I really wasn’t sure if these were going to be a hit or not but they are our favorite new dish! Both girls and hubby devoured them, oh and yes, I ate them too, but I’m a mom. I’m not hard to please. That’s what we do. We eat the leftovers, the burnt bits and even the chewed up and spit out bites (unknowingly and knowingly). Despite my easy to please palate these days, these spinach and pistachio crumbled chicken nuggets were the bomb. Yep that’s right spinach and pistachio! I can’t believe the girls liked them as much as they did.
As ya’ll might know I’m not a big fan of following recipes. I know, I wrote a cookbook and I shouldn’t say that, but I’m just being honest. I really like recipes that allow for some errors. My brain is always in overdrive and the last thing I want to do when I’m making dinner / drinking wine is to focus.
So here’s the gist of the recipe. I had several bags of leftover bread crusts in the freezer so I tossed them into the food processor along with the end of a bag of pistachios (about 1/2 cup) and some turmeric and salt (1 tsp of each). Blended till breadcrumbs form. (Make sure to freeze the leftovers as you can use them for other recipes straight from the freezer).
Then toss in 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves and chop in the food processor until finely chopped. (No need to clean the machine between) Then add an egg and blend again until combined.
Cut up chicken into nugget size pieces and coat with egg and spinach mixture and press into breadcrumbs. Bake at 375 for about 15 to 20 min depending on the size of your chicken nugget.
If you’re worried about the green in the nuggets, make them into a chicken nugget sandwich.
And last but not least, make sure to freeze a large portion of these if there are any left. They are great to pull out for quick pre-made freezer meals.
Spinach and Pistachio Chicken Nuggets
10
servingsThey will have no idea these delicious nuggets are healthy too!
Ingredients
3 cups leftover bread crusts (frozen is fine)
1/2 cup pistachios
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 egg
2 chicken breasts
Directions
- Toss the bread crusts, pistachios, turmeric and salt into food processor and blend till breadcrumbs form. (Make sure to freeze the leftovers as you can use them for other recipes straight from the freezer).
- Toss in the baby spinach leaves (no need to wash the food processor) and chop till finely diced. Add in the egg and blend again until blended.
- Cut up chicken into nugget size pieces and coat with egg and spinach mixture and press into breadcrumbs. Bake for about 15 to 20 min depending on the size of your chicken nugget. The bigger the nugget the longer it will take to cook. Cut the biggest nugget in half to make sure its cooked all the way through. The meat should be white, not pink.
Notes
- Make sure not to overcook the chicken, it will make it tough and hard to chew. This tough texture can often be the reason kids don’t like to eat meat.
