This is a little recipe that I picked up while chatting with another mum on the school run. I mentioned our Homemade Fish fingers that use cornflakes instead of breadcrumbs which prompted her to reveal this, even simpler method of coating chicken nuggets, using mayonnaise and Rice Krispies! This popular breakfast cereal has always been known as ‘pops‘ in our house, partly because I always go for the supermarket version, normally called ‘rice pops’ or ‘popped rice’ and partly because ‘pop’ is easier to say when you are 2!! The mayonnaise not only provides and excellent glue for the coating, but also tenderises the meat, hence the instruction to leave it in the fridge for 30minutes. If you are in a hurry, you can omit this step or leave it for longer if you need to do your prep in advance. I use a chicken thigh per child for this recipe which usually allows 6-8 nuggets per child depending on chicken size!! The size and shape of the nuggets are really up to you, but keep them uniform to allow for equal cooking time.

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken thighs (1 per child), de-boned (Sainsburys sell boneless thighs but it’s even cheaper if you do it yourself!), sliced into ‘finger thick’ strips

• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• Breakfast bowl of popped-rice cereal (Rice Krispies or supermarket own equivalent!)
• Salt and pepper
• 25g cooled, melted butter

Method:

• Coat the chicken pieces in the mayonnaise. This can be done on a plate or chuck it all in a freezer bag if you are a bit squeamish with touching raw chicken!
• Place it in the fridge (either in the bag or on a plate covered with clingfilm) for around 30 minutes.

• Add 4-5 twists of both salt and pepper to the cereal and crunch them up with your hands leaving a mix of crushed and whole pops -the last portion in the bottom of the packet is perfect for this recipe!

• Taking one chicken piece at a time, remove any excess mayonnaise, coat in the cereal and place on a baking sheet
• Drizzle all with a little melted butter

 ⇒ 

• Cook in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 15minutes, turning halfway through (check they are cooked through before serving)
• Serve the Pop Chicken Nuggets with peas, carrots and a sauce for dipping- try my Roasted Vegetable Sauce for an extra helping of veg that they won’t even notice!

Enjoy!!

Previous recipes: Chicken ‘Kinda’ Kiev  Crunchy Salmon Fishcakes, The Best Bolognese, Quick Spinach and Watercress Soup, Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake, Easy Bacon and Monkfish Risotto, Hake in a Cheesy Sauce, Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce, Chinese Salmon, Chorizo and veg pasta & Homemade fish (or chicken) fingers.

Click here for more quick, cheap and healthy dinner ideas and follow my blog for regular Kids Tea Tuesdays! xx