Check out the recipe for healthy chicken nuggets! These chicken nuggets are moist and packed with 42g of protein per serving! They are pan-fried without a lot of oil and have no breadcrumbs to hold grease. Enjoy by pairing them with your favorite dipping sauce or use them as chicken patties for sliders.
Chicken is one of the foods that contain lots of protein. Lifting heavy weights is now part of my workout regimen, my body requires more proteins than it used to. Chicken nuggets are a great way to eat chickens, but chicken nuggets from fast-food restaurants are not quite healthy… So I decided to make my own low-fat, low-calorie, and low-carb version of them.
- Chicken breasts
- Garlic cloves
- Silken tofu
- Egg
- Salt
- Corn starch
- Olive oil
In this recipe for healthy chicken nuggets, I decided to use a secret ingredient, TOFU! Tofu is another protein-packed food, and it prevents chicken nuggets to dry out. This idea was inspired by the Japanese chicken meatball, Tsukune.
Benefits of Tofu
Tofu is a good source of protein and contains all nine essential amino acids. It is also a valuable plant source of iron, calcium, manganese, and phosphorous. In addition to this, it also contains magnesium, copper, zinc, and vitamin B1 [1].
Chicken meats tend to be bland but I used tons of garlic to add more flavor. My favorite dipping sauces to pair with are Southwestern Style Sweet & Spicy Mustard or honey mustard.
These chicken nuggets can also be used as chicken patties for sliders if you have some bread rolls at hand.
How to make ground chicken
You can purchase packaged ground chickens in a meat department, but they are a bit pricier than regular chicken breasts… Your butcher may refuse to grind chickens for you because of the sanitation situation. But don’t worry, you can easily make your own ground chicken at home!
Hand-chopping method
With a sharp knife or cleaver, cut the chicken breasts into small pieces (about 0.5 inches or smaller). Now gather the chicken pieces into a pile and keep chopping the chicken from left to right until reaching the texture of your liking. This is the method I used.
Food processor method
Cut the chicken breasts into small pieces (about 0.5 inches). Place the pieces into a food processor and grind them until reaching the texture of your liking.
How to make these healthy chicken nuggets
Prep: Place the silken tofu on a plate and microwave it for 30 seconds – 1 minute. Then pour out the excess water from the plate and set it aside.
In a large bowl, place the ground chicken, tofu, egg, salt, and corn starch. Mix them until everything is well combined.
Heat up a pan on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add a tablespoon of oil.
Scoop about a tablespoon of ground chicken mixture with a spoon and place it on the pan. By using the back of the spoon or fingers, flatten the ground chicken mixture to about 0.5 inches thick. Continue placing more chicken patties until the pan is filled.
Slowly cook the chicken patties until they get golden marks on both sides. If you want to be sure if they are cooked through, stick a thermometer and check if the internal temperature is higher than 165°F.
Dip the chicken nuggets in your favorite dipping sauces and enjoy! You can also turn the nuggets into sliders if you have some bread rolls at hand:
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Healthy Chicken Nuggets
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Large frying pan
- Thermometer (Optional)
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts 900g
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 package silken tofu 16oz
- 1 egg large
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons corn starch
- 2-3 tablespoons oliveoil to fry
Instructions
- Place the silken tofu on a plate and microwave it for 30 seconds – 1 minute. Then pour out the excess water from the plate and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the ground chicken, tofu, egg, salt, and corn starch. Mix them until everything is well combined.
- Heat up a pan on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add a tablespoon of oil.
- Scoop about a tablespoon of ground chicken mixture with a spoon and place it on the pan. By using the back of the spoon or fingers, flatten the ground chicken mixture to about 0.5 inches thick. Continue placing more chicken patties until the pan is filled.
- Slowly cook the chicken patties until they get golden marks on both sides. If you want to be sure if they are cooked through, stick a thermometer and check if the internal temperature is higher than 165°F.Dip the chicken nuggets in your favorite dipping sauces and enjoy!
Notes
