These chicken nugget-like balls make for a nice appetizer or snack that’s good for your kids. They share none of the unknowns in fast-food chicken nuggets, and they actually taste better than anything you can buy in the frozen-foods section.
I found a version of these online, but I changed it up to better fit my tastes. And, “nuggets” may not be the best name for them. Maybe “chicken blobs” would be more appropriate. I recommend having some nitrile or latex gloves on hand for mixing the meat mixture, but other than that messy step, they’re easy to make. And they freeze well, either before or after cooking.
We ate them as an appetizer a couple of times, with a home-made honey-mustard sauce, and they seem like they’d be great as finger food for gatherings.
Here’s what they look like raw.
What you’ll need:
- 1 lb of ground chicken or turkey (even lean ground pork would work)
- 1 cup of grated root vegetable, like parsnips, turnips, carrots, or kohlrabi. I used carrots because we had a ton of them
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 small onion or large shallot, finely chopped, add some scallions if you want
- 2T olive oil
- 2T coconut flour or dried, shredded (desiccated) unsweetened coconut—this absorbs moisture from the grated root vegetable as it cooks
Add for an Asian taste:
- 1T ginger paste or minced ginger
- 1t garlic paste or minced garlic
- 2T soy sauce, Japanese tsuyu, Golden Mountain Sauce bulgogi marinade or other favorite Asian condiment
For an Italian taste:
- 1t garlic paste
- 1t fresh or dried oregano, rosemary, basil, sage or thyme (or a combo of these)
- 1T finely shredded Parmesan cheese
For an Indian taste
- 1-2t tamarind paste or chutney
- 1t garlic paste
- 1T garam masala
What to do:
Heat your oven to 400 degrees and prep a large baking dish or sheet by greasing it in some manner.
In a large bowl, mix the ground meat, grated root vegetable and onion. Using your hands is probably best.
Add the oil, egg, coconut, your spices and flavorings and continue combining until very well mixed.
Roll the meat into 1 to 1.5-inch balls and place about 1 inch apart on the baking dish.
Cook for about 25 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don’t overcook. Because these are made from ground meat, ensure they are cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Serve warm or hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
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