User post: The food tyrant vs. chicken nuggets-o-happiness
Well, a battle was won last night. We'll see if the winning team comes out ahead tomorrow. But, for tonight, I am claiming victory of the longstanding toss-the-meat-to-the-floor-dinner-time battle II. Victory was had almost a year ago with my pineapple turkey meatballs, but, sadly, it didn't last long. Within a few short days, meat proteins were quickly tasted, chewed, spit out, and tossed to the floor.
I'd pretty much given up and had even tentatively held up my white flag of defeat, but last night, I had one single little chicken breast waving at me from the freezer. It whispered, "don't give up on meeeeeee" in this little voice. And then, divine intervention stepped in.
Chicken. Nuggets.
I will admit to having a great love of chicken nuggets from the place that shall not be named during my childhood. I loved those crispy fried pieces of who knows what dipped in that small container of barbecue sauce, or maybe honey. Hmmmmm.
So, I figured I'd concoct my own chicken nuggets-o-happiness that were a bit healthier, and maybe a bit tastier. The one thing that always got to me about those chicken nuggets was that grease flavor. Well, there's no grease here....
What you need
1 medium raw chicken breast (about 4-6 ounces)
6 crumbled saltine crackers
1 scallion chopped
1 egg yolk
1 Tablespoon plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sprinkle of pepper
Food processor
Dusting of flour
1 Tablespoon vegetable (or olive) oil
Medium sauté pan
What you do
Start by separating an egg and adding the yolk to your food processor. Don't toss that egg white! Pop it in a baggie and put it in the freezer for something later.
Large dice the chicken breast and add it to the food processor. You can also crumble up your crackers and add them, too.
Sprinkle in the salt and pepper along with the diced scallion. Go ahead and give everything a good whirl in the food processor. Things are going to get a bit lumpy and goopy.
Now add the yogurt and give everything another good blend. Your mixture should resemble the texture of cottage cheese. You want some bits of chicken and all the other stuff, too. This gives the nuggets that flaky texture - not like sausage. So, don't blend too far. We're not looking for sludge, people!
Put your sauté pan over medium heat and coat with your oil. While you are waiting for the pan to get hot, use a spoon to scoop out small ovals of the chicken mixture and pat on a plate covered with a dusting of flour.
Once you've created about 10 to 12 small oval-ish shaped nuggets, and rolled them in the flour, you can gently place them in the hot sauté pan.
Let those little buggers of tastiness cook for about four to five minutes on each side, or until the outside has turned a lovely golden brown.
I served those chicken nuggets-o-happiness plain, but you could put some barbecue sauce on the side, ketchup, honey - whatever your kids like!
Not only are these tasty, they are good for your kids. And, you might even find yourself sneaking a couple, too! They passed the test of my food tyrant!
*This would also be a fun recipe to make with the kiddies. Just remember to wash everyone's hands before and after working with the raw chicken! No one wants to get sick while making chicken nuggets-o-happiness.
