Chicken Nuggets!

Over one year later, I can barely believe that the reason I am blogging again is chicken nuggets! One would expect that after this blogging-sabatical, I would come back with something more gourmet. But in this past year or so, most of our meals at home have been kid-friendly. Now that doesn't always mean pizza or chicken nuggets, but it's a meal that a kid would also eat, happily.

The reason— my three year old son.

There are some delicious nuggets out there in the market, all-natural, free range, organic. But nothing like anything that is homemade with ingredients that you can pronounce! So I set out to make a big batch and freeze them— easy and delicious and they look like but taste even better than the store-bought chicken nuggets. My son loves them and chows them down, and at least I know exactly what's going into his system.

This recipe is from Weelicious. Love her blog and book, a lot of her recipes are very good— healthy, simple, kid-friendly.

Ingredients
1 pound chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into chunks
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (regular / Panko)
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Place the chicken, mashed potato, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a food processor and pulse until smooth, and combined.
3. In a shallow bowl or plate, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan.
4. With moistened hands, roll 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture between your palms and flatten into "nuggets" shape.
5. Gently press the nugget into the bread crumb mixture to coat.
6. Transfer to a lightly sprayed ir greased cooling rack on a baking sheet lined with foil. 
7. Lightly spray the nuggets with cooking spray. 
8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp outside and cooked throughout. Place under the broiler for 2 minutes for it to be golden brown.

To Freeze:

After step 5, place the nuggets on a sheet tray and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to a ziplock bag, label, and freeze for up to 4 months. To bake, do not defrost, just add 3 to 5 minutes to the baking time.