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5.0 from 3 votes

Turkey Nuggets

These FAST EASY CHEAP turkey nuggets are what's up. A single turkey tender will feed 3-4 people and you'll be so glad you gave this a try!

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
resting time
4 mins
Total Time
14 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 340 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 2 turkey breast tender cut into 1" cubes
Oil
  • vegetable oil or see substitution - 2 to 3" deep in pan
Breading
  • 1 cup flour all purpose
  • 3 large eggs beaten
  • 1 cup panko
  • ¼ cup old bay
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tbs baking powder

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Cut the turkey into 1" cubes and dry it well with paper towels. Set aside
  2. Pour enough oil into your heavy duty pan to cover 2-3" deep. Set on medium to medium high heat and allow to come to temperature while mixing up the breading. Heat to 350 degrees.
  3. Set up a 3 pan breading station. In one pan, put the plain flour. In the second pan, put 3 beaten eggs, in the third, mix together the panko, baking powder and seasonings and mix well. Move the cut turkey and the breading station to beside the stovetop.
  4. Working in small batches 5-10 pieces at a time, place the turkey into the plain flour and mix around making sure to coat all sides of the turkey with flour, then into the eggs and swirl around making sure to coat in egg then into the panko mixing around so that the breading coats all surfaces.
  5. Drop the turkey nuggets into the hot oil one piece at a time. Adjust the eye temp so that the nuggets do not cook too furiously or do not go cold. The turkey nuggets should bubble boldly and continue to do so until cooked through and should be a golden brown color when cooked. Cook to internal temp of 165. Turkey floats when it is done. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. serve hot.

Notes

  • SUBSTITUTIONS
  • Turkey - You can substitute chicken breast, turkey breast, pork loin, pork chops or chicken tenders in this recipe, HOWEVER, if you use a different meat, then it won't be a turkey nugget. Just sayin.Oil - You can use any oil that is suitable for frying - Personally, I like to use either vegetable oil or peanut oil. You can use cannola, safflower, crisco, lard or whatever frying oil you prefer. Just DO NOT use Olive Oil or Butter. Seasonings - Feel free to use whatever seasonings you enjoy to season the breading, just understand that it takes A LOT of seasoning to make the breadcrumbs taste just right. I've chosen mine based on cost savings vs flavor.Flour - If you are unable to use standard all purpose flour, if there is another flour you have used in the past for frying and it has worked out ok, then it may work for this purpose. I haven't fried with other flours so I can't really give advice about this. You CAN use either all purpose or self rising flour.Panko - I'm using the unflavored panko breadcrumbs but it is fine to use the already seasoned ones. You can add seasoning to them or use them as is. Egg Wash - I'm not really aware of a substitute for the egg wash, but since the purpose is to make the panko stick onto the turkey, something like a thick greek yogurt or a thick buttermilk might work.Draining on a Paper Towel - The point is to remove some of the grease. If you prefer to do this on a cloth towel or just to allow the turkey to drip onto a plate, that is fine too.
  • Choose either a premarinated turkey tender or an unflavored one. Just make sure you choose a flavor you like if you are using the marinated ones.
  • Cut the turkey into small pieces - about sugar cube size if possible. Often you'll find that the turkey wants to fall apart if it has been marinated, if this happens, simply cut it as small as you are able to do.
  • Always use a high temp oil for frying (vegetable, canola, peanut, etc.). Do NOT use Olive oil for frying these and do not use butter.
  • You'll want to have a thermometer so that you don't burn your turkey nuggets and so that the oil is hot enough to fry them appropriately.
  • If you want breading to stick, follow the directions EXPLICITLY in the recipe below. It is SUPER IMPORTANT to dry the turkey meat off completely. You can do this with paper towels or with cloth towels, just so it is very very dry.
  • You can substitute the spices in the seasoning for whatever flips your trigger, but you might want to start with the mix I suggest to make sure you enjoy the turkey before getting too wild and crazy with your seasoning choices.

Nutrition Information

Serving 0.5lb Calories 340kcal (17%) Carbohydrates 41g (14%) Protein 30g (60%) Fat 6g (9%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Trans Fat 0.01g Cholesterol 177mg (59%) Sodium 807mg (34%) Potassium 472mg (13%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 320IU (6%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 230mg (23%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 340

% Daily Value*

Serving 0.5lb
Calories 340kcal 17%
Carbohydrates 41g 14%
Protein 30g 60%
Fat 6g 9%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Trans Fat 0.01g 1%
Cholesterol 177mg 59%
Sodium 807mg 34%
Potassium 472mg 10%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 320IU 6%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 230mg 23%
Iron 5mg 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.