04/28/2020
A bloggish post that eventually teaches you how to make your own chicken nuggets with meat most people probably throw away.
With our country’s meat supply facing some potential issues now is a better time than ever to focus on using every part of the animal. Since chicken is by far the most popular meat in the United States, now is a better time than ever to familiarize yourself with purchasing a whole bird and learning how to use every last bit of it. In addition to cost effectiveness, buying whole chickens also allows you to purchase better quality birds from smaller producers that aren’t able to offer separately packaged boneless, skinless chicken breasts, wings, etc. One great way to really get the most bang for your buck with a whole chicken is making stock. To stretch it further still, pull the chicken carcasses out of the stock halfway through and pick off the softened, braised meat that was left on the bones. This meat can be used for a variety of things like tacos, “pulled” chicken sandwiches, or my personal favorite, chicken nuggets. I tried to document the process of making chicken nuggets this week, if you want to try it yourself feel free to reach out with any questions.
Step 1) Getting your chicken. If you just want to make chicken nuggets but breaking down a whole bird isn’t your thing, this can be done with braised legs and thighs, but it’s far more satisfying using the meat that usually heads to the trash or compost bin. If you’re making stock starting with raw chicken bones, let them simmer for an hour and a half to two hours from the time the stock starts bubbling. This time would be significantly less if using carcasses from an already roasted chicken. This allows the meat to be picked easily before it’s dried out and before the bones become so brittle that they end up getting mixed into the meat. Then remove the bones from the stock and allow to cool slightly. Then pick as much of the meat off the bones as you can and return the bones to the stockpot to finish simmering.
Step 2) Making your naked nuggets. This can be done a couple different ways depending on your preference. Take your shredded/pulled chicken and slowly warm it in a pan or saucepan with enough fat to thoroughly coat all the meat. This must be done with a fat that is solid at room temperature, ideally chicken or duck fat (available at Whole Foods or some butchershops, you can also render your own) but you can also use lard, bacon fat, or possibly coconut oil or shortening though I haven’t tried either and don’t advise using shortening for anything. Once the meat and fat are warmed (there should be enough fat in the pan that there is a thin layer of it still at the bottom of the pan), season with salt to taste. Then, it’s time to mold it. This can be done with aluminum foil or silicon molds (ice cube trays of different shapes could work). The key is to press the meat as tightly together as possible while it’s still warm (see photos). If using the foil, heavy duty works best but if you only have the regular kind just use a longer piece so it doesn’t rip when you try to press it together. Roll the chicken in the foil trying to only keep the foil on the outside so it’s not going to end up in the meat like a pinwheel. When it’s rolled up, twist the ends to squeeze the meat and fat together as tightly as possible and refrigerate immediately for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. (Same concept if using silicon molds, press the meat as tightly as possible into the molds and then refrigerate until solid.) This will let the fat solidify and turn the meat into a solid log you can cut into nuggets.
Step 3) Breading your nuggets. This is the classic flour, egg, breadcrumbs (or panko) deal. Due to egg and dairy allergies in my family I use a slurry of flour and water along with Dijon mustard in lieu of the egg. You’ll want to keep the nuggets cold until you’re ready to cook them so they don’t fall apart, so depending on how many you’re making, keep some in the fridge while you’re breading. Cut the nuggets about 1/2 inch thick straight through the foil. If you try to unwrap the whole log and then cut it, it’s more likely to fall apart. Be careful to check for any small bits of foil mixed in with the meat. Ignore all of this if using the silicon molds. Unwrap all of the foil after cutting, (you can use the skinny parts from the twisted ends of the foil logs too, they may not be as pretty but they’re still just as good) then bread with whichever combination of flour, egg/milk/Dijon/slurry, breadcrumbs/panko you choose and get ready to fry.
Step 4) Frying your nuggets. Bring your oil (I use chicken fat again for this) to around 350-360 degrees and then drop in your nuggets. Do this in batches if making a lot so the oil doesn’t cool down too much. Cook until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, the chicken is already cooked so no concerns there, then put on paper towels to drain excess oil and allow to cool on a rack. You can season with additional salt immediately after frying if needed. Enjoy right away or freeze for easy reheating another time.
