Healthier Homemade Chicken Nugget That's Better Than Takeout

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 this Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets recipe great crunch without deep-frying. Blackberries (or raspberries, if you prefer) combined with whole-grain mustard make for a sweet-and-savory dipping sauce.

These Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken 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

    Prep Time: 20 minutes

    Cook time: 8 minutes

    Yield: Serves 4

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard Ingredients

    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

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard Recipe Instructions

    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."

Cornmeal-Crusted 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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Healthier Homemade Chicken Nuggets - Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets Recipe

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