The Sanford Saga: Yummy AND Healthy Chicken Nuggets

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Yummy AND Healthy Chicken Nuggets

I never imagined that I could ever make chicken nuggets at home. I just don't fry food. But around the time the girls were born, I ordered a cookbook off of Amazon. I honestly got it for my husband's benefit, since he HATES eating veggies. I wanted to feed him nutritious foods full of vitamins and veggies, without him knowing. The cookbook is called, Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to To Get Your Kids Eating Good Food, by Jessica Seinfeld.

Jessica Seinfeld is now my hero. She may be married to Jerry Seinfeld, but she is also a mom who wants to feed her kiddos healthy foods without the fight and drama. I want to feed Eric veggies without the fight and drama. :) Ha ha!

Ok, so I finally got around to trying her Chicken Nuggets recipe. They were super easy to make and really yummy. First of all, you need to know that what she does is make homemade vegetable and fruit purees, and then hides the purees in recipes. It boosts the nutritional value of regular foods that kids like, without altering the taste. Fabulous idea!!

She recommends using broccoli, spinach, sweet potato, or beet purees for this recipe but since I am not actively making purees right now, I had a few cups of frozen broccoli that I wanted to use for these chicken nuggets. I also altered other things a bit and I will give the recipe both ways...

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Serves 4 and is Packable (and freezes well!!)

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat, plain, or panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs

1/2 cup flaxseed meal

1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1 cup broccoli, spinach, sweet potato, or beet puree

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders, rinsed, dried, and cut into small chunks

1/2 tsp. salt

non-stick cooking spray

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (I omitted this)

In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, parmesan, paprika, garlic and onion powder. Mix well.

**What I did to make a fast easy broccoli puree...Take a cup of frozen, thawed broccoli, and puree it in a food processor with a tiny bit of water to make it a little smoother. Then use that in the next step.**

In a shallow bowl, mix the vegetable puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.

Sprinkle the chicken chunks with the salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.

Now the next step I did VERY differently. Here is what Jessica says to do...Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add oil. Place the nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook until crisp and golden on one side. Then turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, crisp and golden brown all over. Serve warm.

I baked mine instead and they were awesome!! I sprayed a 9X13 inch baking pan with the non-stick cooking spray. Then I lined the pan with the nuggets and baked them at 350℉ for around 25-30 minutes. They may have been crunchier if I had put them in the oil, but I hate popping oil and wanted to make them a little healthier.

I made a ton of them and they re-heated wonderfully 2 days later. I would totally recommend this recipe. Eric and I could taste the broccoli, probably since it was still kind of chunky, but it actually made them better. We loved the flavor of the nuggets!!