Menu Monday & Chicken Nugget Knock-offs

Well, we are in week 3 of the new year and while I have been making a menu plan, I will admit we haven't been following it, exactly.  In general I have made the meals, just not necessarily on the days I "planned".  I guess I am still a bit of a "what am I hungry for" and "I don't feel like making that tonight" kind of cook.  That being said, I am going to stick with it and maybe it will click.  Planning definitely helps when I hit the grocery store.

Monday
Carnitas - I bought a big pork roast on sale at Costco yesterday.  Some of this will go in to the freezer for another day.

Tuesday
Eating @ In-Laws - I won't be home so the kids and hubby have been invited to my in-laws!  Awesome!

Wednesday
Soup - not sure what yet, maybe an Italian soup with sausage & spinach - I will have to let you know

Thursday
Cheeseburgers & Hashbrowns

Friday
Homemade Shrimp & Goat Cheese Pizza (kids will likely just have cheese pizza)

Saturday
Lunch:  Panini Sandwiches
Dinner:  Spaghetti & Meatballs

Sunday
Lunch:  birthday party
Dinner:  In-laws

I shared on Facebook last week that I made two recipes that I had pinned on Pinterest last week.  They both were awesome. 

The first was homemade caramel made by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk.  Pretty straight forward and very yummy.  It is awesome for dipping apples.  The boy and I had it for lunch 2 days in a row.  Yum!!! 
The second recipe was for knock-off Chick-Fil-A Nuggets from My Name is Snickerdoodle.  These were absolutely wonderful.  Maybe not as good as the original but very tasty.  I did 2 versions of these.  The first night I followed the recipe and fried them.  They were very good although they tasted a bit like the oil.

On night 2 I made this baked version...

I really liked these and of course, they were healthier.  (I didn't get a picture of the fried ones, sorry, we were so excited to eat them that it slipped my mind.)

The real secret to the recipe is the addition of powdered sugar in the breading which gives it some sweetness.  I never thought about that the nuggets at Chick are sweet, but they kind of are and that is what makes them so tasty.  I made a few changes to the original recipe.  Since I was baking these, I added some additional sugar to help crisp up the nuggets under the broiler.  I also added some Tobasco and cayenne to give the nuggets a bit more flavor and zip.  So here is my recipe.

Sweet Baked Chicken Nuggets
2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbsp Tobasco
1 cups flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Trim away any fat from the chicken and cube them in to bite size pieces.  Try to keep them uniform in size so they cook evenly.  In a medium bowl whisk the egg and stir in the milk and Tobasco.  Place chicken in milk mixture and cover. Let it 'marinate' for 2-4 hours in the fridge (I let mine sit overnight since I made them 2 days in a row). This will make the chicken very nice and tender. Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl or large resealable bag.  Add your "marinated" chicken to the dry ingredients and coat.  Spread the chicken out on a large baking sheet, leaving space between.  Place the pan under the broiler.  Watch closely.  When the nuggets start to get a bit golden brown, remove the pan and turn over the chicken using tongs.  Place back under the broiler to brown the other side.  Under the broiler, the heat somewhat carelizes the sugar in the breading which allows the nuggets to turn a golden brown and get a bit of a crunchy crust.

Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy.