an adult happy meal

No need to stop at the fast food restaurant. Make your own chicken nuggets at home! These are a great alternative to fast food chicken nuggets. Serve with some roasted sweet potato fries & a side salad for a well-balanced meal

Who doesn't love a happy meal?

If you happen to pass those golden arches, I bet you've been tempted to drive in there and grab a happy meal {or maybe something a little more substantial}.

But I'm pretty sure it's universally known that fast food is generally not your best choice when it comes to food options.

Like I often say: it's so much better for you to make your own.

Unfortunately, many healthier chicken nugget recipes just don't taste quite like those gems from Ronald McDonald's kitchen.

Then I found a great recipe for homemade chicken nuggets on a blog, so here's my attempt at them.

You should really try these! They will definitely make you happy, and they actually taste like fast food chicken nuggets, not boring breaded & baked chicken pieces.

I love that you can bake these and then freeze them for later. I like to make a double batch and freeze the extra, so whenever I'm too lazy or busy to make dinner or a snack, I can pull these out to eat.

Chicken Nuggets

No need to stop at the fast food restaurant. Make your own chicken nuggets at home! These are a great alternative to fast food chicken nuggets. Serve with some roasted sweet potato fries & a side salad for a well-balanced meal

Print Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Meme

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 lb ground chicken breast
• ▢ 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 1/4 tsp onion powder or 1/2 chopped green onion
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt-free seasoning
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 tsp kosher salt divided
• ▢ 1/2 tsp pepper
• ▢ 1 large egg whisked together
• ▢ 3 tablespoons water
• ▢ 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Set up your breading station:

• Put whole wheat flour in one shallow bowl. Whisk together egg & water in another shallow bowl. Mix 1/2 tsp salt and whole wheat bread crumbs in another shallow bowl.

Make nuggets:

• Stir together ground chicken breast, garlic powder, onion powder, salt free seasoning, olive oil, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper.
• Using a tablespoon, scoop chicken mixture into little nuggets. Roll nuggets lightly in flour, dip in egg {make sure to let excess egg wash come off before dipping in bread crumbs}, and roll in bread crumbs.
• Transfer to prepared baking sheet, and space nuggets about 1/2-1 inch apart. Spray tops of nuggets with baking spray, and bake in preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through.
• Serve with ketchup or other dipping sauce if desired.
• Refrigerate tightly covered for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Notes

*Makes 24 nuggets.

*If you don't have ground chicken breast, add 1 pound cubed chicken breast into a food processor and blend until ground. 

*Based on a recipe from The Weekly Bite

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

Enjoy your "happy meal" with some roasted sweet potato fries, a side salad {not pictured} & a strawberry beer {if you are of legal drinking age, of course}.

What to use in this recipe:

Meme