Tikka flavored chicken Nugget is basically a chicken mix seasoned with Indian / Pakistani Tikka spices to give you this awesome kick in the regular nugget scene. And If I may recommend, pair it with mint chutney instead of ketchup and see the fireworks happen! And don’t you worry, it’s kid friendly too! You guys already know my obsession with the Chicken tikka in general. Which gave birth to fusions like The famous Chicken Tikka Biryani, Chicken tikka sandwiches, chicken tikka nachos and now this. I think I might be outta control here. But ohhh well!
Here are a few easy steps to make this amazing fusion recipe by yourself
Home-made Chicken Tikka Nuggets
I know somethings seem daunting to do at home but I assure you, making nuggets at home is EASIER than you think.
Which chicken cut to select?
Chicken nuggets are made with chicken mix or a chicken paste of sorts and made into nugget shaped molded by hand. Ideal part of the chicken for any nugget are the thigh fillets of the chicken. They are juicy, tender and work really well when grounded. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any at hand. So I opted for the chicken mince that I had at hand to work with. It isn’t the best choice but sometimes you gotta work with what you have!
Making the nugget mix
You start by chucking 3 bread slices in a food processor and making crumbs. If you are using boneless chicken cubes, then chuck that into the food processor after making bread crumbs, along with all the spices and you’ll have your nugget mix ready in 5 mins If you are using chicken mince like me, then combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well to form a uniform paste. This is a great time to fry a small piece of the mix to do a taste test. I haven’t made the marination very spicy because I assume your also making these for your kids. I did use Kashmiri red chili instead of the regular one (which is milder). Alternatively, you can also use a box tikka mix instead to make these nuggets. If you are going for a real authentic chicken tikka flavor, you can smoke the chicken mix with a small piece of coal to give it that nice smoky tikka flavor.
How to shape the nuggets
Traditionally, you can grease your hands with oil and shape the nuggets like kebabs etc to form the regular shaped nuggets. But I found an easier way to shape the nuggets. I line a tray with butter paper and grease it. Then I dump all my nugget mix on the tray. Grease my hand with oil and spread out the mix as thick or as thin as I want it to be. This tray goes in the freezer for about an hour or 2. Long enough to harden up the nugget mix. When you take out the tray, the mix is hard enough to allow a knife to cut through it and create nice clean cuts. I cut squares but you can cut any fun shape that you want to. After you get your nuggets cut into the desired shape, all that is left to do is coat it.
Crumb Coating the Nuggets
The coating sequence is pretty basic, Flour, then Egg wash and then bread crumbs. You can also repeat egg wash and crumbs if you want a thick crust layer. For the egg wash, I added 1/2 cup of water and little bit of salt as well so as the crust has a little flavor too. The water just makes the crust crispier. That is literally pretty much it! You can fry it or bake it! Your call. I shallow fry it at medium flame to make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through. To bake the nuggets, preheat an oven at 200 C and place the nuggets on a baking tray. Coat them will oil or roasting spray. Bake for 20 minutes or until crispy! To freeze, keep the crumb coated nuggets back on a tray and keep in the freezer for half an hour. Once the crumb coated nuggets solidify, then you can transfer them into a zip lock bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 – 7 months.
Alternates, Fixes and Remixes
Substitutes and Healthier alternatives
You can use Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt. You can also use Mayo instead of yogurt if you are on a Keto-diet The Kashmiri lal mirch or red chili powder has a strong color but is not very spicy. If you plan to use regular red chili powder, then reduce the quantity to 1 tsp.
Fixes
If you feel like your mix has become very spicy or extra salty, add an extra tablespoon of cream to balance out the heat. If your mixture feels very dry, add an extra tablespoon of yogurt. You can also add extra bread crumbs if your mixture feels very wet.
Remixes
Go ahead and use the same method to create basic chicken nuggets seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and soy sauce. Use the same method and a totally different set of spices to create a different fusion of Chicken nuggets. You can add cheese to the mix as well to create cheesy chicken nuggets. You can also add sesame seeds to the bread crumbs mix to give a crispier shell and a whole new flavor profile.
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