Baked Chicken Nugget Poppers

I love cooking chicken cutlets for dinner in the form of stir fry or baked schnitzel. Two reasons I love it: a) It’s a source of protein that my kids actually like other than cheese and eggs #momstruggles. And b) It cooks super fast which makes it an easy dinner for me to make because most days I don’t have time for fancy or time-consuming dinners (although I wish I did). 

But, if I am in the mood of getting fancy I can still easily do so with chicken cutlets. I use the same recipe for my baked schnitzel except I cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes, stick them on toothpicks and voila! I’ve got mini little appetizers – which is fancy in book.

These are super quick to make and are pretty to serve, not to mention fun to eat – what is it about appetizers that make them so cute and fun to eat? I also enjoy the fact that these are baked and not fried but still deliver on taste and texture. Get the recipe below, enjoy!

Ingredients:

Chicken Nuggets:

• 2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• ¼ cup mustard
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups bread crumbs

Honey Mustard Dip:

• ¼ cup mayo
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cube frozen crushed garlic, defrosted
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Chicken Nuggets:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut chicken breast into 1 inch cubes.
• Place in bowl and mix with salt, honey and mustard until all chicken pieces are well coated. Let it sit 10 minutes.
• Pour some bread crumbs into a wide plate. Dredge 2-3 chicken pieces at a time in bread crumbs. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Repeat until all chicken pieces are coated in breadcrumbs.
• Lightly spray all chicken pieces with cooking oil.
• Bake 10-12 minutes.
• Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack right away so that the nuggets don’t get soggy on the bottom.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes. In the meantime, make the dip (see directions below).
• Place each chicken nugget on a toothpick. You can add any piece of vegetable you want for extra color, crunch, and nutrients. I went with grape tomatoes, sliced in half.
• Transfer to serving dish with honey mustard dip and enjoy!

Honey Mustard Dip:

• In a small bowl: whisk together honey, mustard, crushed garlic cube, salt, mayo, and lemon juice until well blended and there are no lumps.
• Serve with chicken nuggets for dipping and enjoy!