kid approved – KJ Taggett

–Parmesan Baked Chicken Nuggets–

We occasionally get Parker a happy meal from McDonalds but I cringe every time because I know just how bad fast food is for everyone, especially children.

I have been wanting to come up with a healthy alternative for a while now and came across this recipe for Parmesan Baked Chicken Nuggets. All the ingredients are healthy besides the minimal flower that is used and bread crumbs (which I used less than what they called for).

Serves 4 – Prep Time 20 minutes – Bake time 12-14 minutes

This is what you need:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 1 pound)
1 1/4 cup panko (bread crumbs)
1/3 grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

My Alternates:
I used 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts and I used all the ingredients
I only used about 3/4 cup panko
I used EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) instead of vegetable oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the chicken into 1.5-2 inches pieces. Set on a dish.

Spread panko in a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 3 minutes in the middle rack, until light brown. Transfer the panko to a shallow dish and mix in Parmesan and coarse salt. Drizzle the oil and mix well. Set out the flour and the eggs in separate dishes. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Place a wire rack ON the baking sheet, lightly coat with cooking spray.

In small batches, coat the chicken in flour, shaking off any excess, dip in egg, and lastly coat well with panko. Transfer to the rack. Bake the chicken until desire tenderness, about 12-14 minutes, turning halfway through.

This recipe was VERY kid friendly and approved by both my husband and son!

I had some chicken left over that I couldn’t put any panko on so I just ended up pan cooking them and saving them for lunch the next day. I used the 21 Day Fix All Purpose Seasoning on them and they were delicious!

And…drum roll plllleeeasseee….

These were so good and a definite make again! You can add any sides you like, we just had green beans! Try them out and let me know what you think!! 🙂