This started from my realization that the last bag of shredded chicken meat I had wasn't enough to make anything substantial. Still, I didn't want to go back to making the same dishes I'd already done (which would inevitably lead to eating the same dishes I'd already done. Again). Then I remembered how people sometimes wonder about what's really in chicken nuggets. That's it - my next chicken dish with my own mystery ingredients!
Instead of wondering about what's in chicken nuggets from fast food chains, why don't we make them at home, with the ingredients we know? Better yet, ingredients that are actually good for you?
Within a small focus group that tried my chicken nuggets (i.e., a couple of friends having dinner at my place), they couldn't figure out what was in these 'nuggets.' Just the way I wanted it. There were enough chicken bites to assure them that these indeed contained chicken meat, but the combination of 'creamy' and 'ricotta-like' texture that went well together seemed puzzling to them before I disclosed my ingredient list.
To make about 15 nuggets
Peel and cut 1 medium sized potato to small pieces (about 1 cup). Simmer in 1/4 ts of salt and 1/2 C of milk (I used 2% low fat) over low heat and stir often to prevent any burn on the bottom. Cook until potato pieces are soft. Using a fork or a potato masher, break the potato pieces to make it creamy.
Squeeze hard a small block of extra-firm tofu (8 oz or 200g), enough to get most of water out. Break the tofu into small crumbly pieces, which makes about a cup. Transfer the tofu crumbles into the pot and mash together with the potato cream.
Chop about 1 cup of chicken meat (which is one bag of cooked chicken breast meat saved from a whole chicken) with no big pieces. Combine with the tofu- potato cream mixture. Add 1/4 ts of salt and ground black pepper to taste and mix well.
Shape the mix into about 15 chicken nuggets. Pour vegetable oil to coat the bottom of a hot pan. Dredge each nugget in flour then dip in egg wash (1 egg with 1 TBSP of water whisked well). Place the nuggets on the pan. Cook over medium heat until the bottom of each nugget is golden. Flip once to get golden on the other side.
Honey Dijon Dipping Sauce
Combine 2 TBSP of honey, 2 TBSP of whole grain Dijon mustard and 2 ts of soy sauce.
Enjoy chicken nuggets while they are still hot with honey Dijon dipping sauce!
| KOREAN WORDS | ||||
| potato | 감자 | (gam ja) | ||
| milk | 우유 | (wu yu) | ||
| tofu | 두부 | (du bu) | ||
