How to: Not Make Chicken Nuggets for Dinner [NaBloPoMo Day 13]

As I made homemade panko-crusted chicken for dinner tonight (because let's face it, breaded chicken is delicious), I got to thinking that it's so easy to do "fresh" chicken dishes like nuggets at home there's no excuse for making frozen chicken parts anymore.  This is a subject that I've written about ever since I started writing my now shuttered food blog, Family Food, years ago.

I took my organic chicken pieces (I use boneless, skinless thighs), dipped them in flour, then egg, then coated them in seasoned panko, arranged them on a pan and stuck the pan in my convection oven for about 30 minutes until they were crispy-crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside. These were served alongside steamed rice and snap peas briefly stir-fried in peanut oil with gingr and garlic. Simple and yummy.

So what do you if your child is a chicken lover and you just can't break out of the chicken nugget rut?  Here are some ideas for you:

• Make versatile chicken paillards ("pie-yards") on the grill or off
• Try indian-spiced roasted chicken (this makes the best chicken soup later)
• Make a Mexican Chicken Mole Adobo
• Coq Faux Vin is always a hit in this house (what's not to love about bacony chicken?)
• One of my 6-years-old's most requested meals is chicken curry
• Make chicken chili

I'm sure you all have other ideas for how to serve chicken and keep it versatile so please share! We all benefit!

Comments

[MB]

I bought my first Panko last week!

How do you season your Panko? I used it for the first time to make croquettes from left over risotta and loved the crunchiness but missed the seasoning of my usual store bought 'seasoned bread crumbs'.

[marlo]

I make your Chicken Paillard from Family Food all the time. So yummy.

[dp]

I did a chicken katsu, but before coating with panko I dipped it in a miso paste for extra flavor. It was definitely a hit.

My normal go-to solution is stir-frying. Lots of flavor combinations and a good way for me to incorporate fresh veggies.

[Asianmommy]

Thanks for the great suggestions! I'd love to try the Indian spices.