Day 256.
I got the neatest email from Melissa yesterday, explaining how she made chicken nuggets for her children. I was really impressed with how she layered the chicken pieces on top of foil that was punched with little holes to allow steam to escape.
I made some yesterday, and while I don't think I had quite as much success as she had, I will most definitely try them again, and I love it that I have a freezer bag full of nuggets to heat up for lunches and snacks.
yay!
The Ingredients.
--4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
--4 T butter or olive oil (I used butter)
--4 eggs
--1 cup breadcrumbs, or a mixture of cracker, cereal, tortilla chip, etc. crumbs.
--1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
--1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
--1 T flax seed meal (optional---I threw it in. They'll never know.)
The Directions.
I used 6 chicken breast halves, and layered the cut up pieces in a 6 quart Smart Set Crock-Pot.
Make sure the chicken is fully thawed. Cut into child-size pieces. I found that the smaller pieces I made cooked better than the larger ones. The larger ones also didn't get crispy on top---stick to about 2 inch pieces.
In a bowl, mix the melted butter or oil with the egg. Blend up the cracker and cereal crumbs to make a fine bread crumb mixture and pour into a pie plate.
Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. I did not. You really should.
Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, and then toss in the crumbs. Put a layer of battered chicken pieces in the bottom of the crock. When the bottom is full, add a piece of aluminum foil. Poke tiny holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. I found that the layer I did with the most holes worked the best, and the layer I skimped on resulted in soggy topping. The holes are important.
I made 4 layers with 6 cut-up chicken breast halves.
Cover your crock, but vent the lid with a wooden spoon or chopstick. Cook on high for 2-4 hours. Melissa's took 2 hours to cook, my batch took 4. After cooking, we both left our crockpots on warm for a few hours before eating.
The Verdict.
These were really good. I had a few in the middle that were soggy that I ate, and gave the kids the ones that were crunchier. I was impressed with the topping, and the kids didn't freak out, so they must have been okay too. My eldest daughter thought they were store bought until her sister said that we made them in the crockpot.
My kids now emphasize in the crockpot! when describing food which cracks me up.
Thank you for sharing your experience with me/us, Melissa!
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