Chicken Nuggets (Nut-Free)
By: Susan Joy
Easy and delicious Chicken Nuggets with a nut-free, lightly seasoned coating. I created this recipe with children in mind so they can enjoy a yummy, healthy school lunch (it’s been taste tested by my grandkids and passed with flying colours).
I’ve used Cassava flour in the seasoning mixture. Cassava flour is also known as Yuca flour. Cassava is a vegetable, the root is dried and ground down to create a mild flavoured flour and has the texture of wholemeal flour. When sending the nuggets to school add a freezer pack to keep them chilled.
I’ve included cooking instructions below for oven baking and cooking in an air fryer. The seasoning mixture can be made ahead and stored in a glass jar ready to use. If you only require half the quantity of chicken, weigh out half (100g) of the seasoning.
Serves: 6 | Prep Time: 00:15 | Cooking Time: 00:20
Ingredients
1kg skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces (3cm cubes)
3 egg(s)
1 Tbsp coconut cream
A little olive oil, to drizzle over nuggets when cooking
FLOUR & SEASONING MIX:
160g (1 cup) cassava flour, (I use Otto’s brand)
1 Tbsp smoked paprika, or sweet paprika (not hot paprika)
2 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp Italian herbs
1 1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
Directions
Preheat oven to 200c (fan-forced). Line 2 oven trays with baking paper.
Add the eggs and coconut cream to a bowl and whisk together well and set aside.
Add the flour and seasonings to a bowl and stir well to distribute the spices evenly through the flour.
Add several pieces of chicken to the egg mixture and use a fork to turn and coat well. Lift out the chicken using the fork and place to the seasoned flour. Use a spoon to cover the top of the chicken pieces with the flour mixture, then use your hands to roll and generously coat.
Place the coated chicken on the prepared trays, repeat until all the chicken is coated. Drizzle a little olive oil on the top of each piece of chicken (no more than 1/2 teaspoon on each as you don’t want too much liquid on the tray).
Transfer to the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes, then remove and use tongs to turn each piece over. Return to the oven and continue cooking for a further 5 – 8 minutes or until cooked through and golden in colour.
If cooking in an Air Fryer:
Place half the coated chicken into the machine (depending on the size of your basket you may need to cook in 2 – 3 batches). Drizzle with a little olive oil over the top of each piece of chicken. Cook on 200c and set timer for 10 minutes, then open and use tongs to turn over each piece, cook for a further 5 minutes or until cooked through and golden.
Article supplied with thanks to The JOYful Table.
About the Author: Susan is author of The JOYful Table cookbook containing gluten & grain free, and Paleo inspired recipes for good health and well being.
