Easy weeknight recipes: Chicken Mark nuggets

This chicken nugget recipe comes from legendary cookbook author Mark Bittman, whose latest installation in his “How to Cook Everything” series is built around kids’ cooking. Set to debut Oct. 15, “How to Cook Everything Kids” (Harvest, $35) is written especially for the younger set, teaching them cooking techniques as they prepare their favorite dishes.

These chicken nuggets are crispy, easy to prepare and “waayyyy better than what you get at a drive-up window,” Bittman writes. “If you double this recipe, you’ll have enough for a lot of hungry people, or make enough to freeze the leftovers in an airtight container to heat later in the microwave.”

Chicken Mark Nuggets

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 pound boneless chicken (tenders, breasts, cutlets or thighs)

Salt and pepper

1 cup whole milk

4 cups cornflakes

3 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil, plus more as needed

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the chicken into chunks about 2 inches long. Put them in a medium bowl, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and pour in the milk. Toss with a fork until the pieces are all coated with the milk. Let the chicken sit while you get everything ready to cook.

Put the cornflakes in a shallow bowl and crumble them with your hands or a potato masher. Crush the flakes into crumbs about the size of coarse bread crumbs. (For a more even coating, make finer crumbs by pulsing the cornflakes in a blender or food processor.)

To set up for breading and baking, put a large rimmed baking sheet on a counter or table and smear the bottom with the oil. On one side (depending on whether you like to work from the left or the right), put the bowl with the crumbs. Next to that, put the bowl with the chicken.

Toss the chicken again with the fork to make sure all the pieces are wet. With tongs (or your hands), one at a time lift a piece of chicken from the bowl and roll it in crumbs until coated all over. As you work, put the pieces on the oiled pan, spreading them out so they’re evenly placed without touching. (Be sure to wash your hands once you’re done with this step.)

Bake: Set a timer for 10 minutes and let the chicken bake without touching. You’re looking for a crunchy-looking golden brown crust to form on the bottom as the oil sizzles. You’ll see it around the edges when the pieces are ready, and you’ll be able to turn them easily without tugging. Tongs are the best tool to avoid splatters, but sometimes a stiff spatula can help loosen every bit from the pan. If they’re not ready to turn when the timer goes off, set it for another 5 minutes and check again to see if they’re ready to turn.

If you used breasts or tenders, bake the second side for another 5 minutes (or 8 minutes for thighs). You want the second side to be about the same color as the first. To test for doneness, carefully remove the pan and cut into a piece with a fork and small knife so you can peek. The meat should feel firm against the fork and cut easily, and you’ll see no pink. The juices should be clear. You don’t have to check every piece once you get the hang of what they look like.

Sprinkle the nuggets with a little salt and pepper if you like. Serve them plain, or with a condiment or homemade sauce for dipping on the side.

Variations

Fish: Instead of the chicken, use firm thick fish fillets like salmon, cod, catfish or halibut. Everything else in the recipe stays the same. Follow the cooking times for chicken breasts.

Pork or beef: Instead of the chicken, use boneless beef or pork sirloin or loin chops or steak. Everything else in the recipe stays the same. Follow the cooking times for chicken thighs.

— Mark Bittman, “How to Cook Everything Kids” (Harvest, $35, due out Oct. 15)