Chicken Nuggets

"Eat more chicken."

Who doesn't love a good chicken nugget? With kids in the house, it is always an automatic "no complaints" dinner, and of course it is something that I double the batch of so I can have extra to throw in the freezer. This particular recipe came from The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook (Grain-free Popcorn Chicken pg 40-41), and it is yet another recipe from her book that didn't disappoint. If you love delicious, simple, uncomplicated recipes made with healthy and accessible ingredients, this book is for you! Add it to your Christmas wish list or buy it for your favorite cook, you won't regret it!

As for the dips...we tried The New Primal mustard bbq, which everyone loved (my daughter added maple syrup, which was a great addition), and is now a staple for nights when I throw everything in one pan. And the second dip is a combo of Tessemae's avocado ranch (my absolute fave) and caesar dressing...if anyone is familiar with Mellow Mushroom, that combo reminds us of their Esperanza dressing.

A few tips when making chicken nuggets:

*If starting with frozen chicken, I let it thaw for a few hours (still frozen in the middle but not difficult to get a knife through) and then cut into chunks. The chicken isn't slimy while cutting and I get great uniform pieces.

*When I have time, I brine the chicken in pickle juice (pretty sure that came from a Chick-Fil-A copycat recipe at some point) for a few hours, can't say it makes nuggets taste like the fast food brand, but it adds good flavor and juiciness to the nuggets. Consider sodium content though, if that is something you watch out for in your diet.

*You can bake instead of fry your nuggets (great for batch cooking since you can get a lot done at once). You can follow the baked fish stick process (scroll down our feed or click to our website). Spray oil is the key.