Chicken Nuggets

Just last night, I had some leftover chicken thighs that were in the process of turning a little iffy. I knew I needed to come up with something tasty and different, something Ty and I hadn't tried in the past week, and fast! I had already used it in the Thai soup and in a barbecue chicken sandwich earlier, so having a recipe that brought a new flavor profile was key. Luckily, my imagination was working for me and I made the gutsy decision to make chicken nuggets! Best decision ever, if I say so myself. In just thirty minutes, Ty and I had our Sunday night dinner. Here's how I did it!

What you'll need:
For the chicken nuggets:  

                                                           

1 or 2 skinless chicken breasts or thighs

1 or 2 eggs

1 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs or cornflakes*

Lots of rosemary and thyme, chopped finely

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

A dash of crushed red pepper flakes or paprika

A little Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil

For the honey mustard sauce:   

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp honey or 3 tbsp brown sugar 

Directions:

1) First, prepare the breading! Mix the panko bread crumbs, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. You want to do this first, instead of handling the meat, so you don’t contaminate everything you touch. And on another note, I used Italian seasoning flavored panko bread crumbs, which are salty in itself. If you decide to use Italian seasoning flavored panko bread crumbs like I did, only add the herbs. DO NOT add additional salt or seasonings. It’s way too salty, your mouth will be begging for something to wash all the salty away.

2) Next get the egg “batter” ready.  Just beat the eggs, and set aside.

3) Get a large plate ready and place a paper towel on top. Don’t worry, you’ll see why soon.

4) Before we get to the chicken, let’s make the sauce. Real easy. Mix the honey and mustard together. If you’re like me and don’t have honey, you can always use brown sugar.  Just make sure to increase the amount of brown sugar so you even out the tanginess of the mustard. If honey mustard doesn’t work for you, you could use ranch, barbecue, mayonnaise and siracha, or sourcream and siracha. In college, I used to mix ranch and barbecue sauce to dip my fries. Delicious.

5) Finally, you’re ready for the chicken. If you’re using chicken breasts, cut the meat into 1 inch pieces. Don’t be afraid of using a good pair of scissors for a task like this. It’s just as efficient and effective as a knife. In fact, I have one just for cooking meats! If you’re using chicken thighs, remove any skin, bristle, or lingering unwanteds a.k.a fat. We’re not operating a McDonalds here, so no grade D meat! Once that’s done, cut the meat into 1 inch pieces. 

6) Now, heat the pan to medium heat and drizzle a bit more extra virgin olive oil than you would normally.     7) While the pan is heating, dip the chicken pieces into the egg wash, lift to remove any excess egg wash, and dip into the panko breadcrumb mix. Make sure the chicken is coated evenly on all sides. One by one, place the chicken into the hot pan.

8) As each piece of chicken turns crispy and golden brown, which will take approximately 4-5 minutes per side, transfer the chicken onto the large plate with the paper towel.

9) Transfer the chicken to a big family dinner plate and serve. I guarantee you no one will be asking for McDonalds.

Yummers!

* Panko bread crumbs should be a staple in every cook's kitchen. In case you've never heard of panko breadcrumbs, they are an ingenious substitute for traditional breadcrumbs. Made in Japan, they provide a lighter, more airy, crunch to whatever it tops. Not only is it less prone to absorb the oil, it is flavorless which makes it a great base for any seasoning you have in mind. Another option if you don't have panko are crushed cornflakes.