Something even better happened to me the other day, and it is my favorite part of having written a gluten-free cookbook. A friend of mine to whom I had gifted a copy of our book stopped me to say, "I tried that baked chicken nugget recipe the other day, and my kids loved it! I was so happy! And I felt good that it wasn't fried!"
And this woman has seven children, five of whom still live with her.
It's in moments like these when I feel like the hard work I've done helped someone. Someone who has to cook gluten-free because her youngest son has a wheat allergy was helped in a small way because of me. That makes me feel great!
In the world today ruled by the self-esteem mentality, the best way to feel good about yourself is helping someone else! I love it!
Here's the recipe if you'd like to give them a try:
“Oven-fried” Chicken Nuggets
2-1/2 to 3 cups Rice Chex® or other unsweetened, gluten-free cereal
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
Cooking spray
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into nugget-sized pieces Salt and pepper to taste
Onion powder
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup white rice flour
Prepare the Rice Chex by crushing the cereal in a blender on low or in a food processor. Pour crushed cereal into a bowl or gallon-sized plastic bag. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto the crumbs and mix well.
Before cooking, place a wire rack inside a large baking pan. Spray the rack with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Generously salt and pepper the chicken and drizzle with olive oil. Sprin- kle with onion powder, if desired. Place rice cereal into a medium-sized bowl. Break eggs into a small bowl and beat well. Dredge chicken in rice flour, then eggs, then roll in crushed cereal. Place chicken on top of the rack placed on the large baking pan.
Bake for 10 minutes on one side, turn all pieces over, and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes more or until chicken is completely done and coating is nicely browned. Serves 4.
NOTE: I don't actually drag out a blender or food processor to do this. I keep a box of checks for this purpose, and I roll over the whole bag (that is inside the box) with a roller and use what I need and save the rest - or you could crush it with your hands. Easy to do with less to clean up!
2-1/2 to 3 cups Rice Chex® or other unsweetened, gluten-free cereal
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
Cooking spray
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into nugget-sized pieces Salt and pepper to taste
Onion powder
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup white rice flour
Prepare the Rice Chex by crushing the cereal in a blender on low or in a food processor. Pour crushed cereal into a bowl or gallon-sized plastic bag. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto the crumbs and mix well.
Before cooking, place a wire rack inside a large baking pan. Spray the rack with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Generously salt and pepper the chicken and drizzle with olive oil. Sprin- kle with onion powder, if desired. Place rice cereal into a medium-sized bowl. Break eggs into a small bowl and beat well. Dredge chicken in rice flour, then eggs, then roll in crushed cereal. Place chicken on top of the rack placed on the large baking pan.
Bake for 10 minutes on one side, turn all pieces over, and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes more or until chicken is completely done and coating is nicely browned. Serves 4.
NOTE: I don't actually drag out a blender or food processor to do this. I keep a box of checks for this purpose, and I roll over the whole bag (that is inside the box) with a roller and use what I need and save the rest - or you could crush it with your hands. Easy to do with less to clean up!
