How to Make Chicken Nuggets from Ground Chicken

Why Make Your Own Chicken Nuggets?

There are two reasons why we make these chicken nuggets. We make them because we love chicken nuggets but don't love all of the additives, fillers and preservatives that are put into the ones that are purchased at the grocery store. We make them because they are a nice change from the pieces of breaded chicken that are more like fried chicken than the chicken nuggets that we used to enjoy from fast food places.

These nuggets start out with freshly ground chicken. The beauty of grinding your own chicken is that you can mix it up a bit by combining the white and dark meat. If you don't have a meat grinder, ground chicken is readily available at any grocery store and if you find it on sale, making these chicken nuggets is an excellent way to use it.

Directions for freezing these is included in the instruction. A double batch can easily be made and half of the nuggets can be frozen for a later time. Eating on the run doesn't mean you have to eat out of a box or bag. Pop frozen nuggets into the oven for a quick snack or meal when you don't have the time or are too tired to cook anything from scratch.

Things to Remember When Working with Raw Store Bought Chicken

• Always keep the work surface clean. You'll want to continuously wash the area where you are working with the chicken.
• Wash the chicken in cold water before using it. Except for ground chicken, washing the chicken in cold water (NO SOAP is necessary) to help wash off any bacterial that can make you sick.
• Always cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If your store purchased chicken has been exposed to salmonella, cooking to 160 will kill this harmful bacteria,

Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 20 minutes  Ready in: 30 minutes  Yields: Approx. 20 nuggets

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken

1/2 cup oats (quick cook)

1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 clove minced garlic

1 tablespoon fresh minced onion

1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon salt (season to your liking)

1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (season to your liking)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

How to Make Chicken Nuggets

Raw ground chicken in the mixing bowl.  Ground chicken always looks wet and slimy to me so if that's how it looks to you, don't worry about it because it's normal.  :)

Add the oats and all of the spices/seasonings to the ground chicken.

Give it a good mix to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

Pour the breadcrumbs into a bowl.  You are going to coat the outside of your lovely chicken nuggets in the breadcrumbs.

Using a teaspoon, scoop the chicken mixture out of the bowl.  

Using your fingers (dampening them with a little water works best because it will keep the chicken mixture from sticking to your hands) shape the nuggets into any shape that you want.  I chose plain ol' circle shapes.

Roll your chicken nugget shapes around in the breadcrumbs to coat all sides.

Double check to make sure the whole thing is coated, including the sides.

Your chicken nuggets are now ready to either freeze, fry or bake.  

Freezing

If you want to freeze some or all of the chicken nuggets for future use, you'll want to have them on a single layer on a plate, platter or cookie sheet.  Place them in the freezer for at least three hours.  After the three hours and they are frozen through, you can put them into a ziplock freezer bag and store them for up to three months.  Whenever you want to cook them, just add a couple of minutes to the cook time when using frozen chicken nuggets.  How's that for fast food?

Baking

Now, I have eaten these baked and they are good but in my opinion, frying them is the way to go.  If you like baked nuggets, you'll want to preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly oil a baking pan with olive oil or the oil of your choice.  Place the chicken nuggets on the pan and put them in the oven for 8 minutes.  After that first 8 minutes, turn them over and return them to the oven for another 8 minutes.  Once the time is up, use a meat thermometer to take the internal temp of a few of the nuggets.  They should register no lower than 165 in order to be completely cooked and safe to eat.

For frozen nuggets, just increase the time from 8 minutes to 10 to 11 minutes.

Pan Frying

In my opinion, this is the most yummy way to eat these nuggets.  I put between 1/4" and 1/2" of oil into a small frying pan or iron skillet and turn the heat onto medium high.  Once it is hot, I place the nuggets into the pan and allow them to cook for approximately 4 minutes before turning them over to cook on the other side for another approximately 4 minutes.  Sometimes it takes a minute or two longer.  I always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temp to make sure that it reaches 165 degrees or more so I know that the nuggets are completely cooked and safe to eat.

No matter which way you decide to cook these homemade chicken nuggets, you'll want to have a side of either ketchup, mustard or any of your favorite dipping sauce.  They really are delish and fast food has never been so easy to make!