No-Nasties Nuggets

I think it’s a truth universally known that kids will basically eat anything if it is crumbed and fried. I always keep a stash of homemade chicken nuggets in the freezer for those times when I just can’t bear the thought  of battling fussy kidlets at dinnertime. These nuggets are delicious and have the added bonus that you know exactly what is in them.

I make a big batch of these nuggets every three weeks or so and keep them on hand for a quick and easy dinner that the kids can have with corn on the cob or homemade potato chips and a little green salad (undressed of course *eyeroll*).

This is one dish that quite a few of my friends and family have made. Most have actually asked for the recipe after witnessing their little ones devour these nuggets at my house with more gusto than a chimp with a banana.

The secret is fresh, free-range chicken tenderloins, breadcrumbs spiked with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and Masterfoods Tuscan seasoning, and rice bran oil to shallow fry (it doesn’t burn as quickly as olive oil).

Just as a side note, I REFUSE to throw out bread. It’s like I find it sacrilegious or something. This means I also never buy bread crumbs. In my efforts to reduce waste, I freeze the last 3-4 stale slices of bread that didn’t make the cut for the week’s school sandwiches; and when I have the equivalent of almost a full loaf of frozen stale bread, I put the slices in an individual layer on three oven racks and dry them out on very low heat (100 degrees fan forced) for around 3-4 hours. Once completely dried out, I simply blitz in batches in a food processor and store in containers in the freezer ready for use.

Ingredients:

• 500g free-range chicken tenderloins (about 7-8 individual tenderloin pieces)
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 free-range eggs lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 heaped tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Masterfoods Tuscan seasoning
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper for seasoning
• 1 cup rice bran oil for frying (I prefer not to use canola oil, but it will work as a substitute).

Method:

• Put plain flour in a shallow bowl or tray.
• In a second shallow bowl, add eggs and lightly whisk together with milk, plus a good pinch of salt and a little cracked black pepper.
• In a third bowl, use a fork to mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese and Tuscan seasoning.
• Cut each tenderloin into four equal segments and drop them into the flour (this and the next steps may need to be done in batches) .
• Once the chunks of chicken are coated in flour, use tongs to dip them in the egg wash and then coat in bread crumb mixture.
• Put on a tray and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Add oil to a large non-stick frying pan. You want about 1/2 cm oil covering the base, so you may need to adjust the amount of oil you use depending on the size of your pan.
• On medium-high heat, fry the nuggets in batches, turning over after about 2 minutes to cook the other side for another 2 minutes. Drain on a dish lined with paper towels.
• This recipe will make about 28 nuggets. As long as the tenderloins are crumbed from fresh (not frozen), the uncooked nuggets freeze well and fry well from frozen too.

Definitely give these delicious little morsels a go. Your kidlets will love them as much as mine do. Promise!

Mrs. Magic Pantry XO