Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Psst.  Guess who snuck on her husband's laptop.  He's so totally emersed in the sports channel that I don't believe he will be aware.

Well, tonight I was dragging something awful, but I finally hauled my carcass into the kitchen to cook something for that doe-eyed bunch I call my family.  Seriously, like a bunch of Tiny Tim beggars, them. 

Something popped to mind the other day that I figured I could take a crack at, an old Nigela Lawson episode where she cooked up some chicken that she'd marinated in buttermilk.  Let me just add that I love this lady (almost as much as my dear Paula Deen, but don't tell her that, I'd hate for my dahlin' to get her feelings hurt). 

Anyhow, back to the chicken.  I didn't have the time to marinate it in buttermilk as long as Nigela suggested, but it was wonderful.  Too, I didn't have Ritz crackers available (I think her recipe is called "Ritzy Chicken Nuggets") so I used Panko crumbs seasoned with Old Bay seasoning, a dash of kosher salt, and a sprinkling of Rajun' Cajun 'cause, c'mon, I'm keepin' it real.  Another change to the recipe was that I baked my nuggets.  Hmm, maybe with all these changes, I'll just call it my own recipe so here goes:

Crispy Chicken Nuggets
2 to 3 chicken breasts, pounded thin (To do this, I placed the breasts in a Ziploc and hammered with a meat tenderizing mallet)
1/2 cup buttermilk, (oh go ahead and marinate your bird, if it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside)
Panko Crumbs
Old Bay Seasoning to taste
1/2 tsp. salt
A dash of Cajun seasoning, to taste

After pounding out the chicken, we cut the breast into strips about an inch wide (not real specific on this part).  We dipped the strips in a bowl of buttermilk and then dredged through the seasoned Panko crumbs which we  had poured out onto a plate.  I placed them on a parchment lined baking sheet and baked @ 350 degrees until done.  I turned the nuggets once, after about 15 minutes.

We served these with sweet potatoes, and a honey mustard dipping sauce for the nuggets.

To make the honey mustard, just mix about a half cup of mayo, 1/4 cup honey, and a a little less than a 1/4 cup brown mustard.  Stir well.

Sorry no pics, still.  Hard drive is being ordered soon.  I hope.

Ta ta,

The Kitchen Witch

2 comments:

GardenOfDaisies said...

These sound delicious!! Buttermilk makes everything taste good! How long (approx) did you let them bake after you turned them?

A Kitchen Witch said...

They were crispy-delicious...I maybe baked them 15 min. or so more : )