Chicken Nuggets … Oven Baked and Homemade …

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Chicken Nuggets are an absolute favourite with most kids and if you’re looking for a homemade alternative minus the preservatives, “mystery ingredients” and fat, then this is a recipe you need to try.  I used to avoid crumbing my own food but once you get the hang of it, it’s not too bad and the bonus is knowing exactly what’s going into the nuggets.  If you haven’t use Panko Crumbs before, you will find them in the Asian section of Coles and Woolworths and they give a crispier and more textured result than an ordinary bread crumb.

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Chicken Nuggets … Oven Baked and Homemade …
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 50 - 60
Ingredients ...
  • 500 – 600g Chicken tenderloins
  • 1 cup plain flour (I use gluten-free)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup Panko Crumbs (or breadcrumbs/Rice Crumbs/Almond Meal)
  • Cooking Spray
Method ...
  1. Preheat oven to 180C and lightly spray an oven tray.
  2. Remove any sinew from each tenderloin and chop into bite-sized pieces, each tenderloin can be cut into 4 or 5 pieces (depending on the size of each tenderloin).
  3. Toss chicken nuggets in flour, coat with egg mixture then toss in Panko crumbs.
  4. Place chicken nuggets on the prepared oven tray and lightly spray them with cooking spray.
  5. Bake for approximately 20 – 25 minutes, turning halfway through with a pair of tongs.

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Clever Tricks, Tips and Hints …

  • You can toss the chicken in flour in a bowl or another trick is to place the flour and the chicken together in a zip lock bag, seal the bag and then shake until all the chicken is well coated … this method is very quick and will save time.
  • Once the chicken is coated in flour, use one hand to coat in the egg and your other hand to toss in the crumbs.  This will save the crumbs being transferred to the egg mixture and prevent it from becoming gluggy.
  • Instead of placing the nuggets straight onto the oven tray, place the crumbed chicken on a cooling rack and then place the cooling rack on top of the tray.  This will allow the heat from the oven to cook both sides at the same time and then you won’t need to turn the nuggets.
  • These nuggets freeze really well and make a fantastic option for lunchboxes.  Simply place the frozen nuggets in the lunchbox in the morning and they will be defrosted by lunchtime.  Most kids will eat cold chicken and don’t forget to include a small container of their favourite dipping sauce.
  • To make your chicken nuggets gluten free, use gluten free flour when coating the chicken and try rice crumbs or almond meal as an alternative to Panko crumbs or bread crumbs.  Chicken breast will work just as well but it does tend to be a little drier.  These nuggets could also be fried but that will increase the fat content.

Chicken Nuggets … Oven Baked and Homemade Original Photo 008

Comments

  1. How good is panko? I’m addicted – love it for making home made fish fingers as well.

    • I agree … the texture and crunch of the panko crumbs is fantastic … I’ll be trying to make some fish bites soon!

  2. I have been doing a lot of crumbing this week with veal and been coating it in GF flour and panko crumbs! I agree that chicken nuggets are popular but it’s definitely so much better to make your own. Love how these are oven-baked rather than fried xx

    • I wanted to create some nuggets that weren’t fried … much healthier and lighter on the calories/kilojoules!

  3. Oh my goodness, this looks delicious! I’m definitely making this! thanks for sharing! A healthier option for a family favorite.

    • Thank you Ihjaz, I love coming up with healthier options of things that my kids love to snack on … and who doesn’t love a good chicken nugget!