Chicken nuggets/fingers recipe
“Serve these chicken nuggets with ketchup for dipping and feel good about how healthy they are”
Allergy Information
| Wheat-Free |  |
| Gluten-Free | |
| Nut-Free | |
| Dairy-Free | |
| Sugar-Free | |
| Vegetarian |  |
| Vegan | |
- Preparation time: 15 mins
- Cook time: 25 mins
- Total time: 40 mins
- Yield: serves 2+
This is always going to be a great favourite for the kids, however I've found that these chicken nuggets go down well at any time with children and adults alike. The crisp, crunchy polenta coating is tasty as well as healthy, and the added bonus is that you know exactly what has been used to make them, and know that they are made from real chicken, not the 'formed' chicken that some commercially bought versions are made from.
One of the things I've found is that children with food allergies often get to miss the foods that their friends enjoy, so chicken nuggets, with ketchup for dipping, will certainly make up for some of the disappointment.
I've baked this version, but they are equally as good shallow fried. Place some oil in a frying pan, heat until hot then add the chicken pieces and fry until the coating is crisp, golden and the chicken is cooked all the way through. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper and serve.
Ingredients (Measures: Metric | US)
Directions
Preheat oven: 200°C, 400°F, Gas 6
- Lightly oil a baking tray big enough to spread the chicken pieces on in a single layer.
- Cut the chicken breasts into nuggets or fingers. We made the nuggets approximately 5cm (2") square, and we made the fingers about 1" wide and as long as you want.
Note that the nuggets and fingers will require slightly different baking times depending on the thickness of the chicken used and the sizes used. If you are making both at the same time it is better to bake the nuggets and fingers on separate baking trays, so that they can have different lengths of cooking time. - Put the beaten egg into a bowl, drop the chicken pieces into it and ensure that all the chicken gets well coated in egg.
- On a large plate, or in a bowl, put the polenta grains, the herbs/spices and ground black pepper, and mix well together.
- Remove the pieces of egg coated chicken one at a time and place in the bowl of polenta. Ensure that the chicken gets a good solid coating of polenta before removing it and placing on the baking tray. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Put the tray of chicken nuggets or fingers into the oven for approximately 20-25 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken pieces, and should therefore be adjusted accordingly.
- At the end of the cooking time check that the chicken is cooked completely through to the centre of the pieces. The easiest way is to break one of the pieces in half at the thickest part, to check that there is no pink meat in the centre. The chicken pieces should also be golden in colour and crispy on the outside.
- Serve either hot, or cold.
These chicken nuggets or fingers make a great finger party food, as well as for bagged lunches, picnics, snacks, and main meals. They go well with salad, vegetables, chips, dips, rice, mash, baked potatoes...