Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets

These Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets bring back memories of childhood dinners and are a great copycat recipe of the classic frozen food! Made with just 6 simple ingredients and then baked in the oven, they're a healthier version of this nostalgic favorite, perfect for kids and adults alike.

Course Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Diabetic, Kosher, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Low Salt

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 16

Freezing Time 45

Total Time 1 31

Servings servings

Calories 346kcal

Author Alana Lieberman

Cost $15

Equipment

Ingredients

2 pounds ground chicken
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups plain breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Place parchment paper on 3 large baking sheets. Add ground chicken to one of the baking sheets. Spread in an even layer on top of the parchment paper until it’s about ½-inch thick.
Place baking sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes so the chicken can slightly harden.
Remove the chicken from the freezer. Use the dinosaur cookie cutters to cut out nuggets.
*If the chicken is too hard, let it defrost slightly before proceeding. If it is too soft, freeze for another 10 minutes.
Place cutout nuggets on one of the other prepared baking sheets. Once you’ve cut out as many as possible, place the baking sheet with the nuggets back in the freezer.
Re-form the scraps of ground chicken into a ½-inch thick, even layer. Refreeze for about 20 minutes or until hardened again, then repeat steps 3 and 4. Continue over again until all scraps have been used up. Make sure all nuggets have a chance to refreeze for at least 15 minutes before proceeding.
When the chicken is almost done in the freezer, preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Whisk eggs in a small bowl.
In another bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.
Dip each dinosaur nugget in the eggs to coat both sides. Then, coat in the breadcrumbs on all sides.
Place coated nuggets back on the parchment lined baking sheets. Spray nuggets on both sides with nonstick spray.
Bake for 10 minutes, then flip, and bake another 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown and the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Serve dinosaur chicken nuggets with your favorite dipping sauces, like ketchup, BBQ sauce, ranch, or honey mustard.

Notes

Make sure to use dinosaur shaped cookie cutters that are 3 to 3 ½-inches wide at their widest part. (Usually, from head to tail.) This will ensure the perfect "nugget size" and even cooking.
Don't skip the freezing process. This helps the chicken retain its shape while breading and cooking.
With these dinosaur shaped cookie cutters, this recipe made about 30 to 33 chicken nuggets.

Nutrition