Better Than Chicken McNuggets...Chicken "Mack" Nuggets!

Remember these guys?

Did you ever have that one thing in your childhood of which you craved but simply didn't get that often.  Mine was chicken nuggets. I LONGED FOR THEM. The golden arches of the McDonald's logo equated to the pearly gates of heaven for me! But ever since Super Size Me came out I just can't. The word artificially enlarged chicken breasts will for ever ring in my ears when I see them.

Nosh-talgia

I can't resist the smooth batter on the outside and boneless chicken on the inside. Over the years I have tried to duplicated it...with utter failure. That was until I came across tempura batter. With a typical southern fried method the chicken was too tough. So I thought if I pounded the crap out of it with a meat mallet (aka my wooden rolling pin) then it would tenderize it. Yes but come on ...I only do that for chicken fried steak. That's a ton of work for fun food.

In the grocery store I came across a package of Tempura batter for mushrooms. I liked it. I thought...hey...that looks familiar! Yup. That was the key ingredient I had been missing. I'm not a fan of mixes because I can't control the salt. On top of which there are too many ingredients in that package for such a simple thing. So did my research and came up with own. I guarantee you have the ingredient in your kitchen. I was happy to find that the tempura creates a seal around the chicken not letting the moisture escape. So you get a crispy outside and a juicy tender inside. Just as it should be.

So why are they better then Chicken McNuggets? Because they are Chicken MackNuggets. Get it...its my last name. Yeah. I made them so it makes it better.

Homemade Chicken McNuggets

Chicken "Mack" Nuggets by Momma Cupcake

• 5 cups flour, plus 1 cup for dusting
• 1 cup  cornstarch
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs, whites and yolks separated
• 3-4 cups cold water
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut up into 1 inch cubes

1. Sift together dry ingredients. 
2. Stir in water and egg yolks. 
3. Beat egg whites until smooth and frothy and stir into batter.
4. Dust chicken in flour then into Tempura.
5. Fry at 350 F in vegetable shortening until each side is golden brown.
6. Drain.
7. Enjoy!