We’ve all made chicken nuggets using bite size pieces of chicken, rolled in a breading, and baked, right? We eat those a lot and love them! But, I got to thinking about how hard that is for kids to chew! Sometimes, meat can be tough for toddlers without all their teeth. One reason processed nuggets are so popular among little kids (beyond the salt, fat, and chemicals), is of course that they are easier to eat. So, I decided to make our own ‘Un-Processed’ nuggets, and they turned out delicious!!
What was even more fun, was because we blended up the meat first, we could shape them! I didn’t have a dinosaur mold to use, but I do have lot’s of hearts and flowers.
And, before we begin- don’t judge me on photography! I hate taking pictures of meat. Literally, I think it always looks ugly, no matter what!
So, I started with:
1 Five ounce chicken breast (boiled for 20 minutes in water)
In a blender, I put in
- The cooked chicken breast
- 1 egg
- Seasoned with a touch of salt
and blended it all together until smooth. (Bleh! Gross, I know!)
But then, all I did was pack little balls of the meat mixture into cookie cutters, and rolled them in bread crumbs. You obviously don’t have to make shapes. I only made a couple until I got bored with it, and just made balls of nuggets.
Then, place on a cookie sheet to bake. I drizzled with a little butter, so they would come out crispier.. totally optional!
Then, bake at 400 for about 10 minutes (you can flip half way though if you want both sides crispy.
Use your favorite dip, like honey mustard, spicy mustard, ranch, BBQ sauce, or whatever.
So, I’ve been dying all week waiting for my March Issue of Family Fun Magazine! I’m hoping it will come today, because on page 37 they are featuring my plates!! If you haven’t seen them, I usually like to use our 3 section plate, just cause it’s easier to eat off of. But today, I wanted to try out our 4 Section Myplate Plate! As soon as I get that magazine, I will post a scan of the feature! I’m DYING INSIDE!
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41 Comments
Nice! Your pictures look great! I make these for my son, well used to, now he will tolerate regular un-mushed chicken – but the softer texture of the mashed chicken really helped transition him from eating junk food nuggets to healthy whole chicken nuggets.
Did you use straight bread crumbs? I’ve been adding grated parmesan to mine. Gives it a nice flavour kick, and the coating stays on well, I guess the cheese melts it all together a bit? Plus it’s sneaking some cheese in my picky guy :)
I bought that 4 section plate for him too! And the little dairy bowl. He likes the sections :)
Thanks Cristi! I did just use straight bread crumbs because I was just trying to see if it all worked, but the flavor would have been so good with some Parmesan, maybe even garlic powder and onion powder.
is there a way to freeze these?
I knew someone would ask that!! This is the first time I’ve made them, but I’ll put them in the freezer right now, and report back tomorrow :)
I found something kind of similar and she cooked them fully and then frozen them.
http://www.skinnymomskitchen.com/2011/10/18/homemade-chicken-nuggets/
Oh perfect! I love her. Thanks for finding that.
I got my family fun magazine yesterday and there it is, on page 37 just like expected.
Do you think you could add a veggie puree? Would they still hold up?
For sure! These were only being held together with the egg, so if you have any type of wet ingredient, I’m sure it would just mash well with it.
Absolutely brilliant. Genius. Pinned!
These look great! I have never thought about why processed nuggets were so popular what a great hypothesis!
I love the cookie cutter idea, thank you!!! I put my chicken in the slow cooker for 5 hours … the chicken is very tender and falls apart … it can even be creamed with a fork. I use this chicken for tenders, in enchiladas, and sandwiches. Thanks for the great idea!!!
Oh … and I freeze them … I put them on a cookie sheet and freeze them individually. When they are frozen I put them in a zip bag.
Hey Tiffany,
They froze and reheated great! :)
Hi Amy,
This is a great website and you have given me so many great and healthy ideas for my toddler! I have a quick question about these nuggets though. Would I be able to make a bunch and freeze them? If so, how long do you think they would keep?
H3110Dolly
[...] and homemade SHAPED chicken nuggets! Get the recipe here! Healthy Plates MyPlate Products Perfect for ages 2-10 [...]
[...] Homemade Chicken Nuggets [...]
I made these today and they were a big hit! My very picky 3 year old loved them and that’s an achievement. I’m adding them to my list of freezer meals. Thanks!
Oh, my God! It’s so easy! Thank You! I’ll do some health and beautiful nuggets with my daughter today! It’s going to be fun!
This is such a good idea! I love it! I make nuggets but they aren’t that well received LOL. This is going to be our dinner tonight. With sweet potato wedges and mini corn on the cob.
These are awesome. Tuna and or other light fish works great too for picky eaters. The kids also love helping bread these for me and I don’t have to worry about them getting salmonella everywhere since the chicken is precooked.
They were really good just a little bit dry. I guess white meet is that way anyways, but maybe if I add something else they would be better. I will try again :)
Can’t wait to try this, homemade things that aren’t loaded with sodium! Can you please tell me where you got those plates?
Hi Beth,
I made the plates and sell them on my website and Amazon!
My plate site is http://www.healthykidsplate.com I’m glad you like them!!
Amy
I wonder, how would you change it for a kid that is allergic to eggs? What kind of binder would you use? Oil? Milk? I have egg replacer, but… eww. I really don’t like that stuff.
[...] Vía: blog.superhealthykids.com [...]
[...] fish it is! We made fish sticks tonight! Similar to our Chicken Nuggets, we used mixed up Tilapia. The binder we used was whipped up flax seeds, as opposed to eggs that [...]
Ok Stephanie, Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you! But I’ve been doing some experimenting and it worked great using flax seeds like I did for this recipe on Monday:
http://blog.superhealthykids.com/2012/04/fish-sticks-kids-wont-resist/
Basically, I would replace the egg with 1 TBL flax seeds, and 4 TBL water, in a blender till frothy. Then just pour it into your chicken like you would the egg!
[...] so I think the next time I make them, I might add some parmesean or maybe a bit of chili powder. Toddler Perfect Chicken Nuggets Reply With Quote « Previous Thread | Next Thread [...]
I’ve made these a few times and the kids are lucky if they get any because my husband gobbles them up too! :) I usually dip them quickly in fat free buttermilk and then the breadcrumbs so they stick better. Also used garlic powder and put some ground flax seed or wheat germ in with the bread crumbs.
Buttermilk is a great idea! Thanks for the tip. I’ll definitely use that next time.
I just love the heart shaped nuggets! I have added your recipe to my collection of nuggets recipes here:
http://pinterest.com/chickenmcnugget/nuggets-recipes/
Really excited about making these my son loves chicken nuggets, but i hate buying them i always am trying to find some that are healty. i been buying soy nuggets but they get expensive, am very excited to try these fingers crossed that he likes them i am very glad that i have found this page :)
[...] love them. They're a bit bland so I add a bit of parmesean cheese and a bit of mild chili pepper. Toddler Perfect Chicken Nuggets Reply With Quote « Previous Thread | Next Thread [...]
Make sure to add some seasonings! I’ve been getting lots of feedback saying they are sort of ‘bland’.
Good luck, I’m glad you found us too!
I know this is exactly healthy, but my favorite coating for chicken nuggets has always been- One part breadcrumbs, one part captn’ crunch (no crunch berries) and the garlic and onion powder to taste. It’s supposedly a Planet Hollywood recipe. I hear it’s really great with honey mustard, but I always eat these plain without any kind of sauce.
isn’t* I mean
Yum! That brings back memories of my childhood.. ha ha. Actually- in high school, I literally ate 1 bowl of captain crunch every single day! :)
Man… I’m a college student and these still look delicious! Flower and heart shapes and all! I wish my mother would have done this kind of thing! And it all looks wonderful and healthy!
I love this idea! I think these would be great frozen!