Tried and True: Homemade Chicken Nuggets

We LOVE America's Test Kitchen on PBS. Best cooking show ever. These guys know their stuff because they literally have it down to a science.

This recipe was one we felt comfortable trying ourselves.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

source

I have to say, though these babies aren't super low in fat (deep fried... yeah), they are the BEST chicken nuggets you will ever taste. Juicy, crispy, perfect. And you know exactly what's going in them so you don't have to worry about freaky preservatives or chemicals from frozen processed food. 

A little labor intensive, I'll admit. But if you make a whole bunch, you can easily freeze and rebake them later. I did that with our last batch and enjoyed delicious chicken nuggets for lunch later in the week!

Here's the recipe, which I'll post due to a request ;) and because the recipe is free on the Test Kitchen website, if you sign up. (the link for the website is at the bottom).

Ingredients:

~Brine:
2 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

~Coating: (is that the right word for it?)
1 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs (I used regular bread crumbs but the recipe calls for panko)
2 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 egg whites
4 cups vegetable oil


Directions:
1. Cut up chicken into 2-2 1/2'' by 1'' pieces and soak in the brine for 30 mins, covered, in the refrigerator. (Don't let it sit longer than that.)
2. Meanwhile, mix the coating ingredients together in a shallow pan.
3. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Discard brine.
4. Whisk egg whites in a bowl until foamy
5. Dredge chicken in egg whites, then press into flour until coated
6. Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes.
7. Heat oil over medium-high.
8. Return chicken to flour mixture, press to adhere (no need for any more coats of egg white, just put it back in the flour mixture again.)
9. Fry chicken in oil about 3 minutes (or until done), turning halfway through.
10. Since you'll only have room for some of the chicken in the frying pan, transfer cooked chicken to a wire cooling rack so the excess oil will drip off.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce!

*If you decide to freeze them: you can freeze the nuggets for up to a month. When you want to reheat, bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, flipping once halfway through.

Link for recipe:

http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/Chicken-Nuggets/26115/
If you can, sign up for the free membership and check out other recipes they've got. They are ALL amazing!!

***I was not paid or asked to promote America's Test Kitchen in any way***