Chicken Nuggets with Less Guilt

If you're ever looking to satisfy a food craving, just look for a recipe from my girl, Paula Deen. Hailing from the South, Paula knows comfort food. So, last night I decided to indulge the child in me by preparing Paula's recipe for chicken nuggets with honey mustard dipping sauce. What's great about these is that they are baked instead of fried. Based on the ingredients, it's obvious this isn't the healthiest recipe in the world, but it's a good compromise when you need to feed your inner child.

Photo credit: foodnetwork.com

Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen via foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

2 cups crushed sour-cream-and-onion-flavored potato chips
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
6 chicken breast fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup butter, melted
Honey Mustard, recipe follows

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Spread the crushed potato chips in a shallow dish. Beat together the egg and milk in a shallow bowl. Dip the chicken cubes into the egg mixture and then dredge them in the chips. Place the chicken nuggets on a baking sheet and drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. The chicken nuggets can be frozen after baking. Serve with your favorite sauce, such as honey mustard or ranch dressing.

Honey Mustard:

Ingredients

3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice or juice from 1/2 lemon
Horseradish, to taste
2 tablespoons orange juice (more or less as needed)

Directions

Combine all ingredients except orange juice; stir well. Thin to pouring consistency for dressing or dipping consistency for dips with orange juice. Cover and chill for 2 or 3 hours.

Rating:
Excellent based on taste; good based on nutrition (coating chicken in crushed potato chips cannot be healthy, but it is still better than frying processed chicken parts)

Modifications:
None

Tip:
To make a nice crust on the chicken pieces, crush the chips in a food processor. The result will be a fine powder that browns nicely in the oven.

Updated 3/2/2008
12 servings
Weight Watchers = 10 points per serving