There are moms out there whose kids have no idea what fast food restaurants are.
I am not one of those moms.
This isn’t a feather in my cap or something I’m bragging about, but the truth is that for us, sometimes fast food happens.
I’ve always been pretty open with the fact that I have one very unusually picky eater–if he could live on Kraft macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and cheese, he probably would (yes, I get a lot of advice, solicited and unsolicited, and no, I don’t want any right now. Thanks.) So even fast food can be a battle sometimes. But he will eat chicken nuggets, but only from places where the nuggets are just cut up pieces of chicken breast; if it’s ever been ground up and re-shaped into nugget-shaped somethings, he doesn’t want those. So I set out to make these at home. And they were juicy and salty and crispy and flavorful and a huge hit with kids and adults.
There are lots of baked variations out there, and the first time I made these, I tried baking some and frying some. And I decided that I’m just choosing a path and recommending that you fry these. They’re better. They just are. I know they’re not better FOR you, but honestly, sometimes you’ve just gotta take one for the team. I think there are ways to make a baked version tasty, but I felt like as it was, these were a little dry and flavorless and no one would eat them. So. There you have it. I’m being bossy. Fry these bad boys and call it a day.
You’re going to need 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces, buttermilk, dill pickle juice (yes, pickle juice; and those Walmart pickles are my favorites. Don’t judge.), and Tabasco sauce (which didn’t make the picture cut).
In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, combine the pickle juice, buttermilk, and about 10 dashes of Tabasco sauce. Add the chicken and seal the bag, then refrigerate it for 1-4 hours.
For the coating, you’ll need flour, baking soda, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, eggs, and panko bread crumbs.
When ready to cook, whisk together 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the egg whites and water (discard the yolks or use them for something else). Add the bread crumbs to a third shallow bowl. Begin heating about 2 inches of peanut oil in a heavy pot (keep an eye on it…a grease fire will ruin your day).
Place a handful of chicken pieces into the flour and toss to coat (you can also coat them all at once by combining the chicken and the flour mixture in a large Ziploc bag and shaking to coat). Roll the chicken in the egg whites, then roll to coat in the Panko.
Repeat with remaining chicken pieces. I find it works best when I use one hand to do the flour/egg part and the other hand for the bread crumbs–it kind of keeps the mess to a minimum.
Preheat oven to the lowest setting.
When the oil reaches 350 degrees, place 1/3-1/2 of the coated chicken pieces in the pan and cook, stirring gently and frequently, until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes; use an instant read thermometer to check them if you’re nervous; the nuggets should be at least 165 degrees F in the center).
Place the cooked chicken in the heated oven (or serve, if you have hungry little monkeys hanging around the kitchen) and repeat with the remaining chicken. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings. And if you’re wondering what to dip them in- Sara is going to share her yummy dipping sauce that goes with these in an upcoming post. Until then, ranch, ketchup, bbq sauce, and honey mustard are always faves!
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Recipe by Our Best Bites
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup dill pickle juice
3/4 cup buttermilk
Tabasco sauce
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 cups unseasoned panko bread crumbs
Peanut oil (or other oil with a very high smoke point like canola, although canola can impart a fishy flavor when cooked at very high temperatures)
Instructions:
Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, combine pickle juice, buttermilk, and about 10 dashes of Tabasco sauce. Add the chicken and seal the bag, then refrigerate it for 1-4 hours.
When ready to cook, whisk together 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, the flour, baking soda, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the egg whites and water. Add the bread crumbs to a third shallow bowl. Begin heating about 2 inches of peanut oil in a heavy pot (keep an eye on it…a grease fire will ruin your day).
Place a handful of chicken pieces into the flour and toss to coat (you can also coat them all at once by combining the chicken and the flour mixture in a large Ziploc bag and shaking to coat). Roll the chicken in the egg whites, then roll to coat in the Panko. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces. I find it works best when I use one hand to do the flour/egg part and the other hand for the bread crumbs–it kind of keeps the mess to a minimum.
Preheat oven to the lowest setting.
When the oil reaches 350 degrees, place 1/3-1/2 of the coated chicken pieces in the pan and cook, stirring gently and frequently, until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes; use an instant read thermometer to check them if you’re nervous; the nuggets should be at least 165 degrees F in the center). Place the cooked chicken in the heated oven (or serve, if you have hungry little monkeys hanging around the kitchen) and repeat with the remaining chicken. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.
Questions & Reviews
We love these chicken nuggets. Ours are slightly different but the pickle juice and buttermilk make such a crazy good marinade. I’m excited to try using panko crumbs. I have one of those picky eaters too (pb&j, yogurt and bananas only please) and these are usually a hit with her. I hope the sauce is similar to Chick-fil-A sauce because it’s my favorite and I have no idea how to replicate it!
Pickle juice is an amazing idea!!! How do you think these would turn out being baked instead of fried?
I’ve tried baking them–they’re okay, but not great, especially the time I fried half and baked the other half. They were just dry and flavorless by comparison.
These look amazing! My ONLY beef with frying things at home is the smell – it seems to permeate every thing from our clothes to the walls and make mt house smelly for days! Do you have any tips for frying without stinking up the house? I guess I’ve only ever tried it with canola oil and not peanut so maybe that might have something to do with it.
Canola definitely stinks worse. I just open up the windows and hope for the best, haha!
Simmer a pot of vinegar and water on the stove for an hour or so (or less if you don’t have time). Maybe around 2 cups water and 1/2 cup vingar (apple cider or white). It always works! (We use it for that burned toast/popcorn/sticky overflow spots in the oven too)
Thank you for this.
These look awesome, thanks! I have a kid just like that except he won’t even eat chick-fil-a. Not that we don’t keep trying :).
I just have to say what a awesome post.
I may finally get to make something for my two picky eaters that they will actually eat. Usually it is cereal or yogurt for dinner.
Pickle juice is a problem. NOBODY in my family likes pickles so I would never have them in my pantry. We pull them out of burgers, leave them untouched when served with sandwiches. So – an alternative that we might have in the pantry? I am assuming it’s the acidity that’s needed to keep the chicken moist, but can you taste it afterwards? Would some kind of non-pickle infused vinegar work. I don’t want to have chicken tasting of vinegar though.
Yep, vinegar would definitely work! 🙂
Is there any oil other than peanut oil that you’d recommend? I know you chose it because it is yummy and has a high smoke point, but we have peanut and tree nut allergies in the house. And yes, I can google for oils with high smoke point, but I’m trying to figure out if you (or anyone else out there who has experience) have a preference for frying besides peanut oil. I think my own picky eater (just the mac and cheese, please, no pb for her :)) would love this. Thanks!
Grapeseed oil and canola are both good options. The downsides are that grapeseed is expensive and can be hard to find and canola can take on a fishy flavor at very high temps, so if you use it, just make sure it is a new bottle and keep an eye/nose on it; if it starts to smell fishy, your food will taste a little fishy, but that might not bother you. 🙂
excellent to know! thank you very much! 🙂
Expeller pressed coconut oil would work great, too!
I have a daughter who is deathly allergic to peanuts and treenuts, but peanut oil is ok for us to use. Something about the protein not being in the oil. The one time I fried anything, I stuck with canola, but we visit restaurants (especially Chik-fil-a, because their shakes are nut-safe) that use peanut oil with no problem. I know all allergies are different, but you could ask your doctor if you could use peanut oil?
“The FDA exempts highly refined peanut oil from being labeled as an allergen. Studies show that most individuals with peanut allergy can safely eat peanut oil (but not cold-pressed, expelled or extruded peanut oil – sometimes represented as gourmet oils). If you are allergic to peanuts, ask your doctor whether or not you should avoid peanut oil.” http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/peanut-allergy
thanks, amber. when i asked, her allergist told that i am lucky that restaurants are now telling customers they use peanut oil at all, and i shouldn’t bank on them telling me how it is processed. we have avoided chik-fil-a for that very reason, but it sounds like they are using the refined type. i’m so glad to know about their shakes! i suppose i’d be able to check the label if i were buying it myself, though…that’s a great idea. thanks! 🙂
My kids are the same! The 6 year old would eat most anything, the 4 year old is the bird by just pecking at her food, and the two year old is semi-picky, she wont do Pb&j, but will eat spicy foods and rice & beans. Lol! Chicken nuggets are everyone’s favorite though, and I already have chicken out for supper! Thanks!