No Whine with Dinner: Crispy Chicken Bites

by The Meal Makeover Moms on June 5th, 2009

Aggies son helping make Crispy Chicken BitesThere is no shortage of food blogs out there these days, and if we had more than 24 hours in a day, we’d definitely spent a lot more time glued to a bunch of them. One of our favorites – which we definitely read whenever we can – is Aggie’s Kitchen, written by Aggie, a mom of two from Orlando, FL.  The tag line for Aggie’s blog is so many recipes, so little time, and one of those recipes that recently caught our eye was for a takeoff on chicken nuggets: Crispy Chicken Bites. We asked Aggie to tell us about this recipe as well as her best tips for getting kids to stop whining and start trying.

Aggies Crispy Chicken Bites

Crispy Chicken Bites
Makes 4 Servings

  • 1 pound skinless chicken breast, cut into large nuggets
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 1 to 2 cups Panko or regular plain bread crumbs, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper
  • Nonstick spray or olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl, stir together honey and yellow mustard until completely combined.

3. Place seasoned breadcrumbs in a large rimmed dish or bowl. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and gently dredge chicken in sauce. After dredging, place chicken into breadcrumbs and gently press to coat.

4. Place breaded chicken onto cooling rack that is placed in a rimmed cookie sheet. Coat each chicken piece with nonstick spray or drizzle lightly with olive oil.

5. Place rack/cookie sheet in oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Aggie Tip > Get your kids involved by having them help with measuring the ingredients and stirring the honey mustard sauce.

Aggie Tip > Don’t be afraid to let your kids bread the chicken … just make sure they wash up well afterward!  We called the breading part “making snowballs.”

Aggies kids helping make Crispy Chicken Bites

Q:  Where did you get the recipe?
A: I created it myself after getting frustrated with my kids’ obsession with “chicken nuggets” and not liking what I saw listed in the ingredient list on the packages.

Q:  What do you like about this recipe?
A:  I definitely like the nutritional value of this recipe, especially that it’s baked, not fried and made with ingredients you know and keep on hand.  It’s a straight forward recipe and very versatile – instead of honey mustard you could use egg, throw some Italian seasoning into the breading and serve with marinara sauce, or you could add sesame seeds to the breading and dip in teriyaki. The ideas are endless.  I also like it because it’s a recipe you can double or triple, then freeze for easy future meals.  Also, my chicken bites are not your typical “kid food.”  They are great for salads, sandwiches or appetizers!

Q:  What do your kids think about this recipe?
A: My kids love chicken.  When I first made this recipe I think the Panko breading threw them off, but after a couple of times they didn’t even look twice at it.  Here’s what 4-year old Sammy says about this recipe: “It tastes like honey … I like everything on my plate Mommy.”

Q:  Other than the fact that this recipe makes everyone in your family happy, do you have any other “Aggie” tips you’d like to share with fellow parents for taking the “whine” out of dinner?
A: Don’t underestimate your kids as far as what food they might like.  What I am learning from my kids is that their likes and dislikes seem to change on a weekly basis (I have to keep reminding myself this!).  Keep introducing new foods to them and you may be surprised!  If you are introducing something new, try to include familiar foods that your family enjoys in the meal so it’s not too overwhelming.

Also, this is not new, but, do get your family involved in the kitchen.  Even if it’s something small like “decorating” pizza by sprinkling chopped onions or peppers on pizza, or stirring up a dipping sauce, it gets them interested and opens their eyes to something new.  We like to play the color game at dinner, especially when there are newer foods on the plate, where we all take turns choosing a color from our plates and eating that color.  We get silly about it and it’s a great distraction from the food that they may normally not want to eat!

Q:  Can you tell everyone about your blog?
A: My blog is full of uncomplicated recipes that I have created or have tried to “healthy up.”  I have a slight obsession with fresh produce and spices so you will find plenty of good stuff to eat in Aggie’s Kitchen!

Aggie’s Kitchen just celebrated its one-year blogiversary. Congratulations on a site filled with so many tried-and-true family-friendly recipes.

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3 Comments | Filed Under Dinner, Lunch, NoWhineWithDinner 

3 Responses to “No Whine with Dinner: Crispy Chicken Bites”

  1. Jamie on June 6th, 2009

    Aggie,
    The kids look like thay are having so much fun making and eating those chicken bites. Great family-friendly recipe! Kids love to help out in the kitchen and it’s a great way for them to try the food they just helped make.

  2. Jane on June 15th, 2009

    So excited to try this recipe! I have been searching for a simple way to make chicken nuggets at home that the kids will eat. Can’t wait to try this one out!

  3. Alisa@Foodista on June 19th, 2009

    My son loves chicken nuggets and i bet he’d love making them with me even more. I followed you guys from the foodieblogroll and I love what you have here! I’d love to guide our readers to your site if you won’t mind. Just add this foodista widget to this post and it’s all set to go, Thanks!

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