Big Bite, Little Bite: Cocunut Chicken Nuggets

For any of you with a preschooler in the house, you may share my experience with what I call the Chicken Nugget Mantra.  It seems anytime a dinner bell is rung, I get a request for nuggets.  I'm not above making a child's meal of the questionable food product when in a pinch.  However, when some scary what-are-those-things-really-made-from information hit the news cycle recently, I decided to try to ditch the pressed-meat versions in lieu of something homemade that my girls would still eat. 

The initial reaction was not too positive (even with circus-like presentation!), but, the frowns then turned upside down, and I think I might have some converts!

To try this little experiment at home, you'll need:

• 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 1/2 cups Plain Yogurt
• 1 c Crushed Baked Potato Chips
• 1 c Shredded Coconut 
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

• Cut the chicken breasts into 1" cubes

• Marinate the chicken in the yogurt - this also acts as the 1st step in your breading process.  I let mine marinate for 2-3 hours, so the enzymes in the yogurt could tenderize the chicken a bit.

• Place the crushed chips and coconut in a dish.
• Add salt and pepper to taste (remember, the chips are already salty)

• Coat each piece of chicken thoroughly in the crumb/coconut mixture, and place in a single layer on a baking sheet
• Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until light golden brown

• The two breasts made several (kid-size) servings, so I froze the rest.  The idea here to re-create the ease of store-bought nuggets.  So, to reheat the pre-cooked nuggets without drying them, I placed them in a med-high skillet with a touch of olive oil for 2-3 minutes each side.  Take that, McNuggets! ;)