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Zucchini and Quinoa Chicken Nuggets

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I am always on the lookout for a bargain when doing our grocery shopping – especially when it comes to meat.  Yep, I’m that person you see pretending not to stalk the staff member who is putting out new stock or marking things down.  Recently my stalking paid off and I scored 2kgs of organic chicken mince for less than half price. Lining up at the checkout I already knew I wanted to try and make my own chicken nuggets, as I knew the boys would eat them. When I got home with my bargain buy and had split up the majority of it into portions and packed away in the freezer, I finally had time to begin searching for some recipe inspiration.  After coming across this recipe from One Handed Cooks, I was ready to get started on my own version of Zucchini and Quinoa Chicken Nuggets.

Zucchini and Quinoa Chicken Nuggets

My eagle eyed little helpers immediately spied I was up to something in the kitchen and naturally they wanted in on the action to.  Thankfully this recipe is simple to put together and there were plenty of opportunities for the boys to get their hands dirty – literally.

Zucchini and Quinoa nuggets

Zucchini and Quinoa Chicken Nuggets 3

Before we knew it, our ‘nuggies’ were lined up in rows on the baking trays ready to go into the oven.  While they were cooking the boys thankfully kept themselves entertained pulling out the contents of our DVD cupboard, and by the time we had finished packing it up our nuggets were out of the oven and cool enough for them to enjoy. We served them with a really simple salad (which they naturally ignored) but these are good enough to eat on their own too.

These nuggets were a HUGE hit with the boys, and we’ve since included them as part of our regular meal rotation.

Zucchini and Quinoa Chicken nuggets collage

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Zucchini and Quinoa Chicken Nuggets

Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time45 mins
Course: Food for the Kids
Servings: 20
Author: Lauren

Ingredients

  • 500 g of chicken breast mince
  • 1/4 cup of uncooked quinoa
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup of very finely grated tasty cheese - use the finest setting on your grater.
  • 1/2 tablespoon of mild paprika - optional

Instructions

  • Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper and preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
  • Use the finest setting of your grater to grate the cheese and place into a small bowl.
  • Chop the parsley finely and place it along with the bread crumbs and paprika (if using) into the bowl with the cheese.  Set aside until needed.
  • Place the water and quinoa into a small saucepan and cook over a medium heat until all the water has absorbed and the quinoa is light and fluffy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
  • Grate the zucchini into a large bowl before adding the chicken breast mince and cooled cooked quinoa.  Using a metal spoon to mix together all the ingredients until they are combined.
  • Use another metal spoon to scoop the chicken mixture and roll into balls with your hands.
  • Place the chicken balls into the bowl with the grated cheese, bread  crumbs and herbs and lightly toss to cover the entire ball with the mixture.
  • Place the coated chicken balls on your lined baking tray, and using the palm of your hand, slightly flatten the ball before using the knuckle of your thumb to indent the side - giving you the shape of a ‘normal’ chicken nugget.
  • Repeat this process until all the chicken mixture has been used.
  • Place the baking trays into the preheated oven, and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the nuggets have completely cooked through and are golden.  Use a pair of tongs to turn your nuggets over halfway through the cooking time to ensure they are evenly cooked.
  • Remove cooked nuggets from the oven and serve.

Do your kids like to help out in the kitchen?

Please tell me I’m not the only one who has kids which like to pull out all the DVD’s and destroy the house?!?!

Comments

  2. Ana says

    My kids all loved chicken nuggets, but they were always on the lookout for hidden vegies! I wouldn’t mind these for my own lunch though, with the zucchini and quinoa. They look delicious, thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  8. Kathy says

    Gotta love some healthy chicken nuggets Lauren. So good getting the quiona in. I’ve been trying crumbing with 2 parts quinoa and one part breadcrumbs for a healthier crumb – a bit messy but healthier.

    Reply

  11. Caitlin says

    These look amazing. We have a lot of chicken these days since my father bought an organic chook farm last year. (Inglewood farms, provides Macro chicken at Woolworths and Inglewood chicken at Coles.) Next time I get a bag of 2nd fillets, I know what I’ll be trying out! (The only drawback is that we normally get drumsticks or wings, they don’t sell as well as the fillets!) Pinning for later!

    Reply

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