Healthy Chicken and Zucchini Nuggets recipe, a kids favourite turns into a Summer feast with no-guilt!
Chicken Nuggets are an all time favorite kids meal, but they're too often not homemade. Mostly, you'll find yourself eating store-bought, fast food version, filled with industrial flavours but handy, cheap and quick to prepare.
These homemade chicken nuggets are quick enough to satisfy your savory cravings in less than half an hour, and in the meantime get extra healthy and nutritional benefits too.
The key ingredient of this super-healthy recipe are vitamin-packed zucchini, light and fresh in flavour, provide also 1 of your 5 a day veg&fruit portions.
Surprise, surprise, there is another superfood in this recipe: almonds. High in protein, fiber, and vitamin E, almonds are great for your heart, digestive system, and skin. A lot of good reasons to add them in any possible meal!
Pair the Chicken and Zucchini Nuggets with a tasty Spicy Basil Ketchup and this classic recipe will quickly become a spring and summer favorite, perfect for barbecues, picnics and outdoor parties!
Recipe
Chicken and Zucchini Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken tenderloins, cut into nugget-sized pieces
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup finely grated zucchini, squeezed dry with a paper towel
- 2 cups cornflakes, finely crushed
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- Spicy Basil Ketchup:
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
Instructions
- For the Spicy Basil Ketchup, simply mix the sweet chili sauce and Ketchup into a bow. Stir in the fresh basil. Transfer to a serving bowl and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush it with olive oil.
- Add the chicken to a large bowl and pour the buttermilk overtop. Mix well and set aside.
- Grate the zucchini and pat dry using a paper towel or dish towel.
- In a large bowl mix well grated zucchini, crushed cornflakes, cornmeal, ground almonds, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
- Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk, and dredge through the crumbs, pressing gently to adhere.
- Place nuggets on the baking sheet. Brush each chicken nugget with olive oil.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then gently flip and spray the other side. Bake for 10 minutes more, then remove from oven and serve with the Spicy Basil Ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
ciaraattwell says
These look amazing! Definitely trying them this week.
The Petite Cook says
They are amazing indeed, I managed to feed a very large crowd in less than 1/2 hour, and everybody was seriously happy and satisfied 🙂 Nobody even noticed there were zucchini!
chef mimi says
These really sound fantastic! And they're not fried! Thanks!
The Petite Cook says
Oven is such a good alternative 🙂