These are so simple, I don’t know why we don’t all make our own. When I think of the bits that might be in a shop bought chicken nugget and the fact it takes no time at all to create these…it’s a no brainer. You’re welcome everyone!

I buy the best chicken breast I can afford – mine come from my butcher, but get free range as bare minimum.

2 chicken breasts

panko breadcrumbs (amazon stock them if you can’t get them locally) other breadcrumbs are fine too, but panko are crispier

milled brown linseed

1 egg

salt

optional paprika and oregano

extra virgin olive oil

Slice the chicken breast across the width and then if you want, half the large slices to the size you desire. The larger your slices the longer they will take to cook. I tend to do about 2cm thickness.

You need two plates with a lip, or shallow bowls. I use the kids plastic ikea plates with a lip.

On one plate crack the egg and whisk it with a fork until it’s all yellow

On the other plate tip a small pile of panko breadcrumbs and a little bit less of the milled linseed. The shake over about a teaspoon of salt and if you are using the herbs, a half tablespoon of the oregano and a further 1tsp of the paprika – this gives it the orangey colour we associate with nuggets, but the milled linseed helps colour here so it really is an optional extra. With a fork mix them altogether.

Then have a baking tray ready drizzled all over with olive oil.

Now its a case of dipping the chicken into the egg and then into the breadcrumb mix then pop onto the tray making sure there is oil beneath the nugget.

You might need to replenish your breadcrumb mix before the end, but it depends on the size of your plate and thickness of your nuggets!

When you have a tray filled with uncooked tasty morsels – cook them! 180 degrees C for 20 mins. Check with a thermometer to ensure they are cooked through. The edges should be a bit bubbling in the oil and they should be browned.

Then they are ready to eat.

A nice alternative to mayo for a dip here is a couple of tbsp of crème fraiche mixed with a tsp of mango chutney and a bit of salt.

You can keep the uneaten nuggets in a container in the fridge and reheat the next day under the grill – careful you don’t burn the tops. You can microwave, but they lose their crisp. They do tend to dry out a bit on reheating, so you might like to use them in a wrap – The genius wraps or B-Free wraps are made with veg and very low carb (13g/wrap) and delicious, so here is not only tea one night, but also lunch the next day! Or you could have them cold with some vegetable sticks…