Kid Friendly Chicken Nuggets

[NYCgrrl]

How I cook at home and camping for adults is different then how I cook for children.
It's been a learning experience and the rules change radically from one age group to another.

I'm fortunate in that the grrlies I camp with have no veggie issues but that's OK cuz they make up their fussy/picky wants in other manners.

It has been brought to my attention that this generation thrives on chicken nuggets. So for 4-5 years I've been on a hunt to make 'em so this crew will eat 'em w/o those funny faces they can make that means "Noonie" failed. Again. Experimented with oven roasted sesame seed coated nuggets(Ehh! Serve it for say the 2nd birthday and they are amused by the texture but ahem you weally shouldn't go back there again...); stir fried chicky strips with pesto sauce ( Doomed, I say, doomed, to failure!:D) and various permutations down through the years.

This year's version is perfect for camping as long as you freeze ahead and tasty to this age group:

Serves 4 to 6


Don’t brine the chicken longer than 30 minutes or it will be too salty. To crush the panko, place it inside a zipper-lock bag and lightly beat it with a rolling pin. This recipe doubles easily and freezes well.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breast (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs, crushed
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 large egg whites
• 4 cups peanut or vegetable oil

Instructions

• 1. CUT AND BRINE Following photos 1 to 3 (at left), cut each chicken breast diagonally into thirds, then cut each third diagonally into ½-inch-thick pieces. Whisk water, tablespoon salt, and Worcestershire in large bowl until salt dissolves. Add chicken pieces and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.
• 2. COAT CHICKEN Remove chicken from brine, discard brine, and pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine flour, bread crumbs, onion powder, remaining salt, pepper, garlic powder, and baking soda in shallow dish. Whisk egg whites in second shallow dish until foamy. Coat half of chicken with egg whites and dredge in flour-crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining chicken (don’t discard flour-crumb mixture). Let sit 10 minutes.
• 3. FRY Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Return chicken to flour dish and turn to coat, pressing flour-crumb mixture gently to adhere. Fry half of chicken until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Drain chicken on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. Serve with dipping sauces (see related recipes.)
• MAKE AHEAD: Cool fried nuggets, transfer to zipper-lock bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuggets on rimmed baking sheet and bake, flipping once, until heated through, about 15 minutes.

I made some modifications..added a lil sugar and cut back on the Worcestershire since I was concerned about the sodium content. Also added some lemon peel (pith on ...about a 1/4 of a whole lemon's peel) to brighten the flav and a quarter bunch of fresh parsley just because it was on hand (optional).

To the dry breading, I added onion powder to an equal amt to the garlic powder; some dried parsley and just a pinch of smoked sweet paprika. And then I stopped with the add ons and substitutions .

They don't taste like Mickey D nuggets......more like Wendy's and they were eaten up without a word. Which makes me happy and the primary eaters as well.

I freeze them ahead and if you wrap them well it'll all hold together longer than a month.