I'm sure I have...well, I'm guessing anyways....that at some point in my life, I have eaten chicken nuggets,
like from a restaurant.
But, I honestly have no memory of ever eating one.
Probably mostly because we pretty much never ate out growing up, and when we did, it was almost never fast food
(except for the occasional milk shake and french fries kind of thing). I don't even think I ever had them at any one else's house. Then there was the whole gluten-free thing when I was a teenager, so that ruled out breaded anything, anywhere.
So basically, what I'm saying is, I don't remember having a chicken nugget that wasn't homemade!
We did, however, make them at home.
My older sister had a great recipe (click HERE to check it out), and we all loved them!
I had actually forgotten about them for a really long time, until recently, when I was really in the mood for chicken nuggets.
But, as it always happens, I didn't have the right ingredients. However, in my search for some other inspiration, I came across a version of this recipe. The author was advertising mainly for the fact that this is a "low-carb" recipe, which it is, but I also had all the ingredients for it, so that made it stand out even more to me!
I did not expect them to turn out at all, to be honest.
Mainly because there is no "breading" ingredient.
Like, no bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, cornflake crumbs, flour...nothing that seems like it would help turn them into actual chicken nuggets with a breading!
And then to be baked on top of all that...I just figured they might turn out pretty slimy and disgusting.
But, turns out, it works!!!
I made them once, and had to adjust the recipe a little bit. The second time was absolutely perfect, and I'm excited to be able to share them with you today!
This is certainly not the best picture,
but I hope you give them a try, and enjoy them!
1 & 1/2 - 2 pounds of chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
Place the Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, paprika, garlic, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly and shake until well mixed.
In a medium bowl, whisk egg until thoroughly beaten.
Pat the chicken pieces with paper towels, so they are as dry as possible. Add them to the egg, and mix until well combined.
One by one, allow the excess egg to drip off each piece of chicken, and then drop them into the bag with the Parmesan cheese mixture (you don't want extra egg to make the breading wet). Once all the chicken is in the bag, seal tightly, and shake and squish until the chicken pieces are evenly coated.
Remove each piece, and divide between two baking sheets with sides, that have been lined with foil, and generously coated with cooking spray.
It's best if the chicken pieces don't touch each other.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
Gently flip each piece over with tongs.
Bake for 5 more minutes, or until desired crispiness is reached, and chicken is cooked through (to 160 degrees).
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, in a salad, or however you like!
Note:
-You can do the normal breading formula: dip each piece of chicken in egg, roll in breading mixture and place on baking sheet. But this is a lot easier and faster, and turned out with the same results.
-The cayenne pepper definitely adds a bit of heat, so you may want to omit that, depending on your spice preferences.
-I've not tried it yet, but according to the original recipe, these freeze really well. After they have been baked and cooled completely, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash freeze them for 30 minutes to an hour. Remove to a resealable, plastic bag, and keep frozen.
To re-heat:
You can microwave a few at a time, or place on a foil-lined baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
