Shake-It-Up Chicken Nuggets

From the American Heart Association Kid's Cookbook

Serves 4; 4 nuggets per serving

Chicken nuggets are usually deep-fried in hot oil to give them a crusty coating. But all that oil makes the nuggets greasy. In our recipe, the chicken is tossed in a bag with seasoned stuffing mix and grated Parmesan cheese. It is then baked in the oven. These "oven-fried" nuggets are crisp and golden. But, they don't have that extra fat you get from deep-frying.

Ingredients

1-3/4 cups herb-seasoned crumb stuffing mix
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons margarine
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 1 pound)

Equipment

Measuring cups
Resealable plastic bag (1 gallon size)
Rolling pin
Small saucepan or small microwave-safe bowl and wax paper
Measuring spoons
Medium shallow bowl
Mixing spoon
Paper towels
Cutting board
Small, sharp knife
Baking sheet
Oven mitts
Tongs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Measure stuffing mix into resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and place on flat surface. Crush crumbs by rolling and pressing rolling pin over bag.

3. Open bag and add Parmesan cheese. Reseal bag and shake to mix thoroughly.

4. Melt margarine (see Cook's Note)

5. Place melted margarine, buttermilk, and pepper in medium shallow bowl. Stir well with spoon. Set aside.

6. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels.

7. Place chicken breasts on cutting board. Cut chicken with small, sharp knife into 16 chunks of the same size. (Each chicken breast should give you 8 chunks or pieces.)

8. Dip each chicken chunk into buttermilk mixture, covering all sides. Let extra buttermilk mixture drip off. Place 3 dipped chunks at a time into bag of crumbs. Seal bag tightly and shake until chicken pieces are evenly coated with crumbs.

9. Place coated nuggets on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken chunks.

10. Place baking sheet in oven. Bake nuggets 4 minutes.

11. With oven mitts, remove pan from oven. Using tongs, turn over each nugget.

12. Return to oven and bake 4 to 5 minutes, or until medium golden brown.

13. With oven mitts, remove pan from oven. Using tongs, remove nuggets to platter or plates. Serve nuggets immediately. Place a small bowl of your favorite dipping sauce nearby, if you like.

Cook's Note

You can use the stovetop or the microwave to melt margarine. If you choose a stick margarine, it can easily be measured by looking at the tablespoon markings on the wrapper and cutting off the amount you need. Each stick equals 8 tablespoons. To melt the margarine, follow these easy steps:

Stovetop
Place margarine in small saucepan.
Place saucepan on burner.
Turn heat to low.
Heat until margarine melts, stirring occasionally.

Microwave
Place margarine in small microwave-safe bowl.
Cover with waxed paper.
Microwave on HIGH (100 % power) 30 to 45 seconds for 1 tablespoon, or 45 to 60 seconds for 1/4 cup.