Baked chicken nuggets with chipotle sauce

Baked Chicken Nuggets Recipe with Chipotle Sauce

Our Baked Chicken Nuggets make a good, fast weeknight meal that the kids are sure to love. When served with our sweet and spicy chipotle sauce, these easy Chicken Nuggets are a great grown-up appetizer at your next game-day gathering--score! This homemade chicken nugget recipe makes a large batch, so it's perfect for freezing and keeping on standby for whatever the week throws your way.

Total time:
Yield: 16 servings (80 nuggets)
Nutrition facts: Per serving: 178 calories, 5.4 g fat, 13 g carbohydrates (1.5 g fiber), 19 g protein

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Ingredients

For the chipotle sauce

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1½ cups diced red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz.) apricot halves packed in light syrup
1 small chipotle pepper in adobo
¼ cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. salt

For the chicken nuggets

3 small cloves garlic
½ cup parsley or cilantro sprigs
6 slices (9 oz.) whole-grain sandwich bread, preferably stale, torn into small pieces
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz.)
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-in. cubes
¼ cup milk

Directions

  1. Make the sauce: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Cool. Transfer to a food processor.
  2. Reserving the syrup, drain the apricots and add them to the processor. Add ¼ cup of the reserved syrup, the chipotle, ketchup, vinegar and salt, and process to a smooth puree. Refrigerate until serving time. (You can make the sauce up to 1 week ahead.)
  3. Make the nuggets: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
  4. In a food processor, process the garlic and parsley until finely chopped. Add the bread, Parmesan, salt and pepper, and pulse until the bread is coarsely crumbed. Add the butter and process until completely incorporated. Divide the breading in half and place in 2 separate sturdy plastic bags. Refrigerate 1 of the bags.
  5. Divide the chicken in half and place in 2 separate bowls. Cover and refrigerate 1 bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk to the other bowl of chicken. Toss lightly to coat, and then drain the chicken in a colander. Add the chicken to 1 bag of breading, and shake to coat well. (You can bread the chicken and freeze up to 1 week ahead.)
  6. Place the chicken nuggets on the baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until crisp. Repeat with the remaining chicken, milk and breading.

Tip: These nuggets also make a good, fast weeknight meal that you can keep on standby. To freeze, spread the unbaked nuggets on a baking tray and freeze solid (about 2 hours). Store in an airtight container. Bake unthawed in a 400°F oven for 14 to 17 minutes.