Author:
Kevin Curry
Crunchy Quinoa Chicken Nuggets
Chicken nuggets are essentially the pinnacle of comfort foods. There’s no getting around their delicious taste, but it can be hard to justify them when you’re trying to start a healthier diet. That’s why we’ve decided to craft a quinoa chicken nugget recipe for you.
Even if you’ve never baked quinoa in a shiny new baking sheet, we’re sure you’ll love this chicken nuggets recipe if you’ve enjoyed chicken breasts or any similar flavors. Start by getting one pound of chicken breasts then cut them into chunks.
You’ll also need a cup of cooked quinoa. If you don’t know how to cook it, most cookbooks and even Google can help you with that. Get one egg and one cup of egg whites for your baked quinoa chicken nuggets.
A pinch of sea salt and pepper will do along with a tablespoon of rosemary and half a cup of grated parmesan for seasoning. Now that you have your ingredients ready, it’s time to set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add foil to your baking sheet, then spread the cooked quinoa across the entire surface. Bake it in your oven for roughly 25 minutes at the same 350°F temperature. Keep a close eye to ensure it doesn’t burn.
Once baked, let it cool to room temperature. Now that you have your quinoa coated in a well-baked flavor, raise the oven to 420°F and leave it on while you mix the seasonings, parmesan, and baked quinoa in a bowl.
Beat the eggs in a smaller bowl, then dip your chicken chunks into the batter. Finally, coat it with the quinoa and place the nuggets back on the sheet. It should be left to bake for 15 minutes, but you can go a bit longer if you want the nuggets to be extra crispy.
It might not be as fast as an instant pot recipe, but add some ketchup or mustard and you’re all set!
Enjoy this meal!
Ingredients
Ingredients for 4 servings (of four ounces of chicken):
- 1 lb chicken breasts, cut into chunks
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon parmesan, grated
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- Seasonings
- 1 tablespoon rosemary
- pinch of sea salt & pepper
Steps
Step 1
Set oven to 350F.
Step 2
Add parchment paper or foil to a baking sheet. Spread out the cooked quinoa on the sheet. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes at 350F, careful to monitor to ensure it does not burn. Once it finishes, allow it to cool to room temperature.
Step 3
Set oven to 420F.
Step 4
In a bowl, mix together the baked quinoa, parmesan and seasonings.
Step 5
In a smaller bowl, beat eggs together.
Step 6
Dip the chicken chunks in the egg batter, then coat with the quinoa mixture.
Step 7
Place the coated nuggets on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes to 18 minutes.
Step 8
Enjoy with your favorite condiment such as ketchup or mustard!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hey, I'm Kevin
My name is Kevin. My life changed when I realized that healthy living is a lifelong journey, mainly won by having a well-balanced diet and maintaining an active lifestyle.
By experimenting in the kitchen and sharing my meals on Tumblr, I learned healthy eating is not boring! By making a few adjustments to my favorite foods, I could design a diet that could help me achieve my wellness goals while satisfying my desire for BANGIN food! 😅 Now I try to help people around the world realize that same level of freedom in eating regardless of budget. Welcome, let's #DemocratizeWellness together!