I always hear parents complaining about their kids loving junk food and how it’s the only meal that the kids would eat. Chicken nuggets tend to be their favorite kids me. Lets take a minute to think about all the ingredients that are neither natural nor healthy for our children. It’s time to take matters into your own hands and explain the difference between homemade and junk food. I would suggest that every mother have her children sit down and watch Jamie Oliver’s video on how fast food restaurants make their chicken nuggets. It works! Believe me.
Now, it’s time to make healthy homemade chicken nuggets that your kids are going to love. It’s an easy recipe and does not take long to make. You can even prepare them and keep them in the freezer. Have your children help you out in the preparation process as well.
INGREDIENTS
- 200g boneless skinless, chicken breasts
- 100 ml milk, plus 1 tbsp for dipping
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 45 g Rice Krispies / bread crumbs
- 15 g mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated
- 1 tbsp grated Parmesan
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 3–4 tbsp sunflower oil, for frying
- salt and black pepper, to season
METHOD
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1.5 cm cubes and put in a bowl.
- Mix together the milk, garlic, thyme, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt and some black pepper (the mixture will separate a little from the lemon juice but this is OK), and pour over the chicken.
- Cover, and leave to marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight (optional). You can skip the marinating stage if you don’t have time, but it does add a delicious flavour to the chicken.
- Put the Rice Krispies in a food processor and whiz for 1–2 minutes, until reduced to fine crumbs or simply use regular bread crumbs.
- Add the cheeses, plus salt and pepper to taste, and whiz to combine. Transfer to a large plate.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl with the tablespoon of milk.
- Mix the flour with a little salt and pepper, and spread out on another large plate.
- Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, shaking off any excess. Toss in the seasoned flour then dip in the egg and then roll in the Rice Krispie coating.
- Put the oil in a large non-stick pan over a medium heat. Fry the nuggets for 2–3 minutes each side, until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and cool slightly before serving.
To oven cook:
- If you would like an alternative to frying, pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/ 400ºF/Gas 6/Fan 180ºC. Reduce the oil to two tablespoons. Add one tablespoon to the Kellogg’s Rice Krispie crumbs with the cheese and whiz to combine evenly (you may need to stop and stir a couple of times as the oil can clump a bit).
- Grease a baking sheet with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Coat the chicken (as above) and put on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, turning over half-way through.
To freeze put uncooked, coated chicken nuggets on baking sheet lined with clingfilm. Cover with more clingfilm and freeze until solid then transfer to a re-sealable box or freezer bag. Cook direct from frozen, adding 1 minute extra cooking time for frying and 3-4 minutes extra for baking.
Recipe via Annabel Karmel