Make the crispiest homemade chicken nuggets with this simple cornflake fried chicken recipe. A quick buttermilk soak ensures the meat stays tender, while the seasoned cornflake breading fries up nice and golden brown. It's a crisp, flavorful, protein-packed dinner option that works with chicken tenders or cut up chicken breasts.

Crispy, golden-brown cornflake fried chicken nuggets resting on a baking sheet.

Recipe Highlights

Extra Crispy Coating: Crushed cornflakes are the secret to an extra crispy, thick breading.
Perfectly Bite-Sized: Cutting the chicken into smaller pieces, like Chick-Fil-A, significantly shortens your frying time.
Homemade Comfort Food: Skip the drive-thru and enjoy a cozy, protein-packed dinner at home.

While it's easy to reach for a bag of frozen chicken nuggets or head to the drive-thru, there's nothing quite as good as homemade fried chicken. As a dietitian, I believe that when you are going to enjoy comfort food, it should be something special, made with intention rather than just a reheated convenience item.

This recipe makes extra crispy fried chicken by using crushed cornflakes in the breading. By preparing the chicken in smaller, bite-sized pieces it not only shortens the frying time but ensures there is the perfect crunch in every single bite.

Jump to:

Recipe Highlights
Ingredient Notes
How to Make Cornflake Fried Chicken
Tips for the Crispiest Fried Chicken
Recipe Variations
Serving Suggestions
Storage & Reheating
📖 Recipe

Ingredient Notes

An overhead view of all ingredients for the cornflake fried chicken, including raw chicken pieces, a bowl of buttermilk, eggs, a bag of crushed cornflakes, flour, and seasonings on a kitchen counter.

Chicken: For this recipe you'll want to use boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders. I like to cut the chicken into about 1 to 2-inch pieces. You can use larger pieces or the whole tenders, but it will increase the frying time slightly.
Buttermilk and Egg: I briefly soak the chicken in a buttermilk and egg mixture to help the coating adhere. The acid in the buttermilk also helps tenderize the chicken. If you don't have buttermilk, regular milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar will work.
Cornflakes Cereal: I tested with generic and Kellogg's Cornflakes, and I found the name brand cornflakes were best in this recipe. You'll need to really crush them up fine. I do this with a rolling pin and the cereal in a gallon bag. A food processor makes quick work of this too.
All-Purpose Flour: Adding a little bit of all-purpose flour to the crushed cornflakes helps fill in the gaps, ensuring a solid, evenly coated crust when you fry the chicken.
Seasonings: I used Fiesta Spices Season-it-All seasoning, which is like a seasoned salt. Other spices you'll need are dried mustard powder and paprika.
Peanut Oil: Since this is a fried dish, you need an oil that has a high smoke point. I like to use peanut oil, but cottonseed oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil are all neutral-flavored alternatives that will work.

How to Make Cornflake Fried Chicken

Bite-sized pieces of raw chicken marinating in a bowl of creamy buttermilk and whisked eggs, with bubbles rising to the surface.

Step 1: Start by placing your chicken in a whisked buttermilk and egg mixture.

Chicken into a shallow dish filled with a seasoned mixture of crushed cornflakes and all-purpose flour.

Step 2: Lift the chicken from the liquid, letting any excess drip off, and transfer it to your dry mixture. Press the breading mixture firmly onto all sides of the meat to ensure a thick, even crust that won't fall off in the pan.

Several pieces of cornflake fried chicken frying in hot, bubbling oil within a deep cast-iron skillet, turning a beautiful golden-brown color.

Frying: Heat your frying oil in a deep cast-iron skillet to 325-350°F. Carefully drop the coated pieces in, working in batches to avoid overcrowding, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes per side until they develop a beautiful golden-brown crunch.

A macro close-up shot of a few pieces of crispy cornflake fried chicken, highlighting the detailed, craggy texture of the crushed cornflake crust.

Step 4: As you finish frying each batch, transfer the homemade chicken nuggets to a baking sheet (ideally on a wire rack so the bottoms don't get soggy). Keeping them in a 200°F oven ensures the crust stays perfectly crisp while you finish cooking the rest of the chicken

Tips for the Crispiest Fried Chicken

Monitor the oil temperature: Keep your oil between 325°F and 350 °F for frying chicken. If the oil is too cold, the breading will absorb too much oil.
Press the breading firmly onto the chicken, so it doesn't fall off.
Avoid overcrowding the chicken in the cast-iron pan because it can drop the temperature of the oil. I recommend frying the chicken in batches.

Recipe Variations

Add more spices. Feel free to add garlic powder, your favorite spice blend, or even a dash of Tabasco into the buttermilk mixture for added flavor.
Use whole pieces of chicken, rather than cutting into bite sized pieces. Just keep in mind that larger pieces will slightly increase your frying time.
No buttermilk? No problem, simply use regular milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these crispy chicken nuggets hot, right out of the skillet, with your favorite dipping sauce. They also make a delicious protein to top this Texas Roadhouse Salad to turn into an entrée, fill up a wrap, or pack for an on-the-go dinner.

Favorite Side Dish Pairings:

A dinner plate filled with cornflake chicken nuggets and a small bowl of ketchup.

Storage & Reheating

Store leftover cooled cooked chicken in an airtight container in the fridge. Best if eaten within 3 days.

To reheat the fried chicken, place it in an air fryer or oven at 375°F and warm until the chicken is heated through.

📖 Recipe