Baked Chicken Nuggets

A few weeks ago, Dude & I were garage sale-ing and he found a “free” box.  After digging through, he ecstatically showed me a 3-year old magazine.  It had the word “Food” on the cover and he was sold!

When we got home, he immediately started paging through the magazine.  He came running down the stairs and showed me the recipe for Baked Chicken Nuggets.

I admit, I was pretty skeptical, after all, Crunchy Onion Chicken Fingers have been declared “better than McDonald’s”.  Would the kids actually like these?  Would I? 

But Dude was excited, so who was I to argue?  The next day, he made his chicken nuggets.  And by he made, I mean he got the ingredients out of the refrigerator, got freaked out about touching raw chicken and then decided that I would do the rest – haha.

Luckily, the chicken nuggets were absolutely delicious!  They were crisp and flavorful, thanks to the panko and parmesan.  The kids recommend dipping the chicken in ketchup, but I recommend spicy BBQ!

Now here’s Dude (he’s a bit short – he was exhausted from a long day at school and mostly excited about the photo editing process!):

I chose to make these because I know I like them.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Adapted from Everyday Food, April 2012 Edition

2 (1 lb) boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup panko

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

½ tsp black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.  Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces.

Place the panko, parmesan, and black pepper in a bowl and stir to combine.  Place the flour and eggs each in a separate bowl.

Dredge the chicken through the flour, shaking off any excess.  Then dip in the eggs, and lastly, the panko mixture, pressing to ensure that the breading adheres.

Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.

Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 6 minutes, then flip all of the pieces and cook for an additional 6 minutes or until cooked through and lightly browned.

Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.

Serves 4