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Polenta Chicken Bites – healthy chicken nuggets!

April 18, 2012 · 20 Comments

Polenta Chicken Bites - healthy chicken nuggets!

 

Just say no to nuggets!

I am back with another easy recipe in our ‘just so no to nuggets’ campaign!

There are so many ways to make a healthy chicken ‘nugget’ very quickly and easily. I am going to keep giving you recipes until I run out of ideas. I’m pretty sure I don’t have to tell you that processed chicken nuggets are not a healthy option for kids to be eating regularly. Even saying the word nugget makes me cringe…. so I am calling mine ‘bites’!

 

 

Polenta Chicken Bites

Vital Stats: gluten free, egg free

Okay, so this is what you need:

4 large free range, organic chicken thigh fillets

3/4 cup organic polenta (cornmeal)

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons organic Herbamare

2 tablespoons organic greek yoghurt or sour cream

macadamia oil or your choose of fat

 

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Cut the chicken into big chunks.  Chuck the chicken into a bowl, fling in the yoghurt and stir it around. If you want, you can leave this mixture in the fridge all day as it tenderises the chicken nicely.

Put the polenta, garlic powder, paprika and Herbamare in a shallow bowl and mix well. Throw in the chicken chunks one at a time and coat with the polenta. I use one hand for chicken and the other for polenta so it doesn’t get too messy!

Place the chicken on a large tray with sheet of baking paper underneath. Spritz the chicken all over with some macadamia oil. Don’t buy the nasty spray oils in a can as they contain sugar and chemicals. I put my oils into a pump oil sprayer (get them from a kitchen store) and use it like that.  This is the one I have here. Much healthier!

** Of course you can always cook these in a pan with some macadamia oil or ghee/tallow but I find it really messy!

Fling into a hot oven (200 degrees celsius) for about 10 minutes or until just cooked. You want the chicken to be nice and juicy. Serve them up with some salad and a dipping sauce. Homemade mayo with mango chutney is really nice or some homemade tomato sauce.

 

These polenta chicken bites are gluten-free. If you need them dairy free too, you could use homemade mayonnaise instead of the yoghurt. Find my recipe here. They will feed a family of four. I often make up a double batch and the kids enjoy them on a wrap with salad the next day for lunch.

 

I love it when you chat to me! Come back and tell me how you went and if the kids liked them.

 

Organics on a Budget

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Filed In: FOOD / Tagged: chicken, chicken nuggets, dinner, gluten-free, kids, polenta, yoghurt

Comments

  1. mamacino says

    April 18, 2012 at 11:49 am

    These look delicious…I have a chicken nugget recipe too…I might blog it soon so we can add it to your list!

    Reply
  2. newagechild says

    April 18, 2012 at 5:16 pm

    I love this idea – my kids LOVE chicken nuggets and I seriously did not know the oil spray was unhealthy!! I though i was being healthy using it, definitely will be trying this one xx

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      April 18, 2012 at 5:38 pm

      Awesome! let me know if the boys like it! Have a read of the ingredients on the back…. at the kitchen shop, we don’t recommend anyone use them on any cookware as the sugar caramelizes and leaves a brown mark that is hard to get rid of

      Reply
  3. Natalie says

    April 18, 2012 at 8:02 pm

    Love it! Will be trying this for sure. So the polenta is used uncooked, like breacrumbs? I’ve made this with couscous, but we cooked it first.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      April 18, 2012 at 8:07 pm

      Yes, uncooked. I have never tried couscous as a crumb! How did you stick it on Natalie?

      Reply
      • Natalie says

        April 21, 2012 at 8:54 am

        It works best if you toss the chicken in flour, then in lightly beaten egg, then the cooked couscous – you kind of pat it on with your hands if it’s not sticking well. I made it for my aunt who can’t have eggs though, skipping the flour and egg stage, and it worked okay, but they did fall off a bit when shallow frying.
        This recipe was my starting point when we began making it a few years ago. http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/food/cookbooks/786553/crunchy-couscous-coated-chicken

        Reply
        • Natural New Age Mum says

          April 21, 2012 at 10:53 am

          That sounds really interesting Natalie… thanks for the link too 🙂

  4. The Scrumptious Pumpkin says

    April 21, 2012 at 2:55 am

    This is just my kind of recipe (I recently posted dijon and parmesan panko chicken strips). These look so delicious and simple too! 🙂

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      April 21, 2012 at 7:59 am

      that sounds lovely… parmesan makes everything taste good ! 😉

      Reply
  5. Michelle (Health Food Lover) says

    April 24, 2012 at 11:00 pm

    Sonia, these sound wonderful! What a healthy, delicious and I’m sure even more flavourful, alternative! I think I’ll have to try these out on my little nephews! Thanks for sharing your recipe.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      April 25, 2012 at 5:20 am

      Let me know if he likes them! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Alex Merton-McCann says

    April 26, 2012 at 2:35 pm

    Fantastic recipe – thank you!. Will be sure to try them out. Alex

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      April 26, 2012 at 3:23 pm

      Let me know what you think Alex ! Sonia 🙂

      Reply
  7. Darlene says

    April 27, 2012 at 10:16 am

    organic polenta (cornmeal), organic Herbamare, grape seed oil to spritz,
    None o this is available in my area.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      April 27, 2012 at 12:04 pm

      Hi Darlene, you are able to substitute with regular polenta and instead of Herbamare, use salt/pepper and what ever herbs you like and the grape seed oil can be any oil. I just give you what I use as I think they are the healthiest options ! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Fiona says

    May 20, 2013 at 11:09 pm

    I look forward to trying your recipe… we too are saying NO to nuggets. Our favorite chicken dish is really easy…. try this: chicken breast cut into larger stir-fry size pieces. In a bag, mix 2tbsp each of wholemeal spelt flour & coconut flour. Throw chicken in bag to coat adding extra ‘crumb’ mixture if needed. Heat coconut oil in a saucepan & cook in batches if necessary. It will not brown as much, but the result is simply yum & so easy.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      May 21, 2013 at 9:28 am

      that is fantastic Fiona – I have not tried it with those flours together! I bet it is really good.

      Reply
  9. Sue says

    July 18, 2013 at 9:02 pm

    Hi Sonia,
    I made these tonight and they were a huge hit. With homemade chips and a simple salad everyone was happy 🙂
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      July 18, 2013 at 9:55 pm

      thanks Sue ! good to hear – they are my fave 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Great Home-Made Chicken Nugget Competition | Natural New Age Mum says:
    October 10, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    […] Polenta Chicken Bites […]

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