Taste of Home : Chicken Nuggets

Ask anyone what my favourite food is and they will tell you chicken nuggets. Good ones, bad ones, take away ones, luxury ones and homemade ones. They are my go to, my ultimate comfort food, and the thing I just cannot say no to!

So of course I had to create my ultimate chicken nuggets, flavoursome, quick and easy and addictive in the best way. There are even dips for you to try or you can just stick to good old mayo, stick them in a bun or take them on a picnic!

These are proof nuggets are not just for kids (they will love them though!) or for a boring last minute week night tea, or from a drive through (though I can't promise I won't 'occasionally' eat these!). I must warn you though, don't try and steal my last nugget! You’ll want to make double portions let me tell you. 

Ingredients: 
Serves 4 (Though I could eat them all solo to be honest)

• 3 skinless chicken breasts
• 150g cornflakes
• 50g Parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Homemade buttermilk:
• 500ml whole milk 
• juice of 1 lemon

Spicy sriracha mayo:
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp sriracha sauce  (more if you like it spicy)
• zest of 1 lemon
• splash of Tabasco sauce
• small bunch of fresh chives, finely snipped

Method

1     Pour the milk and lemon juice into a large bowl and mix together. Set aside for a couple of minutes and you’ve got homemade buttermilk!

2     Chop the chicken into nugget-sized chunks or goujon shapes, depending on what takes your fancy. Drop the chopped chicken into the buttermilk, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 3–4 hours, or overnight if possible.

3     Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4).

4     Put the cornflakes, grated Parmesan, garlic powder, parsley, paprika, cayenne pepper, rosemary and some salt and pepper in a food processor and blitz until rough jagged crumbs form. If you don’t have a food processor, then bash the cornflakes in a Ziplock bag and finely chop the parsley before mixing all of the ingredients together. Tip the cornflake mix into a separate bowl.

5     Remove the chicken from the fridge and roll the marinated nuggets in the cornflake mix. The cornflakes should stick all over the nuggets, coating them completely.

6     Lay the coated nuggets on a baking tray and cook for 18–20 minutes until the nuggets are cooked through and the coating is crispy and golden.

7     To make the spicy sriracha mayo, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

8     Serve the nuggets hot alongside the spicy mayo—those not feeling too brave can have plain mayonnaise instead!

Find this recipe and more in Happy Cooking by Candice Brown, Ebury, £22

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