Baked Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Maybe, just maybe this will be my last chicken nugget recipe. First there were the buttermilk whole wheat nuggets. Then the lemony chicken nuggets. Now I give you my latest and greatest recipe yet. These are tasty, crispy, and require less baby-sitting than the other two. They're kind of a mash up of my other two recipes and they are my picky-eaters' favorite.

To keep the panko from falling onto the baking sheet and burning during the cook time, I dredge them on the wire rack set over the sink. Brilliant? Sometimes I am.

Also, although they say to never reuse your dredging materials, I almost always have some leftover, and I do save them. *Gasp!* I just label them, stick them in the freezer and ONLY use them for the same application next time.

Baked Crispy Chicken Nuggets

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized nuggets

salt and pepper

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

about 1/4 tsp garlic powder

2-4 tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.
Season nugget pieces with salt and pepper. Place in a large bowl and cover with buttermilk. You can do this a couple of hours ahead of time, if needed. On a plate, season the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Drain the buttermilk from chicken and coat with the breadcrumbs. Place breaded nuggets on a wire rack set over the sink (if possible). Drizzle with olive oil. Place wire rack onto a baking sheet. Bake nuggets 18-20 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown and crunchy.