Better-For-You Chicken Nuggets

A better-for-you version of everyone's childhood favorite!

With kids starting in school, of course they are going to come home asking for what everyone else is eating. When and where I can, I prefer to make an at-home version with whole food ingredients. Sometimes they prefer the good old packaged stuff and that's ok! But sometimes, I nail it and the at-home version is a big hit. These chicken nuggets fall in the the latter category. Win-win.

I make these ahead and put them in the freezer, so they are just as easy to reheat as the boxed chicken nuggets we all know and love. Because I'm 'frying' them in oil, I've found that the crust holds up whether you reheat in the oven or the microwave.

I hope your kids (and you) enjoy these as much as we do!

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground chicken

• 1 egg

• 3/4tsp garlic powder

• 3/4tsp onion powder

• 1/2tsp dried basil

• 1/2tsp salt

• 1/4tsp ground black pepper

• 1 cup breadcrumbs (fine)

• 4Tbsp avocado oil

Directions:

1. Combine ground chicken, egg and seasonings in a large mixing bowl

2. Pour breadcrumbs out onto a large plate

3. Form chicken mixture into about 1-2Tbsp size balls and roll in the breadcrumbs, then flatten into a 'nugget' shape. If you're feeling ambitious, you can also use a cookie cutter here to create shaped nuggets. FYI, this can be a little tricky as the mixture will be on the wetter side

4. Heat 2Tbsp avocado oil in a large cast iron or frying pan and place flattened chicken nuggets onto the pan, with enough space in between to flip them

5. Cook about 5 minutes per side, adjusting the heat to make sure the crust does not burn. Check the internal temperature of each nugget before removing from the pan - this should be at least 165°

6. Heat remaining 2Tbsp of avocado oil and repeat until all of the chicken mixture has been used