Gordon Ramsay Chicken Nuggets Recipe

Gordon Ramsay’s chicken nuggets are buttermilk-soaked, coated in spiced flour and fried until golden and crunchy, ready in about 20 minutes once the chicken has marinated. The coating shatters when you bite through it, and the inside stays juicy. No freezer bag, no microwave, no mystery ingredients.

This recipe is built on the buttermilk-fried chicken technique from Ramsay’s Ultimate Home Cooking, where he marinates chicken in buttermilk and coats it in flour seasoned with smoked paprika, garlic powder and cayenne. He says the combination “knocks the socks off” the colonel’s version. The same method works brilliantly cut into bite-sized nugget pieces.

The buttermilk is what separates these from every other homemade nugget recipe. It tenderises the chicken and gives the flour a wet surface to cling to, so the coating builds up thick and stays on during frying instead of flaking off into the oil.

Gordon Ramsay Chicken Nuggets

Recipe by Sophie LaneCourse: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

410

kcal

Total time

20

minutes

Built on the buttermilk-fried chicken technique from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Home Cooking, using his spiced flour coating on bite-sized breast pieces. The same smoked paprika, garlic and cayenne blend he uses for his fried chicken, scaled down to nugget size.

Ingredients

• For the Buttermilk Marinade:

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into 3cm bite-sized chunks

• 300ml buttermilk

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• For the Coating:

• 150g plain flour

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

• For Frying:

• Vegetable oil, for shallow frying

Directions

• Cut the chicken: Slice the breasts into bite-sized chunks, roughly 3cm each. Keep them a similar size so they cook evenly.
• Marinate in buttermilk: Put the chicken pieces in a bowl with the buttermilk, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Overnight is better.
• Season the flour: Mix the flour with the paprika, garlic powder, cayenne and a pinch of salt in a shallow bowl.
• Coat the nuggets: Take each piece from the buttermilk, letting the excess drip off, and press into the seasoned flour. Turn to coat all sides. For extra crunch, dip back into the buttermilk and coat a second time.
• Heat the oil: Pour a 1.5cm depth of vegetable oil into a heavy-based pan and heat to 170°C (340°F). Test with a pinch of flour: it should sizzle immediately.
• Fry in batches: Add the nuggets in batches of 8 to 10, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until deep golden and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper.
• Serve hot: Best straight out of the pan with your choice of dipping sauce.

Notes

Adapted from the buttermilk-fried chicken technique in Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Home Cooking. The same spiced flour blend works on bite-sized breast pieces for a homemade nugget that beats anything from a freezer bag.

FAQs

Can you bake these nuggets instead of frying?

Yes. Lay the coated nuggets on a wire rack over a baking tray and bake at 220°C (425°F) for 18 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Spray or brush them with a little oil before they go in.

They won’t shatter like the fried version, but you still get a proper crunch. The wire rack lets hot air circulate underneath so the bottom doesn’t go soggy.

Why does buttermilk make such a difference?

The acidity breaks down the protein fibres in the chicken, making it more tender. It also creates a sticky surface that the flour grabs onto, building a thicker coating that stays put during frying.

Ramsay’s tip from Ultimate Home Cooking: leave it overnight and the difference is dramatic. Thirty minutes is the minimum to get any benefit.

What dipping sauces work best?

His BBQ sauce is the classic pairing, sweet and smoky against the spiced crust. A quick sriracha mayo works too: mix equal parts mayonnaise and sriracha with a squeeze of lime.

For something more American, try them alongside his buffalo wings with blue cheese dip for a full wing-and-nugget spread.

How do you keep the coating from falling off?

Two things. The buttermilk soak gives the flour something to grip, which is half the battle. The other half is not moving the nuggets too early in the pan. Let them sit for a full minute before you flip so the crust sets against the heat.

Double-coating helps too. After the first flour coat, dip back through the buttermilk and flour again. That second layer locks everything in place.

What should you serve alongside these?

A coleslaw gives you that cool crunch against the hot, crispy chicken. Ramsay keeps his coleslaw light, so it cuts through the richness without weighing the plate down.

Chips are obvious, but sweet potato wedges or a simple green salad work just as well if you want to balance it out.

Do these nuggets reheat well?

They’re best fresh, like all fried food. The coating softens in the fridge no matter what you do.

If you have leftovers, spread them on a wire rack and reheat in a 200°C (400°F) oven for 8 minutes. Skip the microwave completely because it turns the crust chewy. They go fast enough that leftovers are rarely the problem.