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Baked Oat-Crumbed Chicken Nuggets

🥕 Snacks & Finger FoodsPrep 15 minCook 18 minFrom 6 months
ProteinHeme IronZincVitamin B12
Contains Egg

Allergen lists cover the priority allergens in the recipe as written. Always check your own ingredient labels, and introduce each new allergen on its own first.

Ingredients

  • 250g chicken thigh, cut into strips
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 cup oats, blitzed to a fine crumb
  • 1/2 tsp mild paprika
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Squeeze of lemon (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a tray with parchment brushed with the oil.
  2. Dip each strip in the beaten egg, then press into the oat crumb.
  3. Lay the strips on the tray without touching and bake 15–18 minutes, turning halfway, until cooked through (74°C / 165°F inside).
  4. Rest 5 minutes so the crumb softens slightly before serving.
  5. Freeze extras flat, then reheat in the oven until piping hot.

How to serve by age

6–8 months

Skip the crumb for this age: bake plain finger-length thigh strips (about 3 inches) alongside the nuggets so baby can gnaw a soft, moist piece with a whole-hand grasp.

9–12 months

Cut the crumbed nuggets into pea-size pieces or thin strips for pincer pickup; check the inside is soft and moist, and trim any hard crumb edges.

Paediatric note

Baked at home, nuggets need no salt or frying, and the egg coating is a second everyday exposure to egg once it has been introduced on its own; thigh meat stays moister than breast, which matters for babies still learning to chew.

Source guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/babys-first-solid-foods/