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Friday, May 13, 2016

Easy & Crispy Chicken Nuggets Recipe

Being brought up in Gujarati family I was encircled with veggies. My family was different, they never restricted us towards one particular delicacy, but being frank I was never attracted towards non-veg food. Mainly because I was always anxious about the blood, raw flesh and of-course the smell that nauseate me! But when you are surrounded by multi-cultural friends you end up tasting various delicacies from north indian food to south indian food. Woven into the assignment and projects were the details of college lunches, picnics and treats some of which was very different of what I ate. I had a curious appetite and this become yet another reason to try out something new. So my fear got bumped into nugget eating by a simple sharing of tiffin boxes.

While I was completing my Java project, my bff offered me her lunch box that included hot and crispy chunks of nuggets along with roughly fried peas and potato salad. The first bite just tasted like soya nuggets and It was difficult to imagine chicken nuggets when I had never eaten them. Soya nuggets are my distraction and I just like to eat them hot spicy, as they absorb all the flavor within them giving a soft and juicy taste. Chicken nuggets had a different texture as they were made by mixing in a few spices and coated with bread crumbs but tasted exactly the same. I was in a totally different world when I tasted that small chunk of gold and it was yummy! I must say chicken sometimes does taste like soya nuggets, a hardcore vegetarian like me couldn't pick out the difference between the two!

After that, It took me 4 years to try other non-veg dishes, and this went possible after knowing my hubby's love towards non-veg. His world revolves around meat, chicken, eggs and seafood. Being a vegetable averse I cannot think of serving him full bowl of veggies. All I can do is hide veggies by mixing a small amount of pureed vegetables with chicken or meat dishes! I started developing and presenting different varieties of non-veg cuisine over the dinner table to satisfy his fancy wish for non-veg.

Today, I am going to share my favorite non-veg recipe as it's the only chicken dish I tasted the very first time in my life. I personally prefer roasted, bbq or fried chicken over any chicken gravy, as I am not a constant non-veg eater and chicken gravy doesn't fascinate me in eating. 

We prefer to eat a lot of nuggets at dinner, sometimes twice in a week not just because I love the touch of Oregano in it, but it's less oily & incredibly yummy. Chunks of chicken pieces coated with breadcrumbs and any herbs or spice can be a perfect easy chicken recipe. It is not only kids friendly, but also a bit size goodies for your family. 

It's a human tendency that we easily feel monotonous with the same style, taste, appearance of the typical usual menu. This crispy recipe of chicken magically adds uniqueness in your daily food menu. Serve it as a snack, starter or side dish. It is not overly spicy yet satisfying our taste buds. Just a few kicks of spices and your dish is almost ready. You can definitely add herbs and sauces of your choice but this is the standard recipe I prefer for chicken nuggets. 


Let me tell you, it is a freezer friendly dish too. Yes! Follow all the procedure till coated chicken pieces with bread crumbs & deep freeze them & remove half hour before frying. Isn't it cool, quick, easy & great idea to save you time!

Chicken Nuggets

Easy & Crispy Chicken Nuggets Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: Not more than 30 minutes
Serves: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:
1/2 kg boneless chicken pieces
1 egg
1 cup cooking oil
Quarter teaspoon black pepper (one half teaspoon = 2 quarter teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard paste
1 tablespoon of red chili powder or red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons of cornflour or cornstarch
1 cup of all-purpose flour or maida - for coating chicken pieces
1 cup bread crumbs
Salt to taste

Method:
Chicken Marination
  • In a bowl, add the chicken pieces (cut it in 2-inches), quarter teaspoon black pepper powder, half teaspoon of white pepper, half teaspoon mustard paste, 1 tablespoon red chili powder, half teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and salt to taste. Mix everything properly and add beaten egg into it and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of cornflour and mix everything together. Marinate for not more than 10 minutes. Double these for more servings or make half for less servings.
Dipping, Coating And Frying

  • Remove one piece of chicken and coat it with all-purpose flour or maida and then the breadcrumbs by gently pressing the crumbs into the chicken piece & set on a clean plate. Repeat the same procedure with the remaining chicken pieces.
  • In a frying pan, heat cooking oil on a medium flame, now gently place all the chicken pieces one by one & shallow fry them on each side. Turn chicken pieces to the other side if one side of chicken nuggets has turned brown in color. You will see a crispy coating on each side of the nuggets. 
  • I prefer to shallow fry them, you can even deep fry if needed. Always test one chicken piece by frying it & taste, adjust spices and salt & proceed frying all the chicken pieces. 
  • Serve hot with tomato sauce, cheese dip or mayonnaise. 
It's a complete meal with white sauce pasta, noodles or salads & enjoy eating this finger food :)

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