Monday, January 25, 2010

Copycat McDonald's Chicken Nuggets(Baked) and Gluten Free version

4 largish boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 c all purpose flour
2-3 eggs(may be omitted)
water and salt
*see bottom for gluten free

Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces and place in food processor or kitchenaid food grinder attachment.


Process until it is a fine paste(about 1/2 way there stop and add in seasonings, these measurements may require some adjustments for your personal tastes)









Next measure out your flour and cornmeal( I did 1/2 c white flour, 1/4 c cornmeal and 1/4 c whole wheat flour at a time to separate it into "batches") mix thoroughly

If you do not want to use eggs a water and salt solution is wonderful!



Take a small spoonful and make a small ball of chicken, dip in egg(or water) and then dip in flour mix. Coat thoroughly, then repeat in liquid, then flour mix again, place on well oiled baking sheet and press flat.

Bake at 400 degrees 6 minutes and flip, bake 6 minutes on the other side...








I got 2 batches of approx 20 nuggets



To Freeze:
Place cooled nuggets in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze for 3 hours, transfer to a freezer bag and place back in freezer
To cook from frozen , bake on baking sheet at 400 for about 17-20 minutes.


















To make Gluten Free I subbed out the wheat flours with this recipe in addition to the above listed seasonings:
1 cup rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 cup cornmeal

then just continue as directed above!
(this was for a pretty large batch, 4 big breasts)

11 comments:

  1. Wow...they look really yummy! Can't wait to try it!
    ~beadingmom17 (from CafeMom)

    ReplyDelete
  2. OMG! I have to try this ASAP! The look EXACTLY like traditional nuggets. Yay for pickle!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Woah those look amazing. Guess I should ask for a food processor for xmas?

    ReplyDelete
  4. My kids will LOVE these. I just got a kitchen aid mixer. . . . guess I need to ask for the grinder attachment next :) Thanks so much for sharing!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This recipe is perfect. Omit the cornmeal and it's still delicious. I did add a little liquid when processoring (in the form of apple juice). yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  6. YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY!!!! I made these for the kiddos and they are DELICIOUS!!! I probably over cooked them a little because I'm a little weird about chicken and it being under-cooked. Anyway, I pinned it on pinterest.com with a link to your site. DELICIOUS AND CANNOT WAIT TO TRY OTHER RECIPES YOU'VE POSTED :) Thanks for posting this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for the share!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi would this work if I just cut up the chicken breasts into nugget sized pieces and "bread" them? I am wondering also if these brown up well since not much oil is used. Thanks for answering my questions!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the coating should be just fine for a regular nugget coating. They brown up nicely too!

      Delete
  9. I realize this post is from years ago, but figured I'd ask anyway...can you use regular ground chicken rather than using a processor (I don't have a food processor!)?? Thanks! My son won't eat anything but McDonald's chicken nuggets, I'm hoping these will make the cut - are they pretty close to the taste of the real deal?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course!!! I made this recipe before ground chicken breast was readily available at my local store (weird thing that they didn't carry it regularly until about 2-3 years ago) And I think they taste pretty close, as do my kids!

      Delete