Schnitzel Chicken Nuggets

This particular recipe came about in a couple of different ways.  First, Taelin seems to be like almost every other child in the United States and LOVES chicken nuggets.  I can't, however, in good conscious buy a bag/box of chicken nuggets, serve it to her for lunch or dinner and call it good.  We have on occasion got her chicken nuggets when we are out but I just can't have them in my house.  I knew they weren't good but then I saw this clip of Jamie Oliver from his show and that pretty much did it for me.  So, I need to make them from scratch because somehow it is easier to get her to eat chicken that way.

Secondly, our meeting focus in Weight Watchers a couple of weeks ago was using different kinds of spices in our cooking.  The whole idea of not eating the same thing over and over again and learning to eat new things helps with weight loss.  I am not hugely adventurous when it comes to using a lot of different things, but I promised myself in the meeting that I would try something new.

Enter...Schnitzel Chicken Nuggets.  Long ago, I used to make what I am sure it some kind of bastardized chicken schnitzel.  Even when I went to search for an exact recipe I couldn't find one that was like I had done...so forgive me it I am calling this something that is way off base!  Anyway, I used to bread chicken and then pan fry it and serve it with a slice of lemon and mashed potatoes.  I honestly can't remember the last time I fried something but the recipe did come to mind when thinking about spices because I use nutmeg in my breading and hadn't in a long time.  Here is the recipe!

Ingredients
9 oz of chicken breast, cut into nugget sized pieces (I just used 9 oz because that is 3 oz a person)
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
salt and pepper (your preference when deciding how much)
1 egg, beaten
lemon wedges

Directions
1. Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
2.  Dredge each piece of chicken through the egg and then bread using the above mixture.  Lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3.  Baked at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, flipping each nugget over once to help it crisp up.
4. Serve with a slice of lemon that can be squeezed over the top right before they are eaten.

They were really good and I will definitely make them again.  I have to say that while I could tell they weren't fried, they were pretty good just plain baked.  What I really need to do it make a HUGE batch of them once school is out so that I have them for quick reheating this summer.  I could see baking them off and then freezing them individually for an hour on a cookie sheet before putting them into freezer bags.

Hopefully this post doesn't offend anyone that truly understands and loves what chicken schnitzel is.  If I do, please let me know what I did to take a left turn that I should have!