So, there’s nothing wrong with nuggets. There really isn’t – I’ve seen tons of scared articles, bemoaning ingredients, big business and more.  But, at a fundamental level – there’s nothing wrong with them.  I’m not thrilled with the nutritional value of a few of the choices out there – and in some cases, the flavours are a little…well, terrible…but in a pinch and in moderation, they can do an effective job, if balanced with more nutritional, flavourful choices.  And I’m not getting down on all nuggets – some are downright delicious – but read your labels, taste test for yourself and you can draw your own conclusions.

On the flipside of all this, and in the spirit of committing to trying some new, inspired things, I decided to try making my own nuggets.  I can control it more this way, I figured – highly appealing for a control freak like me. 

I was inspired by Theresa Albert’s video on easy chicken strips.  If she can do that with strips, why can’t I try something innovative with my very own nuggets?

Here’s what I did – I used:

1 chicken breast, cut into small strips (little guy has been favouring food in “stick” form lately – don’t ask me why)

1 beaten egg, mixed with 2 Tbsp honey

½ cup  dried breadcrumbs  mixed with:

Black pepper (a pinch or two)

Chili powder (a pinch or two)

Italian seasoning (a pinch or two)

Then:

I preheated the oven to 400 degrees F. Then, I dipped the strips in the honey/egg mixture and coated them in the breadcrumbs. I put them on a baking pan and baked for about 15 minutes – turning at the halfway point.  I served them with some sweet potato wedges and presto!  It was really good.  

The possibilities are endless now – nuggets parmesan, bbq nuggets, pesto nuggets…Maybe we should have a nugget-of-the-month club.