Chicken nuggets, like those sold at fast-food chains, are tasty and easy-to-eat finger food, making them perfect for kids or for when you're on the go. If you have the time, you can make your own baby chicken nuggets and save money. Although frying is the traditional way to make chicken nuggets, you can adapt the basic recipe to reduce fat and calories by baking them in the oven.
Prepare the Ingredients
Step 1
Remove skin from the chicken breasts, if necessary, and cut off excess fat from around the edges.
Step 2
Cut 1/2-in.-thick strips of chicken, slicing across the direction of the muscle grain. A simple way to do this is to cut off the narrow tip of the breast, then continue making parallel cuts until you've cut the entire breast into thin strips.
Step 3
Put the flour and the seasonings into a gallon-size plastic food storage bag and shake gently to combine the ingredients.
Step 4
Place the cut chicken strips in the bag, seal it and shake the bag gently until all the chicken strips are coated with the flour mixture.
Step 5
Remove the strips from the bag, and save the flour mixture. You'll need it again.
Step 6
Dip each floured chicken strip into milk and return the strip to the bag of seasoned flour. When all the strips are in the bag, shake and tumble the bag again to coat the strips a second time.
Traditional Frying Method
Step 1
Remove the flour-coated chicken strips from the bag and gently shake off excess flour.
Step 2
Use a deep fryer, preheated to 360 degrees Fahrenheit, or heat 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet.
Step 3
Fry several nuggets at once in a deep fryer, allowing the nuggets to rise to the surface of the oil, then turning them over. Fry on each side for two to three minutes, or until the breading coating is golden brown.
Step 4
Place the nuggets in a single layer when frying in a skillet. Fry nuggets for about 4 minutes, turn them over, and fry an additional three to four minutes.
Baking Method
Step 1
Reduce fat by baking your chicken nuggets in the oven.
Step 2
Prepare the nuggets as outlined previously. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 3
Place the flour-coated nuggets in a single layer on the foil and lightly spray the tops of the nuggets with cooking spray.
Step 4
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the coating on the chicken is golden brown and crispy. Turn the nuggets over once, halfway through cooking.
Tips and Warnings
- You can create custom-flavored chicken nuggets by using different spice combinations. Other common seasonings for chicken include tarragon, rosemary, thyme and celery salt. For flavor or texture variations, you can replace some of the flour with crushed corn flakes, dry bread crumbs, cornmeal or cracker crumbs. For a thicker breaded coating, allow the nuggets to "rest" in the flour mixture the second time for up to 10 minutes.
- Let the nuggets set for a few minutes after frying to allow the hot oil to cool down before serving.
Things You'll Need
- 2 large boneless chicken breasts
- Sharp kitchen knife
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. ground sage
- 1/2 cup milk
- Vegetable oil
- Deep fryer or heavy skillet
- Aluminum foil
- Large baking sheet
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Gallon-size plastic food storage bag
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