Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The Coveted Nuggets




As promised, I am finally sharing the recipe for chicken nuggets that I have now become famous for - “famous” is obviously used very loosely here - though apparently I am using the word “nuggets” too loosely as well.  I suppose these should be classified more as chicken chunks, but you get the idea…I take chicken breasts and cut them into 4-5 pieces each – can I help it if chicken is now genetically engineered and saline injected to be enormous?!  Perhaps if I was in France where the animals are still of their original natural size these would look more like the fast food size nuggets we Americans are used to.

At any rate, these are great and relatively healthy since they are baked rather than fried.  They have been a go-to for dinner since college, and they’re perfect for Winter Classic or Superbowl parties.  If you make a bunch, it’s a little time consuming but when you’re just making them for a couple people it’s quite simple.  Here’s the deal:

Ingredients

-       -  Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into the size of your choosing (though I firmly believe that keeping the pieces larger helps to guarantee that they remain juicy)
-         - Flour - for dipping
-         - 1-2 Eggs mixed slightly to break up yolks - for dipping
-         - Bread crumb mixture consisting of the following:
o   Italian Style or Plain Bread Crumbs
o   Panko Japanese Bread Crumbs
o   Garlic powder
o   Dried Parsley
o   Dried Basil
o   Cayenne Pepper
o   Grated Parmesan Cheese
o   Salt & Pepper
o   McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning (optional, but I like to add a couple shakes)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425º.  Place a cooling rack in a half sheet/jelly roll pan (or use a broiler pan) and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Prepare chicken by dipping each piece in flour, shaking off the excess, then dipping them in the eggs and finally into the bread crumb mixture.  Coat each piece well with the crumbs then place on the prepared pan.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes, flipping each piece half-way through.  You can also broil these to shorten the cooking time to about 14-15 minutes, but you have to pay close attention not to let the tops burn.  Cut one piece in half to ensure they are cooked through.

Serve with your favorite condiments, a side of mac-n-cheese or broccoli, or turn them into mini servings of chicken parmesan with some marinara and mozzarella.  Whatever you prefer, it’s hard to go wrong.

1 comments:

beth said...

Yum! I bet Eli will love these.