The premise: I owe this recipe to Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. But after round more than I can count on two hands, I'm going to claim this as my own since my trial and error attempts in addition to my newfound cooking-chicken-to-the-tenderest-point-of-tender skills have now bred borderline perfection. These healthy nuggets make for the perfect snack. My toddler loves them, and it's the only way she'll willingly eat broccoli. Another trick up my sleeve for getting her to eat veggies. If I were you, I'd consider doubling the recipe after a trial round and freezing the leftovers for a later quick defrost-heat-and-eat snack. That's just what I'd do if I were you... or what I'd try to convince you of if you were me.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins
- 1-2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 head broccoli (about 2 cups if using frozen)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups brown rice flour
- 2 TBSP flax seed
- 1 TBSP lemon pepper
- 1 TBSP paprika
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
Put the tenderloins in a large storage bag and beat them mercilessly with a tenderizer. They are so ridiculously hard to cut into nugget sizes if you don't adhere to that process and so ridiculously easy to cut if you do. So do so. I learned that the hard way. Take them out of the bag, trim the fat, cut them into 2 inch bite size/ nugget size pieces. If you want them extra scrrumptiously delicious, then place them back in the bag, add some olive oil, set them in the fridge, and let them marinate for at least an hour or so.
STEP TWO- THE BROCCOLI AND BATTER:
Steam the broccoli in a steamer or boil it in a pot of boiling water for about ten minutes, just until softened and slightly less green. Once it's done cooking, throw it in a food processor and puree. You may need to throw in a TBSP or two of water to get it fully smooth and pureed.
Place the broccoli puree in one medium-sized bowl. Place the beaten eggs in another bowl. Mix the remaining dry ingredients- the brown rice flour and seasonings- together in a third bowl and spread half of the seasoned flour mixture evenly across a large piece of parchment paper.
Place a fourth of the cut up chicken tenderloins in the broccoli bowl. Spoon the puree over them. Then spoon them out and dip them in the egg bowl. Spoon them out and place them on the seasoned flour mixture. Pour enough of the remaining seasoned flour mixture from the third bowl to cover the tops of the nuggets. Roll them around in the seasoned mixture, shake, and set the battered nuggets aside. Repeat the process three more times until all of the nuggets are properly battered.
STEP THREE: FRYING AND BAKING:
Spray a 9 X 13 inch pan with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
I like to use two frying pans so that I can get the nuggets sauteed in just two batches. Spray the frying pan(s) with cooking spray and heat over medium-high. Add just enough nuggets to the pan to fill the pan without having the nuggets touching each other. I repeat, DO NOT CROWD THE PAN. You should be able to fit about a fourth of the nuggets per pan. Cook for 2 minutes. Flip the nuggets and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove them from the pan and place them in the baking dish.
Wait a few minutes for the frying pan(s) to cool. Rinse them out and repeat that process until all of the nuggets have been sauteed for 2 minutes on each side and placed in the baking dish.
Bake for 12-15 minutes. Be sure to check that they are cooked thoroughly- no pink in the middle- before serving them. Serve with ketchup or mayo or whatever floats your boat.
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