Chicken Nuggets

So my husband said to me the other day that he wondered if we could save money by making our own chicken nuggets. Well, if you know me, I took the challenge. I found a recipe for "Chick-fil-a" nuggets and set about trying it out. My brother raises non-GMO chickens and happened to be butchering them today so I went and got two. I came home and cut them up, put the legs and wings in the freezer for a later meal and boiled the carcasses for all the little bits I couldn't get off. That was enough to make chicken salad for lunch tomorrow. I cut the rest into bite size pieces and marinated them in pickle juice for about 45 minutes. The recipe says at least an hour, but I was pleased with the 45 min. time. The fam really seemed to enjoy them and I now have at least 4-5 meals of chicken tenders in the freezer. I'm guessing I'll bake them in the oven like I do the store bought kind. 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. 

Price comparison: the chicken cost $25 but I got 5-6 meals and a 2 person lunch from that. Not really much cheaper than store bought considering how long I slaved over the stove :) but I know my family will be eating healthier and I proved I could do it. 

The recipe came from Food.com and I didn't have paprika or peanut oil so I used cumin and canola oil. OF COURSE I did not use the MSG and I pan fried them. 

4 chicken breasts
1 cup pickle juice (great way to use up that empty jar of pickles!)
2 eggs
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon msg (Accent, leave it out if you prefer)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
peanut oil
Directions:

1
Pound chicken breasts till they are thin enough for your taste. (I find a lot of breasts are really too thick for a sandwich so I pound out the thick part a little) Cut into chunks if you want nuggets.
2
Place chicken in plastic bag with pickle juice and marinate for an hour (preferably overnight).
3
Mix up eggs in seperate bowl for the egg wash.
4
Mix flour and remaining spices in another shallow bowl.
5
Remove chicken from the pickle juice maranade and drain well. Dip into the egg wash and then into the flour mixture.
6
Fry the chicken however you prefer here. I pan fried mine in a few tablespoons of oil and it turned out fine. Chick-Fil-A deep fries theirs in a pressure cooker, so you can try that if you are feeling adventurous.