Homemade Nuggies with Chive Crema and Caviar

Homemade Nuggies with Chive Crema and Caviar

• Food Processor

Chicken Mix

• 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (or thighs)
• 3 Tbsp mayo (KEWPIE)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp MSG (optional)

Coating

• 1 ½ cups AP flour
• ½ cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 cup club soda
• 1 egg

Chive Crema

• ¾ cup Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup mayo (KEWPIE)
• 2 tbsp finely chopped chives

The Rest

• Neutral Oil (for frying)
• 1 Lemon (Zest)
• 1.75 oz Caviar

1. Make the chicken mix. Cut 1 lb of the chicken into large chunks and finely dice the remaining ½ lb. Then, to a food processor, add the large chunks of chicken along with the remaining ingredients under “chicken mix” (minus the ½ lb of finely diced chicken) and process until the chicken almost resembles a paste and the other ingredients are fully incorporated. Add the finely diced chicken in and pulse a few times to mix in – you’re not trying to fully process this last bit of chicken, this will give us some variation in texture.
2. Form the nuggies. Use a 1 tbsp scoop (for bite-sized) to portion out the chicken and form them into nuggets. These can be whatever shape you want! The world is your chicken nugget. Then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes while you’re preparing the coating and crema.
3. Make the crema. Add all crema ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside (I like to keep in the fridge till I’m ready for it).
4. Make the coating. For the dry dredge, combine the flour, cornstarch, salt and remaining seasonings above “club soda” into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, add the club soda and egg, along with ½ cup of the dry dredge and whisk till homogenous.
5. Coat the nuggies. Drop a nugget into the dry dredge and toss. Remove and shake off excess flour, then drop into your thin, wet batter and toss. Remove and let excess drip off, then toss back in the dry dredge once more, coating evenly all over. Remove and shake off excess, then set aside while you coat the rest.
6. Fry the nuggies. For a shallow fry, add about an inch of oil to a heavy-bottomed skillet and heat to 350°F. Add 2-3 nuggets in at a time and fry, flipping for even browning, until golden brown all over and the internal temp reaches just under 165°F (it will continue to cook a bit more when removed from the oil). Remove, gently blot the excess oil off, then set onto a cooling rack-topped baking sheet. Immediately season with a bit of salt (and a touch of sugar for that bit of fast-food magic), then repeat with the remaining nuggets.
7. Assemble and serve. Top each nugget with a dollop of chive crema, a generous zesting of lemon, and a small bump of caviar, and serve immediately!

• When adding your nuggets to the oil, check the oil temperature immediately after adding. You will likely have to increase the heat to maintain your 350°F oil temp, and you may end up having to bring the heat back down once you’ve reached 350 so it doesn’t get too hot. Babysit the oil! You’ll need either a meat or candy thermometer for this. I recommend a meat thermometer so you can easily check the temp of the nuggies as well.
• For even juicier nuggies, use chicken thighs instead of breasts. 
• If you’d like to make larger nuggies (I made mine 2 tbsp each for a 2 bite situation), you may need to fry at a slightly lower heat to make sure the inside fully cooks by the time the outside is golden brown. I fried mine at about 340°F (again, until just about at 165°F). 
• For nutrition, I accounted for about ¼ cup of oil absorption total. This is a reasonable amount for this coating method, fried at the proper temp. 
• If you don’t like (or don’t want to spend money on) caviar, that’s totally ok! This is delicious without as well. 
• This is a low fiber situation! Eat alongside a high fiber snack like berries, roasted broccoli, or beans (marinated is a great snack!) to balance it out!

Micronutrient Highlights

115% vitamin B3, 97% vitamin B12, 91% selenium, 60% vitamin B6, 55% phosphorus, 45% choline, 43% vitamin B2, 37% vitamin B5, 33% vitamin B1, 23% iron and magnesium

Appetizer, Main CourseAmerican