Wednesday, June 5, 2013

BEST Paleo Chicken Nuggets

guys, i'm not even making it up. my super picky daughter, that hates EVERYTHING paleo, gobbled them up and asked for more. i've been working on perfecting my chicken nugget recipe for more than a year now and have gleaned from some pretty awesome blogs out there to come up with this version... hand down the BEST paleo chicken nugget. i don't usually toot my own horn, but i'm pretty excited about this one and think you all will love it too! 


they're crispy on the outside and moist and flavorful on this inside. the ground chicken mixture recipe comes from Multiply Delicious. i've used her chicken nugget recipe from the start, but my kids never liked the breading. i started making them without breading because i would put all the work in and they wouldn't eat them! oh no. we can't be wasting food around here. 


i recently saw a post over on Urban Poser's blog for some yummy looking fried lamb chops and i thought, "man, that breading looks like it would be perfect on some chicken nuggets!"... so i tried it for myself, with a few adjustments, and they are perfect!! i am completely non-dairy right now so i subbed the yogurt for coconut milk and the make it less spicy for the kids i subbed the chili for paprika. i pretty much lover everything on her blog so i'm sure the original recipe is amazing.

here's my version:

{BEST Paleo Chicken Nuggets}
makes a little over 2 dozen

1 lb. ground chicken
1/2 c almond flour
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg yolk
1 tsp salt

2/3 arrowroot flour
1 tsp paprika
1/4 c water
1/2 c full fat canned coconut milk

palm shortening

in a large mixing bowl combine the first 6 ingredients. roll into little nugget shaped balls and place on a foil or parchment lined cookie sheet to hang out until they're ready to go into the fryer. meanwhile, mix the remaining ingredients (except the palm shortening) in a smaller bowl, set aside. in a deep, heavy bottom sauce pan, melt the palm shortening until 350 degrees. test with a little drop of the batter before adding it all in. it should sizzle right away. PLEASE BE SO CAREFUL!!! this part is dangerous and you could easily be burned. i did batches of 9 nuggets at a time, covering in the batter and placing in the hot oil, but you can do as many or little as you like depending on how big your pan is. cook for 2 minutes per side. make sure to check one nugget to make sure it's thoroughly cooked. remove with a slotted spoon and let cool. 

yum!

and i had extra batter leftover so i quickly sliced up some zucchini and made a batch of fried zucchini! i couldn't waste the yummy batter. all i did was add a little salt to the batter. tasty little treat!


i hope you like this, let me know if you try it!

xoxo,
tara