8 grams of sugar, 9 […]
Ninja Creami Pistachio Protein Ice Cream
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Pistachio ice cream has become very popular over the last several years and it’s really easy to make it at home with the Ninja Creami ice cream maker. To make homemade pistachio ice cream I’ve used instant pudding mix and almond extract to achieve the pistachio flavor for the ice cream. This recipe comes in at 323 calories, 33 grams of protein, 6 grams of sugar, 8 WW points, 22 carbs, and 11 fat. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts. Adding protein to your ice cream […]
Ninja Creami Peaches and Cream Oatmeal Frozen Yogurt
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Did you know that you can use the Ninja Creami machine to make breakfast? Well, you can! I’ll show you how to turn simple ingredients like oatmeal and yogurt into the best, creamy, delicious breakfast sweet treat using your Ninja Creami ice cream maker! Yes…you read that right…it’s ice cream made out of yogurt and oatmeal! Usually when you think of making traditional ice cream, you don’t think of making breakfast ice cream. But, why not? Using oatmeal and yogurt in the recipe is a healthier alternative to regular ice cream made with a […]
Ninja Creami Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Ninja Creami Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream combines all of the things that we love about cheesecake with creamy and delicious ice cream. I’ll show you how to make homemade ice cream that tastes like strawberry cheesecake using instant pudding powder and your Ninja Creami. The Ninja Creami ice cream maker does a great job of creating super smooth and creamy ice creams out of just about anything! There’s a couple of different ways you can create Ninja Creami cheesecake ice cream. One is by adding cottage cheese (don’t worry, it doesn’t taste like or […]
Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro Spaghetti
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Making spaghetti in the Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro couldn’t be easier! And…you can make everything all in one pot! I’ll show you how to make delicious, super easy to make, one pot spaghetti (or any long pasta) using the Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro. It only uses 3 ingredients!! Making spaghetti isn’t hard. It’s even easier to make if you use jarred sauce. That’s right…I used jarred spaghetti sauce for this recipe. You can take the extra steps to make your own sauce if you would like. This is more of a guide […]
Ninja Creami Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Ice Cream
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Cookie dough ice cream is one of my favorite ice cream treats. There’s just something so satisfying about biting into a creamy ice cream that has chewy bits of cookie dough in it. I’ll show you how to make the perfect Ninja Creami Cookie Dough Protein ice cream using no bake cookies! You’ll never believe that a whole pint has 34 grams of protein and only 402 calories! This recipe comes in at 402 calories, 34 grams of protein, 21 grams of sugar, 13 WW points, 61 carbs, and 14 fat. See the recipe […]
Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro Steamed Artichokes
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Artichokes are one of my all-time favorite foods. I eat them all the time and have come to crave them. I don’t know if it’s the artichoke or the butter that I like the most, but I have to have them at least a couple of times a month. I love artichokes so much that it’s even part of the blogs logo! In this post I’ll show you how to skip the large pot on the stovetop and to use the Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro to steam artichokes. Making artichokes is not hard. […]
Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro Steamed Crab Legs
↓ Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Making crab legs at home is so easy, and it’s a lot less expensive than ordering crab legs at a fancy restaurant. I’ll show you how to make super flavorful, great tasting crab legs using the steam function on your Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker in about 15 minutes. Crab legs are one of my all time favorite things to eat. I keep extra in the freezer so that I can make them anytime I want. Since I first started cooking crab legs at home several years ago, I don’t think I’ve ordered them at […]
Comments
No Comments