In most of America, the chicken nugget is a household term. Most kids have the menu to their favorite fast-food joint memorized long before they can recite the alphabet. During the school week, mini-vans clog the drive-thru lanes to fill bellies before racing to after-school activities. We’ve all done this. We drive away with a bag of neatly stacked boxes that contain rubbery, grisly mystery meat uniformly shaped with a suspiciously perfect coating.
It’s time to bring out the food renegade in you and join the movement to revolutionize the chicken nugget. Without looking back, cut your apron strings from this unhealthy food-ish product and make my crunchy, tender, healthy chicken nuggets. Assuredly, this family favorite includes only clean, real food ingredients. Trust me; you won’t feel one pang of guilt serving up these nibblers to your kids.
Exposing the Mystery in the Meat
A quick search of the ingredients of the nuggets produced by the most popular fast food chains reveals a few objectionable ingredients on the list. Real food archenemy monosodium glutamate is (MSG) the second ingredient in the seasoning followed by sugar. The seasoned coating also contains MSG along with monocalcium phosphate which industrial food companies use as a leavening agent. Too much of this additive can cause health issues.
Dimethylpolysiloxane, that’s a mouthful, and it is added to the beloved commercially manufactured nuggets.
If you kids eat dino-shaped nuggets on a regular basis, you may need to allow their palate some recovery time. Without a doubt, real food will taste differently than processed food. Don’t allow the bemoaning of your kids discourage you from the challenge of choosing not to eat industrial food novelties.
Don't allow the bemoaning of your kids discourage you from the challenge of choosing not to eat industrial novelties. Click To TweetBecome a Food Renegade
No-FUSS healthy living suggests that you start viewing cooking as craftsmanship rather than drudgery. You can change the world from your kitchen.
As you cook this recipe, begin to trace the miles and origin of the ingredients. Ask yourself, do the ingredients that I use for this recipe nourish my body?
Food journalist and New York Times bestseller Michale Pollan remarks that many products that show up on the food scene:
“don’t deserve to be called food—I call them edible foodlike substances. These highly processed concoctions designed by food scientists, consisting mostly of ingredients derived from corn and soy…and they contain chemical additives with which the human body has not been long acquainted.”
No-Fuss Healthy Living Homemade Chicken Nuggets
I am adding the ever popular homemade chicken nuggets to my meal plan as often as possible. Indeed, they are a no-fuss real food family favorite. Serve them with Tessemae’s All Natural Dressing, Sauce, and Marinade Variety Starter Pack: Mild Buffalo, Organic BBQ, Organic Ketchup, Organic Creamy Ranch and Organic Lemon Garlic for starters – Whole30 Certified
Ingredients:
1-1 1⁄2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups of water
1 Tbsp of sea salt
2 Tbsp of Coconut Aminos
1 cup of almond flour
1 cup of Ian’s gluten-free Panko Bread Crumbs
2 tsp of organic onion powder
1⁄2 tsp of black pepper
1⁄2 tsp of organic garlic powder
1⁄2 tsp of baking soda
3 large egg whites
4 cups of avocado oil
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1⁄2 pieces
- In a bowl, combine water, salt, and coconut aminos
- Add chicken pieces and refrigerate for 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes, remove chicken from refrigerator, allow to dry
- Combine flour, bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and baking soda
- In a dish, whisk egg whites until foam appears.
- Dredge chicken pieces in egg white mixture then dredge and coat in the bread crumb mixture.
- On the stovetop, in a Dutch oven, heat oil to 350°
- Carefully, place coated chicken into the oil, fry until a golden brown
- Drain chicken on a wire rack