have been on gear 5 mode since this morning. With more than a week's worth of work, it's not surprising. Phew!

Taking a break here. short short one.

i've been wanting to try nigella lawson's chicken nuggets recipe. somehow chanced upon it but was not able to locate buttermilk. When i finally found it at cold storage wcp, it was just 1 day before we left for Oz, so i shelved the idea. To cut a long story short, I tried making the chicken nuggets while at Oz cos' buttermilk appeared right before my eyes at Oz. And the chicken nuggets were delicious!

It was super easy but make sure you marinate it for at least 48 hours, the minimum.

I couldn't quite rem the recipe clearly while I was there but i knew the chicken breast had to be marinated with buttermilk and ritz or cheese crackers. I did just that, marinated with buttermilk ,crushed some of the cheese crackers and kept it in the fridge for 2 days. After 2 days, I took it out, minced the chicken meat, shaped them into tiny nuggets, coat them with breadcrumbs and off they went into the wok. It was yummy! I didn't use ritz crackers but cheese crackers and it still tasted great.

The way I made it was a little more cumbersome since I minced the chicken meat as much as possible before I shaped them.I also marinated the chicken together with the cheese crackers. The original recipe didn't call for both. Since it was based on memory, there was a little bit of tweaking here and there.

The good thing about the recipe is it's great for kids too and mummies can also hide tiny broccoli florets or julienned carrots into the nuggets, if your kids are a little skittish of their greens.

If you want the original recipe from none other than the domestic goddess, check it out here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/ritzy-chicken-nuggets-recipe/index.html

Here's a direct copy and paste from the above site:

Ingredients

* 2 (each weighing approximately 8 ounces with the peg bone, less without) chicken breasts
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1/2 cup oil (if you are frying the nuggets)
* 1 3/4 cups cracker crumbs (recommended: Ritz crackers)
* Serving suggestion: Capery Salad, recipe follows

Directions

Cut off the chicken peg bone if there is 1, and put the chicken breasts one at a time into a freezer bag so that it lies flat. Bash with a rolling pin until the chicken is quite thin, and then take it out and slice into about 6 to 8 slices. Repeat with the other chicken breast. This is easiest done with scissors.

Put the slices into a freezer bag with the buttermilk and leave in the refrigerator to marinade for up to 2 days.

When you are ready to cook them, heat the oil in a large frying pan, or preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Tip the cracker crumbs into a wide shallow bowl, and then shake off the excess buttermilk from the nuggets and dip them in the crumbs. Coat them well before lying gently in the hot oil, and cooking for about 2 minutes or so a side until they are golden brown. Transfer to a kitchen towel on a plate to blot the excess oil.

Alternatively, you can lay the crumb-coated chicken nuggets on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. They can also be frozen once marinated and crumbed. If cooking from frozen, add 5 minutes to the oven cooking time.

-- tea's thoughts --
3:51 PM
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