Recipe: Home-Made Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets

Eating out is nice, and there are more and more gluten-free restaurants popping up every day, but sometimes it's nice to be able to make one of your fast-food favorites at home. Obviously one should not eat chicken nuggets every day, but if you want a healthier, homemade version that you can indulge in from time to time, you can't go wrong with this from-scratch gluten-free version - the kids will love them, and with these, you don't have to wonder what's really in them!

Chicken Nugget Knockoff - Gluten Free

Ingredients:

Chicken nuggets (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3 large or 4 smaller chicken breasts, skin and bone removed
2 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
1 tsp garlic salt
1 cup milk
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
peanut oil for frying

Directions:

• Cut chicken into 1 inch chunks, keeping them as uniform in size as possible so they fry up evenly.
• Put chicken pieces in a large glass bowl, add the vinegar and garlic salt and toss to coat evenly; cover with plastic food wrap and set aside for 15 minutes to marinate.
• Get out a heavy Dutch oven and fill it with enough peanut oil to have at least 3 inches in the pot; set aside.

Prepare the coating:

• Pour the milk into a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, mix together the cornstarch, paprika, salt, and pepper.
• Just before ready to fry, prepare the chicken:
• Dip chicken pieces first in milk, then in the cornstarch mixture and set on a rack, then continue until all pieces are coated.
• Put the Dutch oven with the oil in it over medium-high heat and heat the oil to 350 degrees. (It's best to check with a thermometer.)
• Carefully lower a few chicken nuggets at a time into the hot oil, making sure there is enough room to allow the nuggets to fry evenly - don't over crowd.
• Fry for about 5 minutes or until nicely browned all over, then remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel covered rack to drain. Sprinkle with salt if needed while the nuggets are still warm.
• Continue frying the chicken nuggets until done, then serve warm with gluten-free dipping sauces as desired.  This is a good 'copy cat' recipe for chicken nuggets your kids would typically get out at a fast food place - only healthier, and without the "mystery" ingredients!