I really enjoyed watching the recent Philip Boucher- Hayes series What Are You Eating? on RTÉ1. I think it should be compulsory viewing in schools: it is such an important question to ask and such an eye-opener.
In one episode he discussed the phenomenon that is the hot-chicken sandwich. I’ve never eaten one and had always presumed the breaded hot chicken in the pale baguette was made with some sort of reconstituted chicken nugget-style meat, and so it is. This was relayed to us by Hilary O’Hagan, head chef at 3FE.
She expertly removed the chicken breasts, thighs, and every other bit of meat from the bird then threw the bare carcass into the food processor with some additives, onion oil and so on.
After blitzing it up she produced a plump-looking chicken breast-style patty, which is what goes into many hot-chicken rolls. I can’t even begin to think what the nutritional content of something like that would be.
I have never given my children chicken nuggets for this reason. A small, deep-fried patty of meat just rings alarm bells.
And so, inspired by O’Hagan’s food processor skills, I decided to introduce my children to the wonderfully crispy world of the golden chicken nugget.
I happened to have some leftover roast chicken from Sunday lunch, so I blitzed it with a few more lovely ingredients – no additives or chemicals in sight – to create some crunchy, delicious nuggets, which the kids loved. I added marjoram and a little rosemary to keep that traditional roast-chicken flavour.
With an onion, egg and a little mayonnaise to bind and prevent them from becoming dry, my nuggets were ready for rolling in breadcrumbs. They are oven-baked, making them even more convenient, and healthier than deep-frying.
I love dinners that you can just put in the oven and forget about until the timer beeps. This recipe is so easy to do, and my children are already requesting more. The nuggets freeze very well, too, so they are perfect for making from leftover chicken.
Leftovers are fabulous, especially when they come from a plump free-range or organic bird. But I sometimes find myself in a rut when it comes to using them. Sandwiches, salads and curries seem to be where they usually end up. Stir fries and chicken and mushroom pie are great leftover dishes too.
You can add any herbs you like. I throw all sorts of things into my children’s food because I don’t want to have to cater for picky eaters. I don’t want to spend my dinner time hovering over their plates “picking out the green bits”, and I definitely don’t want them missing out on something delicious.
It seems to have worked so far. However, they have become slightly suspicious eaters and they now know that I usually smuggle a banana or avocado into anything sweet they eat. They furiously demand that I rattle off a list of the ingredients.
I put salads and bowls of vegetables in the middle so everyone can help themselves, giving them a bit of ownership and control, and I get them involved in the kitchen.
Finger food such as these nuggets are always popular with children. They would taste fantastic in a crusty baguette, too.
CHICKEN NUGGETS: MAKES 18-20
Ingredients
1 small onion
225g cooked chicken, brown and white meat
1tbs marjoram
½tsp rosemary
1 egg
1tbs mayonnaise
50g Parmesan, grated
80g breadcrumbs
To serve
Chips, baked potatoes or salad
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Brush a baking tray with oil. Place the onion, chicken and herbs into the bowl of a food processor. Blitz briefly until chopped but still rough in texture.
Add the egg, mayonnaise and Parmesan. Blitz until just combined. You don’t want a paste but rather a uniform mix that comes together.
Roll tablespoons of the mixture into little balls, then flatten slightly. Coat them in the breadcrumbs and place on the tray. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn over and bake for a further eight to 10 minutes until golden.
Serve with chips, salad or baked potatoes.
