Chicken Nuggets: Homemade

We do like chicken around here and when it comes to nuggets the kids really like them.  It is becoming a tradition for Mimi to make them so I thought I'd share the recipe with you today.

I'll begin with a few pointers that work well for me.  Buy the best all natural chicken breasts or tenders you can find.  I get mine from a local butcher.  When I can't get there I buy Spring Mountain Farms because they are better than those huge chicken breasts.  The huge breasts are just not tender, and you may think you can cut them up and they will do fine but for me anyway they do not.  Think small, think young, all natural and tender.
If you can freeze your chicken breast and then take out to thaw just until you can cut.  The cutting will be much easier.
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What you will need:

• 1 1/2 Lbs chicken breast
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• Cooking oil to fill the pot you are using no more than half to three fourths full.
• 1 cup flour
•  2 cups McCormick Cracker Meal --1-10 oz. box = measurement
• 2 1/4 tsp. Mimi's Seasoning Mix

1. Take a 1 cup glass measuring cup with 3/4 water in it.  Put your chicken bouillon in.  Heat in microwave for 1 minute.  Set aside.  Stir to dissolve bouillon.
2.  Cut your chicken breast to the size you want.  You can see that I cut mine quite small 1" or smaller pieces.
3. Place the chicken in a metal bowl if you have one.  Cover with cold water and about 3 cups of ice. Add the bouillon to the bowl that has cooled slightly.  Add the 1/2 cup white vinegar to the chicken water.  Let this sit on the counter for an hour or so.  If you want to you can refrigerate overnight for cooking the next day.
4. Make your Seasoning Mix as listed below.  If you like you can just use McCormick's Season All or Lawry's Seasoned Salt.  I just like to mix my own. *You probably won't need to use all of the mixture below but it stores for a long time in a sealed container in the cabinet.

Mimi's Seasoning Mix

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon corn starch

1. Preheat your oil to 350 degrees on stove or 375 in deep fryer
2. Take ice out of chicken if you have any left and drain water from chicken.
3. Rinse the chicken.
4. Take your Seasoning Mix or Seasoned Salt and season your chicken.  Using your fingers to add pinches to your nuggets.
5. Mix the flour and the cracker meal together in a medium bowl.
6. Dredge your nuggets in the flour mixture
7. Shake off excess of flour and fry a few 8 or 10 pieces in hot oil.  
8. Use a spider to gently shift them around in oil for even browning.  Leave alone and watch constantly.  These will cook quickly.  Mine were small so they cooked in 4 - 5 minutes.
9. You will find that they will float to the top and stay there when they are done.  They will bounce around some and you will be turning them too but when they pretty much stay at the top they are done.
10. Lift them out drain thoroughly.
11. Have a saucer/platter or bowl lined with aluminum foil and then covered with paper towels for draining.
12. You can test for doneness by cutting one in half.  (you will want to taste them anyway).
13. Tent your nuggets as you fry with a small piece of aluminum foil to keep warm.

Serve while warm for the absolute best taste. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.  We do like the Chick Fil A Nuggets but live so far away from town that it is good to be able to cook your own sometimes.
Tomorrow is Sunday and that is  Chicken Day here in this household.