Something Completely Different

[queenofhearts]

I recently tried an unusual but simple recipe for Asian chicken nuggets that is a real change of pace. You take some rice vermicelli (the Vietnamese/Thai kind) & whir it in the food processor to break it into little bitty pieces. Press said pieces into the surface of the chicken (I used boneless breast cut into nuggets). Deep fry.

The little bits of vermicelli expand instantly into these fluffy strands that are very light & crispy, & stick out strangely like little tentacles! The finished nuggets look like sea anemones to me, but my son said they looked like the facehuggers(?) in Alien!

Cook them until the chicken takes on a deep gold color, then drain on paper towels & season with salt & pepper. There will be lots of loose fried noodles too, which you can scoop out with a slotted spoon & use as you would the little Chow Mein noodles, to top a soup or whatever.

Serve with your favorite Asian dipping sauce. I made one with coconut milk, Thai green curry paste, sugar, fish sauce & a bunch of chopped Thai basil.

If you have an adventurous crew, give it a try!

Leah

[penguin]

Sounds like a great substitute for panko bread crumbs

[queenofhearts]

It's a lot wilder looking & less well-behaved than panko (& I do miss panko!) but pretty tasty!

Leah

[Sweetfudge]

sounds very good! i used to live on chicken nuggets...I'll have to give this a go

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Sounds great! I've been using potato buds (was it you who suggested that, too?), which works well, but I'm getting tired of my chicken and fish sticks always tasting like latkes....

[Guest alex j]

Did you have to use milk or egg to stick the vermicelli to the chicken?

I think my kids would like this (but egg is out).

Alex

[Nantzie]

That sounds SO cool!!! My son would love it. My daughter, on the other hand, might run screaming from the room. Maybe in our house we could call them "princess ribbons" instead of tentacles. LOL!

Nancy