I’m one of those people who meal-plans one week at a time before grocery shopping. Occasionally, I will ask Cole if he has any preferences for the week. (Sidenote, I should ask him more often…whoops.) Usually when I ask this question he will shrug and say, “Doesn’t matter,” but if he ever does have a request, it is almost always for Cheez-It Chicken Nuggets. The first time I made this dish for Cole, I made sure to cook it when he was preoccupied playing video games. I knew that if he saw me make it he wouldn’t try it because he LOATHES mustard of any kind. However, I knew from making this recipe for my family that the mustard taste blends so well with the Cheez-Its that it becomes unidentifiable. I promise you this is true, Cole says this is one of his top favorite meals that I make, and I’m not kidding, he HATES mustard by itself. I love this dish too, but I think the best part of it is that it only takes four ingredients to make. That makes it both budget-friendly and super easy to make! If you are looking for a quick, easy, cheap, and kid-friendly meal, this is what you should make for dinner tonight!
Ingredients
1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
¼ cup Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard
2 cups Cheddar Jack Cheez-Its
¼ tsp Black Pepper
Kitchen Tip: I have found that Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard and the Cheddar Jack Cheez-Its creates the best flavor profile; however, these nuggets can be made with any brand of brown mustard and the regular Cheez-Its too.
Special Tools Needed
-Rolling Pin
-Gallon Size Ziploc Bag
Directions
1. Cut up the chicken into small nugget-sized pieces, about ¾ of an inch wide by 1 ½ inches long. If you would prefer them to look like tenders instead of nuggets, you can make them 2 ½ inches long instead, but make sure they are only ¾ of an inch wide so that they cook all the way through.
2. Put the chicken nuggets in a small mixing bowl and coat in the spicy brown mustard.
3. Dump the Cheez-Its into the Ziploc bag, close it, and run the rolling pin over the top of the bag until the Cheez-Its become a dusty texture.
4. Pour the black pepper into the Cheez-It dust and shake the bag until it is combined, then dump the mixture onto a large plate.
5. Coat each nugget in the Cheez-It dust by burying it and then uncovering it.
6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper or use stoneware. Place each nugget on the sheet so that they aren’t touching each other.
7. Cook the nuggets for 17 minutes. Cut one in half after cooking to make sure the chicken is white and fully cooked.
This recipe is so simple, and every time I eat it I think, “Why don’t we have this more often?” I love to make it on school nights since I can whip it together so quickly. Bonus, it’s definitely healthier than eating chicken nuggets out of a box or at a fast food restaurant!
Soup's On with Schallock 