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!

How to Cook Chicken Offal- Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard and Chicken Heart

Chicken gizzards, livers and hearts in my kithchen.

Offal (pronounced "awful") are the organ parts of a slaughtered animal. In today's world, these parts of the animal are generally thought of as undesirable for eating. They are the stomach, liver, testicles, heart, tongue, intestines, eyes, etc. Some cultures around the world eat offal on a regular basis while others see it as a pauper's meal and something they don't want any part of.  In the United States,  some people eat it and some cringe at the thought of it.

Eating offal goes back to the time of using every part of the animal when it is slaughtered. Chicken feathers used to be made into pillows and used for stuffing mattresses. The skins of buffalo, cattle, goats, etc. were made into clothing and blankets. Their bones were carved into weapons and the bone slivers were used as needles to help create needed items. Every part of the animal was either used or eaten and that's where offal came from.

Rooster testicles.

Every animal that is processed has the potential for some wonderful offal dishes. For this recipe, we are going to be using the livers, gizzards and hearts of the chickens that my brother and I processed this spring. The collected organs on these chickens were larger, firmer and cleaner than what is purchased at the grocery store. We guessed it is because they are truly fresh, the chickens were treated and fed well and there were no additives to their feed, antibiotics or anything else that would hinder their natural growth.

If you have never tried chicken offal then this is a good recipe for a first time tasting. Since the pieces are dredged in flour, you aren't being reminded of what you are eating when you look at it. Each type has a different taste and texture. Chicken hearts are a little rubbery but they have a nice snap to them that is similar to a good sausage casing. Chicken livers are soft with a creamy texture that will literally melt in your mouth. Chicken gizzards have a bit of a bumpy texture to them. They are solid and unlike anything else that I have ever eaten.

If you have never tasted chicken offal, I highly recommend you try at least the chicken liver in this recipe.  You can usually pick up a pint of chicken liver at your local grocery store for less than $1.50 which also makes for a cheap meal.  Who knows, once you try it you may discover that it is in fact as good as I'm telling you it is.

Ingredients to Make This

• 1 pound of chicken liver, gizzards, hearts or a combination of any of them
• 1 cup of oil for frying, I use lard or a combination of butter/olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose white flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• salt and pepper to your taste

Some people also like to add a seasoning called hickory smoked salt to the breading which adds a fantastic flavor.  If you use the hickory smoked salt, omit the regular salt.

How Long Does it Take?

Prep time: 20 minutes    Cook time: 20 to 30 minutes depending on size of meat  Yields: 4 servings

How to Make This

First things first.  Measure out your flour and put it into a bowl.  Add the seasonings.  Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and wisk them.  This is the breading for the chicken pieces.  Ignore the speckled dog.  That's Spudward and whenever I'm cooking, he's never too far away. 

Pour your oil into the pan you are going to use to fry the pieces.  I always use a cast iron skillet because I think it cooks better.  Turn the heat on medium and keep an eye on the oil.

I start with the gizzard when I'm cooking a combination that includes them because they take the longest to cook.  Coat the pieces with the flour and gently shake off the excess.

Then drop each piece into the eggs, coating all sides.  Remove the pieces from the eggs and put them into the flour again, making sure that all of the pieces are covered with the flour.

Start putting the pieces into the hot oil.

Keep going until the pan is full.  Resist the temptation to start turning these.  If you play with them too much, the breading will start to come off.  Allow them to cook over medium heat until the bottom side breading is browned before you turn them over.

The breading will be brown when you give them their first turn.  Allow them to cook for about 10 minutes before turning them over again.

The finished offal!  It is dark and crispy on the outside and the livers are creamy on the inside.  The hearts have that little snap to them and the gizzards, well, the gizzards are really hard to describe but they are good.

I really do hope you give this a try.  It may seem a bit unusual to some but it's a great tasting, cheap meal that is extremely easy to make.

How to Make Chicken in Peach Sauce- Something Different and Amazingly Yummy!

Baked chicken and peaches? YES. I'm here to tell you that this would be a resounding, very loud, YES!

Sometimes I like to play around with different flavors in my kitchen to see what I can come up with that tastes amazing in the end and that's exactly where this recipe came from. Sometimes playing with your food can be a good thing because you discover new flavor combinations that make your pallet sing. This is one of those situations.

The peach preserves that I used in my recipe were made by me last summer during the height of peach season. It is sweet and has a very nice peach flavor. If you are using store purchased preserves, yours will probably be a bit damper or wetter than what is seen in the photos but that's OK. I just want to make sure you know to expect that it won't look exactly like my photos.

You can also substitute garlic powder if you don't have any fresh garlic. I like using the fresh garlic because, well, I just prefer fresh to powder. It's really personal preference so choose whichever one you think will work best for you.

The Worcestershire sauce is non-negotiable though. It adds a depth of flavor that you just can't get any other way. Don't leave it out or substitute anything for it. It just won't have the same flavor.

Finally, I used chicken legs for the photos but you can substitute thighs or even wings. I haven't tried this on chicken breast so I can't say for sure how that would turn out. If you do try it on the breast pieces, let us know how it does.

Cook Time

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 50 min

Ready in: 55 min

Yields: 2 pounds, approximately 4 servings

Ingredients for Baked Chicken in Peach Sauce

• 2 pounds chicken, thighs, drumsticks or wings
• 1 cup peach preserves, jelly will work but I don't recommend it
• 1 large clove finely chopped garlic, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

How to Make Chicken in Peach Sauce

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Chop your garlic.

Put your chicken pieces into your baking pan. The size that you will use depends on what part of the chicken you are cooking, but you want one single layer of chicken in the pan.

Put the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt and peach preserves into a bowl and mix well.Using a pastry brush, spread the mixture over the chicken.

Any extra sauce that is left in the bowl can be poured over the top of the chicken.

Bake, uncovered, for approximately 45 to 50 minutes or until the chicken reaches the internal temperature of 165 degrees.

When you plate the chicken, be sure to spoon some of the sauce from the baking pan over the top. Serve along side your favorite savory side dish. Sauted spinach or kale is an excellent choice for a side dish with this baked chicken.

Safety Tips for Cooking With Chicken

In today's world, sometimes it feels like you have to wear a hazmat suit and spray everything around you down with bleach when you are working with and cooking raw chicken to keep yourself and your family safe from a nasty bout with salmonella food poisoning. Salmonella poisoning is the most common form of food poisoning in the United States and really is not to be taken lightly.

Here are a few steps that you can take to help prevent this nasty bacteria from invading your kitchen:

• Have a separate cutting board for raw meat. I use a marble cutting board strictly for raw meats and a white cutting board for fresh vegetables and cheese.
• Always wash your hands immediately after handling raw chicken.
• Wipe down everything, and I do mean everything, in your kitchen with bleach water after you have put the raw chicken into the cooking pan. Do not forget places like stove knobs, your refrigerator handle and the faucet on your sink.
• Always take the temperature of your chicken to determine if it is done. NEVER try to make this determination by sight alone. Chicken should reach an interior temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You should insert the thermometer into the meatiest area if you are cooking chicken parts and into the thigh if you are cooking a whole chicken. Never let the thermometer rest against the bone or the pan because it will give you an inaccurate, warmer temperature.

Those are just a few tips to hopefully clear some of the confusion on how to reduce the risk of salmonella poisoning from preparing and eating chicken in your kitchen.

Make this and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Happy eating!