I’ve made certain decisions regarding the kinds of food that I feed my kids. Convenience food, whilst it may save time, is ‘likely’ loaded with stuff that can’t be too good for growing kids. After all, what parts of the chicken *really* go into a nugget
My children love chicken nuggets, but the store bought option just isn’t suitable for me to serve to my kids anymore. Instead, I began experimenting with creating my own. The idea was to come as close to ‘butcher-shop’ nuggets as possible. The process is slightly tedious, but it’s worth it. I’d recommend preparing 2kg of minced chicken as the 1kg that I made actually won’t be enough to store for school lunches – it’s really *that* good!
1kg chicken breast, minced superfine at your butcher. I asked the ladies at Forsmay to process my chicken fillets until it was the smoothest that they were able to get it.
To this add:
1 tsp of ground garlic
1 tsp of grated ginger (I always use fresh ginger)
1 tsp ground cumin and coriander powder. It must be ground very fine and not coarse
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp mixed herbs
Half a tsp chili powder
Some chopped coriander for colour
A squeeze of lemon juice
1 egg, to bind
Mix well ensuring that there are no lumps.
Under normal circumstances, I’d recommend frying a small amount in oil to taste for seasoning. If you’re able to, taste the mixture before setting in the freezer.
On a large tray, play some cling wrap to cover. Spoon the mixture over and flatten and smooth till a thickness of about 1 and a half cm has been achieved. Put into the freezer to firm up. You may leave it overnight, or if you can, leave in for just 2 hours, or until set but not too soft that the meat sticks to a cutter.
Using a cutter, cut your shapes. Roll immediately into beaten egg and crumbs. I used Panko, but you may use breadcrumbs if that’s easily available.
You may place on a tray and freeze until assembling in a container. I’ve opted to fry mine, but I’m sure that they may be baked too.