Schnitzelonim: Israeli chicken schnitzel nuggets

Schnitzelonim are small pieces of chicken breast, coated and fried or baked like schnitzel, one or two bites each. They cook faster than a full schnitzel, fit small hands, and are the first thing to disappear from any children's table.

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Dairy freeMeatAllergens:GlutenEggs

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Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets)Illustration
Time50 minCook 15 min
Amount6 portions0.8 kg
Per portion400 kcal36.4 g protein · a 140 g portion
Cost of the pot₪39for the pot, about ₪6.4 a bowl

The story of Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets)

The name is kitchen Hebrew: a schnitzelon is a little schnitzel, with the same ending that turns a book into a booklet. Schnitzelonim are the home answer to nuggets, and in Israeli homes they are cut from whole chicken breast rather than ground meat. Supermarket freezers also hold processed nuggets shaped like stars and animals, but the home version is real breast in a crisp coat.

Schnitzelonim are the dish of kindergarten parties, birthdays and the children's table at weddings and bar mitzvahs. They go into school lunch boxes, picnics and trips, and they are eaten cold too. People make them in big batches, because the adults take from the tray just as much as the children.

What makes Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) itself

A schnitzelon carries more coating for its weight than a schnitzel, so the coating is half the flavour. Even 20 g pieces, 1 cm thick, cook through in 3 to 4 minutes, before the coating has time to scorch, and they are all ready at the same moment. The seasoning is gentle, since these are mostly for children, and crushed cornflakes give a strong crunch that holds even after the pieces cool a little.

Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) for any number of people

Change the number of people and the portion size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per portion.

Portion size
Units
0.8kg of food
3Pot to use, litres
₪39Cost of the pot
₪6.4per portion
400kcal per portion
36.4g protein per portion
IngredientAmountCost
The chicken
Chicken breast, cut into 3 by 4 cm pieces 1 cm thick, about 20 g each800 g · 40 pcs₪31
The coating
Plain flour60 g₪0.4
Eggs110 g · 2 pcs₪2.7
Cold water, to loosen the eggs30 g
Salt, half for the flour and half for the eggs6 g₪0.0
Sweet paprika3 g₪0.3
Breadcrumbs120 g₪1.6
Cornflakes, coarsely crushed60 g₪1.8
Frying
Canola oil for frying, the amount absorbed (about 400 ml in the pan)50 g₪0.8
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Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets)? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) has 286 calories per 100 g. A 140 g serving made with our recipe has 400 calories: 36.4 g protein, 13.5 g fat and 30.2 g carbohydrates.

Lighter

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

  • 40 pcs160 kcal per serving
  • 60 g36 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs26 kcal per serving
  • 6 g0 kcal per serving
  • 3 g1 kcal per serving
  • 120 g72 kcal per serving
  • 60 g36 kcal per serving
  • 50 ml68 kcal per serving

What each add-on adds to Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets)

Values for the amount in the row, from the national food database.

Add-onCaloriesProtein, gFat, g
One large egg837.35.5
A tablespoon of oil122013.8
Chicken breast, 100 g raw12022.52.6
Chicken thigh, 100 g raw12119.74.1

How to make Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets)

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.
  1. Cut the breast into even pieces 3 by 4 cm and 1 cm thick, about 20 g each. Slice thick pieces in two.
  2. Set up three bowls: flour with half the salt and the paprika, eggs beaten with the water and the remaining salt, and the breadcrumbs mixed with the crushed cornflakes.
  3. Pat the pieces dry. Toss in the flour and shake, dip in the egg and let the excess drip, then roll in the crumb mix, pressing lightly.
  4. Lay them on a tray in a single layer and chill for 10 minutes so the coating sets.
  5. Heat about 400 ml oil in a wide pan, about 1 cm deep, to 170 to 175 °C. With cornflakes do not go above 175 °C, because they burn quickly.
  6. Fry 8 to 10 pieces per batch, a minute and a half to two minutes a side, until golden. Turn once with tongs.
  7. Cut the first one open and check that the meat is white all through. A thermometer in the thickest piece reads at least 74 °C.
  8. Move to a rack, not a pile. Between batches lift out burnt crumbs and let the oil come back to heat. Serve hot or warm.

The science of Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets)

Kitchen science

Why nuggets are crisper than schnitzel

A small piece is a lot of surface and little meat. Every gram of a schnitzelon carries more coating, so the crunch is a big part of each bite. Small pieces also cook fast: the centre reaches 74 °C after 3 to 4 minutes, before the coating has time to darken too much.

Kitchen science

Why cornflakes in the coating

Cornflakes are a grain that has already been baked and dried, with very little water and a little sugar. In oil they do not need to dry out, only to brown, so they turn very crisp very fast. The sugar speeds up the Maillard reaction and browning, which is why they are fried at 170 to 175 °C rather than 180 °C.

Kitchen science

Why not crowd the pan

Every cold piece that enters the oil lowers its temperature. A batch of 20 pieces in 400 ml oil drops it well below 160 °C, the coating sits in the oil without sealing and soaks it up. Eight to ten pieces at a time keep the oil near 175 °C.

Kitchen science

Why the coating sticks

Flour absorbs the moisture on the pieces and turns tacky, the egg grips it and the crumbs grip the egg. With heat the egg proteins set and glue the layers. A little water thins the egg so the layer is even and fine, rather than a thick shell around a small piece.

Kitchen science

Why a rack and not paper towels

A hot nugget keeps releasing steam. In a pile or on paper the steam is trapped, condenses back to water and softens the coating. As it cools, steam inside also condenses, and surface oil is drawn in. A rack lets steam escape on every side and the coating stays crisp.

Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) in every kitchen

Baked schnitzelonim

The same coating, with 30 ml oil mixed into the crumbs instead of frying. Bake on a rack at 220 °C for 12 to 14 minutes, without turning.

Shaken in a bag

Put the pieces in a bag or a lidded box, add flour and shake, then egg, then crumbs and shake again. That coats 40 pieces in two minutes.

Sesame

A quarter of the crumbs is replaced with sesame. Toasty and golden, but label it on a children's table, because sesame is a common allergen.

Strips

Strips 1.5 by 8 cm instead of squares, easy to dip. The frying time is the same.

Turkey breast

Turkey breast gives larger pieces and a slightly deeper flavour. Fry half a minute longer a side.

For Pesach

Potato starch instead of flour, and matzo meal instead of crumbs and cornflakes.

Common Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) problems and how to fix them

The coating falls off the nuggets

The pieces were wet or there was too much flour. Pat dry with paper towels, shake off the flour well and give them 10 minutes in the fridge before frying.

The nuggets came out greasy

The pan was crowded and the oil cooled. Fry 8 to 10 per batch and wait for the oil to return to 175 °C between batches.

The nuggets are dry inside

The pieces were too thin or fried too long. Cut them 1 cm thick, fry a minute and a half to two a side, and take them out at 74 °C.

The nuggets burnt on the outside

The oil was too hot for a cornflake coating. Drop to 170 °C, or swap the cornflakes for ordinary crumbs.

Some nuggets are done and some are raw

The pieces were not the same size. Cut even pieces of about 20 g and slice any thick piece in two.

Storing, freezing and reheating

3 days

In the fridge

3 months

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

In the air fryer at 180 °C for 3 minutes, or in a hot 200 °C oven on a rack for 5 to 6 minutes. Freeze coated, unfried nuggets on a tray, bag them, and fry straight from frozen with half a minute more a side.

Nutrition of Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets)

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

ServingkcalProtein, gFat, gCarbs, gFibre, g
Our recipe, a 140 g portion40036.413.530.21.5
Our recipe, 100 g28626.09.621.61.1
Typical Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets), 100 g26326.011.212.31.0

What the ingredients of Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

IngredientPriceIn this potWhere to buy
Chicken breast, cut into 3 by 4 cm pieces 1 cm thick, about 20 g each₪39 per kg₪31Supermarket
Eggs₪1.4 each₪2.7Supermarket
Cornflakes, coarsely crushed₪30 per kg₪1.8Supermarket
Breadcrumbs₪14 per kg₪1.6Supermarket
Canola oil for frying, the amount absorbed (about 400 ml in the pan)₪15 per litre₪0.7Supermarket
Plain flour₪5.9 per kg₪0.4Supermarket
Sweet paprika₪86 per kg₪0.3Supermarket
Salt, half for the flour and half for the eggs₪2.1 per kg₪0Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) and its culture

Schnitzelonim are a taste of Israeli childhood: lunch after kindergarten, a tray at a birthday party and food for trips, wrapped in foil. At weddings, bar mitzvahs and circumcision celebrations the children's table is built around them, and in Jewish communities abroad they are a familiar kosher dish in schools and summer camps.

For events, schnitzelonim are ordered on trays: five or six per child, and eight for each adult who joins in. They arrive crisp when the tray is open or under a vented lid, and they are good at room temperature too.

Make Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat
Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner
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Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets)

Serve with ketchup, tahini or garlic mayonnaise, next to chips, parve mashed potato or rice and vegetable sticks.

Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 140 g portion. For trays, catering and community kitchens.

Guestskg of food3 kg traysCost of ingredients
253.52₪161
507.03₪322
100145₪643
2002810₪1,286
5007024₪3,215

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets)

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

  • Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
  • Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
  • Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.
Ask for a quote for Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets)

Order Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

  • In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
  • Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
  • Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.
Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

How do I make schnitzelonim in the oven?

Coat as usual, mix 30 ml oil into the crumbs, lay on a rack and bake at 220 °C for 12 to 14 minutes. No need to turn.

How long do you fry chicken nuggets?

A minute and a half to two minutes a side in oil at 170 to 175 °C, for 20 g pieces 1 cm thick.

What is the difference between schnitzelonim and nuggets?

Home schnitzelonim are pieces of whole chicken breast, coated and fried. Processed nuggets are usually made from ground chicken, shaped and pre-cooked or pre-fried.

How many nuggets per child?

For a meal, 6 to 8 pieces, about 120 to 160 g. On an event tray with other food on the table, 5 to 6 per child is enough.

How do I make nuggets without egg?

Replace the eggs with a batter of 60 g flour and 100 ml water with a spoon of mustard. It glues the crumbs on just like egg.

Can I make schnitzelonim ahead?

Yes. Coat up to a day ahead and keep chilled in a single layer, or freeze coated and fry straight from frozen.

How do I freeze nuggets?

Lay coated, unfried nuggets on a tray in one layer, freeze for two hours and move to a bag. That way they do not stick together and keep for 3 months.

How many calories are in Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets)?

A 140 g portion of Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) made with our recipe has about 400 calories and 36.4 g of protein. Per 100 g: 286 calories.

How much does it cost to make Schnitzelonim (chicken schnitzel nuggets) at home?

A tray or pot of 6 portions costs about ₪39 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪6.4 a portion. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

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