[Mey Marie]

My son LOVES Chicken nuggets, But he won't eat them unless they are the frozen ones. I need to get some good ones that are gluten free. I tried some that were gluten free but he spit it out and I went back to regular ones for now. He is hard to feed. If I find things he likes, I am very thankful. He doesn't have Celiac, I do. But I need to get that stuff out of my house. Besides I know it is better for him too. What would be best for him would be the ones that I can make from scratch, but the chicken doesn't end up tender enough for him to eat. He chews them until the flavor is gone and them spits it.
Mey

[homemaker]

Mey Marie, on Oct 28 2009, 01:48 PM, said:

My son LOVES Chicken nuggets, But he won't eat them unless they are the frozen ones. I need to get some good ones that are gluten free. I tried some that were gluten free but he spit it out and I went back to regular ones for now. He is hard to feed. If I find things he likes, I am very thankful. He doesn't have Celiac, I do. But I need to get that stuff out of my house. Besides I know it is better for him too. What would be best for him would be the ones that I can make from scratch, but the chicken doesn't end up tender enough for him to eat. He chews them until the flavor is gone and them spits it.
Mey

I have tried these chicken nuggets at Whole Foods and they are very good ...The Gluten Free Mall online has them too...
gluten-free Chicken Nuggets
Also the trick to making homemade chicken nuggets is make sure you don't overcook or under cook your chicken nuggets....
If you overcook them they will taste tough...kids are so fussy with texture! LOL
Keep it up and you will find something your little one will like!

[jerseyangel]

I've never tried any store-bought chicken nuggets--I make them out of chunks of chicken breast coated with beaten egg and then rolled in a mixture of dried potato flakes mixed with garlic powder, salt and pepper. I put them in a non-stick foil-lined baking dish in which I've drizzled some light olive oil. Drizzle a little more oil over the tops and bake until just done (30-40 minutes-ish)--homemaker's right, if you cook them too long, they will dry out and be too chewy.

[Darn210]

My daughter (Celiac) prefers Bell & Evans gluten free but these are not a processed (ground up) chicken . . . more like breaded chunks of chicken. My son (nonCeliac) prefers the Applegate Farms gluten free chicken nuggets. These have that battered ground up chicken taste and texture (more like the Tysons if I remember correctly). Neither of my kids liked the Ians chicken nuggets or the Wellshire Kids (which we will never buy again but that's a different story).

If you want to try your own, maybe try using ground chicken instead of chicken pieces. Texture is such a huge part of how well we like a food.

[Dada2hapas]

A trick that mfr's of nuggets and lunchmeat (and BBQ fans) use is to brine the meat prior to cooking. This helps keep chicken and turkey breasts tender & moist, even when roasting/frying a whole bird. Without brining, the breasts tend to be overdone by the time the thighs reach 180 F.

[Mey Marie]

homemaker, on Oct 28 2009, 10:56 AM, said:

I have tried these chicken nuggets at Whole Foods and they are very good ...The Gluten Free Mall online has them too...
gluten-free Chicken Nuggets
Also the trick to making homemade chicken nuggets is make sure you don't overcook or under cook your chicken nuggets....
If you overcook them they will taste tough...kids are so fussy with texture! LOL
Keep it up and you will find something your little one will like!

Thank you Homemaker. I think I would like to make them at home. It is so much better for my son.

[Mey Marie]

jerseyangel, on Oct 28 2009, 11:05 AM, said:

I've never tried any store-bought chicken nuggets--I make them out of chunks of chicken breast coated with beaten egg and then rolled in a mixture of dried potato flakes mixed with garlic powder, salt and pepper. I put them in a non-stick foil-lined baking dish in which I've drizzled some light olive oil. Drizzle a little more oil over the tops and bake until just done (30-40 minutes-ish)--homemaker's right, if you cook them too long, they will dry out and be too chewy.

What a great recipe. Potato flakes. I think that will be really great. My hubby might like it too. Thank you!

[jerseyangel]

Mey Marie, on Oct 28 2009, 01:38 PM, said:

What a great recipe. Potato flakes. I think that will be really great. My hubby might like it too. Thank you!

I make this a lot with large chunks for my husband and me. He is not gluten-free, but really likes chicken done this way. It's also excellent cold sliced over a salad--we use up the leftovers that way.....last night, as a matter of fact!

[ang1e0251]

I make nuggets that way too but sometimes I use boneless thighs as we like dark meat. The organic ones we buy now seem to be especially tender.

[amberlynn]

We tried the potato recipe last night, and they were a big hit - with my 2 year old, lol! I think its going to take awhile to get my picky 4 year old to try them. But, since I won't be buying them anymore, lol, he's gonna have to!

[RobynJ]

I found some great recipies including one in Wheat Free, Gluten Free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults (sarros). They are a little sticky and warm up better in the toaster oven- but my 2.5 year old loves them

It uses Honey, water, olive oil, puffed rice cereal, pepper, salt, and little paprika for the coating. They look a lot like regular nuggets with the thicker bumpy texture.

Good luck!

I also tried these http://gfcfrecipes.blogspot.com/- but they didn't have enough breading to fool him.

[mommida]

We take chicken pieces and roll in a mixture of crushed potato chips. Add any spices you would like. Add parmesan cheese if your not casein free. Dip the chicken in anything your diet will allow to have the mix stick to the chicken. You can start out baking at 350 to see how you like the texture. If you like a crunchier nugget, start baking at a higher temperature.
Not super healthy, but they are REALLY good. People who eat gluten think they are awesome too.

[homemaker]

mommida, on Oct 29 2009, 02:16 PM, said:

We take chicken pieces and roll in a mixture of crushed potato chips. Add any spices you would like. Add parmesan cheese if your not casein free. Dip the chicken in anything your diet will allow to have the mix stick to the chicken. You can start out baking at 350 to see how you like the texture. If you like a crunchier nugget, start baking at a higher temperature.
Not super healthy, but they are REALLY good. People who eat gluten think they are awesome too.

Oh Yum Potato Chips ...what kid could argue with that! I might just try those myself...