Chicken nuggets. I would guess most people don’t give much thought on the best way to cook them. Throw ‘em in the oven or pull up to the drive-thru at McDonald’s. I’m here to teach you how to properly cook chicken nuggets. No oven involved.
First off, let’s get one thing clear. Chicken is a lot like fish. It’s not to be used as a protein source. In fact, chicken and fish are closer to vegetables than meat. If you want chicken to resemble meat, it’s best to cook it over a fire with Sweet Baby Ray’s or turn it in to a nugget.
Ok, let’s get to the meat! (pun intended)
The best way to cook a chicken nugget is to poke it with a stick and hold it over a campfire. But that’s not always ideal. So, let’s get to the next best thing. Yep, you guessed it. The cast iron skillet!
Cast iron is the only way to cook. Don’t believe me? Read this https://steemit.com/food/@myworldview/the-only-way-to-heat-up-leftovers
What do we need to get started? Obviously, we need chicken nuggets. I’m using Tyson’s with 100% all-natural ingredients and no antibiotics ever! And, of course, we need a cast iron skillet. We’ll also need some oil and a fork.
I know what you’re thinking. “Chicken nuggets are frozen; how do you fry frozen food?” The answer is, you don’t. There are several methods for thawing frozen nuggets. First option would be to pull them out of the freezer about an hour before you cook them. But that takes too long. It would be quicker to use an oven. But we’re not doing an oven because that’s not the proper way. We’re adding flavor, baby! The second option would be to put them in the microwave for about two minutes. And that works well. The third option is for purists. Throw the nuggets and some water in the skillet, put a lid on and steam them! It not only thaws them, but it adds moisture.
Now we’re ready for the final and most important step. Put some oil in the pan and heat it up. This is key – the oil needs to be hot! And there are two reasons why. Number one, food won’t stick to the pan if the oil is hot. Number two, it puts a delicious crust on the food. I don’t use a lot of oil for nuggets. I find too much oil will soak in them and will be too mushy. I would use maybe a tablespoon. But anyway, get the oil up to temperature and carefully put the nuggets in so they’re not on top of one another but rather so each one has full contact with the pan’s surface. Heat them on each side for about a minute. I tend to use a fork to flip each one over rather than a spatula.
As you can see, the chicken that’s trying to be meat is perfection! Look at that golden crust. Mmmmmmmm
Go get your pan and give it a try! You’ll thank me later.
That’s all for now!