Conference Chicken Nuggets

Conference weekend is a weekend full of finger foods.  It’s a feast that lasts many hours . . . It goes on and on!  Aren’t we lucky?   We all look forward to this weekend for so many reasons.    One finger food that comes out each and every time is homemade chicken nuggets.   ( Conference nugget as MacKinlay once called them). Of course we eat them at times other than General Conference weekend,   but for the last 19 years these have been present thru Conference. This recipe has been adapted from the Mel’s  Kitchen Cafe Blog. 

• INGREDIENTS -
• 2-3 thick slices whole wheat bread (for about 1 cup of crumbs)
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan/ Romanocheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon water
• 4 large (about 2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch or so sized pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
2. In a food processor or blender, place the slices of whole wheat bread and pulse until crumbs form. Add the basil, oregano and Parmesan cheese and pulse until combined. Pour the bread crumbs on to the prepared cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven for 8-10 mins (until starting to golden)
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, egg whites and water until well combined. Pat the chicken cubes dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Toss the chicken cubes in the egg white/olive oil mixture before taking a few of them at a time and rolling them in the prebaked  bread crumb mixture to coat evenly.
4. Place the coated chicken nuggets on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, carefully flip the nuggets over (taking care not to remove the breading) and bake for 5 minutes longer, or until cooked through (the exact time will depend on the size of the chicken pieces). Serve immediately.