Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggests With Special Dipping Sauce for Date Night Dinners

This instructable was one of three recipes that I made for the recent contest. I wanted to create three different entrees for two, using one whole chicken. I made Feta Brined Roasted Chicken, Baked Chicken Nuggets with special dipping sauce and a soup base. Planning meals in advance reduced cooking and clean up time.

In this instructable I will show you how to make a delicious date night dinner for two with very tasty dipping sauce. I am also sharing a few tips on freezing meat and juice; that will save your pocket book! Please come and take a peek, I hope you won't be disappointed.

Step 1: Ingredients and Utensils

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

Ingredients for the chicken nuggets:

1 Chicken breast from a whole chicken

1 Cup dried bread crumbs

1/2 Cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 t Sea salt

1 Tablespoon Basil

1 slightly beaten egg

1 Cup milk

1 teaspoon fresh basil minced

Butter is to coat the baking sheet.

Ingredients for dipping sauce:

1 Cup of fresh or frozen mixed berries

1/2 Cup Meyers lemon Juice saving the zest I used frozen ( a regular lemon will work but the flavor will be different.I bought mine here

2 Tablespoons oil

2 Minced garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 Cup of brown sugar

1/4 Cup pure can organic sugar

1/4 Cup water

Pinch of Smoked Ghost chilies and I do mean a pinch. About 1/8th teaspoon; it really adds a nice kick to this special sauce. You may omit if you really want to; Or at least make 2 different kinds for those who like the kick will rave about your sauce.

Give this a romantic twist by using beet hearts for garnish.

Utensils:

Baking sheet, serving platter, knife, juicer, cutting board, mixing bowl, sauce pan, large spoon, slotted spoon or a fork, plastic bag for crushing the bread crumbs.

Step 2: Save Money and Freeze

When it is cheaper for me; I will purchase food items like chicken, steak, hamburger and produce in bulk and re-wrap them so each piece can be retrieved from the package without thawing out the whole package.

Meyers lemons for example are hard to find in my area. I purchased enough to juice and zest and froze the juice in large ice trays that held 2 Tablespoons of juice. Then I removed the frozen juice from the cubes and stored them in a large zip lock bag and put back into the freezer. I also Froze the zest in a large zip lock bag so the zest did not bunch up in a ball. This method allows me to use a tablespoon or two for recipes as I need it.

I freeze all of my meat so, one steak or piece can be re-moved easily from the frozen package. I freeze hamburger flat so it does not take a long time to thaw. It has saved me money over the years. I do not purchase more than I will use in a month. This method prevents waste from the items getting buried at the bottom of the stack and becoming old.

Step 3: Prep Work for Chicken

Organize work station:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

Measure the dry seasonings.

Mince basil

Combine dried seasonings to the bread crumbs and place into a plastic bag and crush them.

Grate the cheese if you haven't already.

Mix the grated cheese with the bread crumbs.

Mix milk, egg, and minced basil together.

Lightly grease the baking sheet.

Dipping sauce:

Mince the garlic cloves

measure the water, salt, and oil

Zest the lemon

Juice the lemon

Step 4: Cut the Chicken

Cut the chicken Breast:

Cut the chicken breast into small chunks.

Step 5: Set Up a Breading Station

Bread the chicken chunks:

Dip the chicken into the egg mixture.

Then dip the chicken into the seasoned crushed bread crumbs.

I double dipped mine by repeating the process.

Lay pieces so they are not touching onto the buttered baking sheet.

As not to confuse you; I divided the egg mixture and added minced basil for experimentation. Sadly by the time dinner was ready; I forgot to make note of the difference.

Step 6: Bake

Bake for about 20 minutes and check the chicken for doneness .

Remove from the oven and place the nuggets on a platter.

While the chicken is baking make the dipping sauce.

Step 7: Dipping Sauce

Making the dipping sauce:

Lightly simmer the garlic.

Add the water, lemon juice, zest, salt, both sugars, and berries.

Cook over medium heat until the mixture is just beginning to boil.

Kind of mush the mixture with a slotted spoon or fork.

Reduce the heat and add a pinch of the ghost pepper and cook the mixture until reduced and thickened.

Step 8: Sunshiine's Final Thoughts

I used to make a version of this recipe without the ghost peppers and it was always a family favorite. I modified the recipe by substituting Meyers lemon and zest for the vinegar. My original recipe was fried. I served the nuggets with a dinner salad and for garnish; I used heart shaped beets. This recipe was easy to make and the dipping sauce is what tipped the scales. I liked the idea of baking the nuggets instead of frying them. The next time I make this; I will definitely make more sauce because it disappeared very quickly. I'll bet it is awesome on toast! By the way, my husband likes spicy food but he does not like it spicy hot. He loved the dipping sauce.

If you wish to see the other recipe; I can't get the link to work so you could do a search here to find it until I fix the problem.

Feta brined roasted chicken dinner for two.

Oh yeah; if you see a vote button at the top right side of the page and think this recipe is worthy of your vote, I would really appreciate your click! Thanks so much for stopping by and do have a nice romantic meal!

I always take the time to thank instructables and contributors for making this place a great experience to share ideas.

sunshiine~