Healthier Homemade Chicken Nugget That's Better Than Takeout

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There are about 97,634,347 things I'd rather do after work in the summer than make dinner. (Gardening, hiking, swimming, running, biking and porch-sitting-with-cocktail-in-hand, just to name a few.) I'm sure you can relate.

Even so, we still need to eat.

And while it's so easy to grab a burger on the way home, I'd rather make something that I know tastes great, is good for me and will help me save the money I would have spent on takeout. Armed with this recipe for homemade chicken nuggets -- ready in just 20 minutes -- the excuse that there's not enough time to make dinner flies out the door.

Tossing chicken tenders with cornmeal gives these chicken nuggets great crunch without deep-frying. Blackberries (or raspberries, if you prefer) combined with whole-grain mustard make for a sweet-and-savory dipping sauce. The nuggets also taste great dipped in whole-grain mustard or your favorite barbecue sauce. What to serve it with that won't tack on more time: Steamed broccoli and carrots.

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard

Makes 4 servings.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

1 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 teaspoons honey

1 pound chicken tenders, cut in half crosswise (see tip below)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons cornmeal

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. Mash blackberries (or raspberries), mustard and honey in a small bowl until it looks like a chunky sauce.

2. Sprinkle chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Place cornmeal in a medium bowl, add the chicken and toss to coat (discard any leftover cornmeal).

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook the chicken, turning once or twice, until browned and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total (thinner nuggets will cook faster than thicker ones). Serve the chicken nuggets with the berry mustard.

Tip: Chicken tenders are the lean strips of rib meat typically found attached to the underside of chicken breasts. They can also be purchased separately. Four 1-ounce tenders will yield a 3-ounce cooked portion. Tenders are perfect for quick stir-fries, chicken satay or kid-friendly breaded "chicken nuggets."

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 184 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 67 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrate; 0 g added sugars; 26 g protein; 2 g fiber; 452 mg sodium; 70 mg potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 4 lean meat, 1 fat

 

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