Creative Breading

• The easiest way to make a flavorful breading for chicken nuggets is to use an already prepared product. Crush pretzels, crackers, chips or a cereal, such as corn flakes, in your blender or food processor; dip the chicken in milk or beaten eggs and then the crushed ingredient; and fry or bake the nuggets. Good crackers to use include cheese, ranch or multi-grain crackers. Choose whole-grain cereal or granola without fruit added. Coat the chicken nuggets with coconut or Parmesan cheese or finely chopped nuts like cashews, peanuts or pistachios.

World Flavors

• Seasoning the chicken rather than the breading ensures flavor in every bite. Dust chicken nuggets with taco, burrito or fajita seasoning, or make your own Mexican combination with cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Alternatively, sprinkle on lemon pepper, Chinese five-spice powder or Italian seasoning. Marinate the chicken for a few hours in a closeable plastic bag with your favorite Asian flavorings. Combine soy sauce, chopped garlic, dried or chopped ginger and sesame oil. Buy a prepared Jamaican jerk sauce or hot African piri piri marinade for extra spicy nuggets.

Regional American Seasonings

• Cajun seasoning is similar to a basic Mexican seasoning, except it substitutes thyme for oregano and has considerably more salt. You can buy it preprepared or make your own dry rub. Traditional Buffalo wings get their seasoning from the sauce that’s added to them after they’re cooked. Make Buffalo nuggets by deep frying them and then covering them with a sauce made with butter and hot sauce. Dust your nuggets with a package of dried ranch dressing or marinate them in bottled dressing.

Dipping Sauces

• You can season your chicken nuggets after they’re cooked by buying or making your own dipping sauces. Barbecue sauce comes in many different flavors, and most complement chicken. Ranch dressing and bleu cheese are classic nugget dipping sauces. Make your own honey mustard sauce by combining honey, a mild mustard like Dijon, a little oil and freshly ground black pepper. Combine sour cream with fresh herbs or chopped chives, melt cheese and add a little cream to keep the dipping sauce smooth or mix hoisin and soy sauce for an Asian flavor.