A Better Chicken Nugget

The chicken nugget wars are on between Burger King and McDonalds and feathers are a-flying.

I’ve never eaten an entire order of commercial chicken nuggets, though I’ve tried a few pieces. They were delicious. And why not? We Americans will eat just about anything that’s first dunked in batter, deep fried, and served with a sauce.

Now I have a lot of bad food habits, but a passion for fabricated meat slurry is not one of them. Fast food nuggets, I can resist. Chocolate. . . not so much.

Homemade chicken nuggets

It’s easy to “nuggetize” chicken at home and feel better about the choice.

Golden Baked Chicken Nuggets

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Cut chicken into 2-inch pieces. Spread panko on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until golden about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, add Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon salt; drizzle with oil and stir.
Place flour and eggs in separate shallow dishes. Place wire rack on baking sheet and coat lightly with cooking spray.
Coat chicken pieces in flour. Shake to remove excess and dip in egg and then in panko. Place on rack.
Bake about 12 minutes, turning over halfway through.
Serve nuggets with Honey Mustard Sauce: Combine 3 Tbs., Dijon mustard with 2 Tbs. each mayonnaise and honey. Or make an Apricot Mustard Sauce: 1 cup apricot jam or preserves; 1/4 cup Dijon mustard; 1 tsp. fresh thyme, (optional); and pinch cayenne pepper.