Herbed Chicken Nuggets

Hey blogger world! I am sitting here on a sunny Wednesday morning as Doofenschmirtz chases the sun spots that glance off Sully's collar, enjoying the quiet. It's been a stressful and busy last couple of weeks, one of the culminations being that my brother has come to visit! I am so excited that he is here (him being here was the busy preparation, not the the stressful part :p)!!! I've been a bit on the homesick side for Alaska these past couple of months, and it is so nice to have a little part of that brought to me. Some of the highlights so far - meatloaf (made by him - it was fantastic!), walking to the library to acquire books for the both of us, watching Sarah Palin's Alaska (and WHY is that a highlight, you may wonder...we watched it because since we are both from Alaska, everyone assumes we've seen it and asks us what we think. And we had never seen it! So we watched part of an episode...it made us laugh....), playing with the critters, and just catching up. One of the nice things has been that the weather has been sunny, and in the mid to high 70's all week so far. In the middle of MARCH! It's crazy.

All of that to say that hopefully the blogging sabbatical is done for now! ;) On to cooking! This chicken recipe has fast become one of my favorites, and has definitely worked itself in to our regular meal rotation as a quick and easy dinner that we usually have the ingredients for.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs, seasoned
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Trim any fat from chicken and cut into 1 inch cubes.
3. In a bowl beat the eggs with the water and add the chicken.
4. Combine the parsley, thyme, red pepper, bread crumbs, wheat germ, basil and ground pepper. Stir in the oil with a fork and mix well to distribute evenly. Pour seasoning mixture into a resealable plastic bag and the chicken pieces to coat.
5. Place coated chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 minutes, turn the pieces and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

The best part about it is that you can use it to fit your own tastes! I don't think I've ever actually made the recipe as directed - I just use Italian bread crumbs and whatever seasonings I feel like at the moment. (usually a lot of garlic based ones :P) Instead of cutting the chicken into nuggets (which I'm sure would be tasty, but takes more time), I have used chicken tenders, and have been quite pleased with the results! Just bake the tenders as directed on the package (usually 375 for 15-20 minutes). Serve with mashed potatoes and chicken gravy - it is fannnntastic.