Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets

 I never knew how easy it was to make a healthy version of chicken nuggets until I stumbled upon this recipe from Annie's Eats.  The recipe calls for baking the chicken instead of frying and using panko bread crumbs to make the chicken nuggets crispy.  I tweaked the recipe a bit because my kids did not like the taste of Dijon mustard and thyme nor do they like anything spicy. 

I usually cut the chicken in bite size similar to chicken nuggets rather than long strips.  It's easier for my toddler to eat since she tends to gobble everything in one bite.  With two kids helping me out, the total time for this recipe is around 60-70 minutes.  I have never made this dish by myself, but I can imagine it would take half the time.

Ingredients

2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. canola oil  (I use olive oil)
1/2 cup of grated parmesan 
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (I omitted this)
3 large egg whites
1 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard (I omitted this)
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme or ¼ tsp. dried  (I omitted this)
Cooking spray
1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch wide strips

Directions 

• Preheat the oven to 475˚ F
• In a large skillet, toss the panko with the oil.  Toast over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. 
• Transfer the toasted crumbs to a bowl.  Add 1/2 cup of grated parmesan into the same bowl.
• In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. 
• In a third bowl, whisk together the egg whites, water, mustard and thyme.
• Spray a wire rack lightly with cooking spray and place over a rimmed baking sheet.  Working in batches, dredge a few pieces of the chicken in the flour, then the egg whites, and finally the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off the excess between each step.  Lay the coated pieces on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.
• Spray the tops of the chicken pieces lightly with the cooking spray.  Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes.

Things you can do with your little ones

My two little ones enjoy making these crispy baked chicken nuggets.  I usually prep everything ahead of time so 3 bowls are placed on the dining table like an assembly line.

•  1 bowl for the dry ingredients 
•  1 bowl for the wet ingredients
•  1 bowl for the toasted crumbs with grated parmesan cheese

I prefer my kids to handle the bowls with dry ingredients while I handle the bowl with the wet ingredients. With a spoon,  I have my kids toss the bite size chicken pieces in their bowls until it is properly coated.  This is done in small batches. Then the coated chicken pieces are tossed to the next bowl until it makes its way to the wire rack.  My kids get a kick out of seeing  a plain cut chicken slowly looking like an uncooked chicken nugget.