These Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets are a delicious, healthy alternative to store bought nuggets, a classic and much loved finger food! These are the best homemade nuggets out there, trust me. Loaded with veggies and full of flavour, these crispy nuggets are the perfect finger food for lunch or dinner. With no added salt or artificial ingredients, baby can enjoy them along with the whole family.
Why this is the Best Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets Recipe
I know there are other Thermomix chicken nugget recipes out there, but this one is the best chicken nugget recipe for babies and toddlers, for so many reasons!
First of all, there’s no added salt, Parmesan cheese or other salty ingredients, so they are kind to little kidneys. But they are full of flavour, thanks to fresh herbs and a combination of chicken breast and thigh meat. These cauliflower chicken nuggets are also loaded with FOUR vegies – cauliflower, zucchini, onion and garlic – so your little people get a nutritious dinner, I’ll bet without complaint!
These nuggets are baked, not shallow fried, which is not only healthier, but a timesaver too! You won’t see me shallow frying batches of nuggets when I can just pop them in the oven or air fryer. They won’t fall apart easily either. Let’s be honest though, if your baby is like LJ and resembles a famished wild animal come dinner time, they may not hold up like the store-bought processed ones. They will come apart in chunks though that can be easily shovelled back into little mouths.
Need I continue with reasons why I love these nuggets over all others? Oh, yes! Lastly, the crunchy, golden coating. The trick is to mix a little olive oil with Panko crumbs, to get the crunchiest golden crumb possible when baking.
What you’ll need to make these homemade chicken nuggets
No unknown ingredients on this list, just whole and minimally processed foods!
Chicken breast and thigh meat – The combination of these two definitely gives the best flavour, but you can use only chicken breast if you’d like. Keep in mind though that thigh meat contains nearly double the amount of iron [1] and zinc as breast meat. I recommend mincing your own chicken, as store-bought chicken mince can be quite wet. If you use store-bought mince, you might need to add standard breadcrumbs to the mix so that the nuggets can be shaped.
Cauliflower, zucchini, brown onion and garlic – Are your children afraid of green specks in their food? If the answer is yes, then peeling the zucchini helps to hide this extra veggie 😁. In a pinch you could substitute the fresh garlic for 1/4 tsp garlic powder.
Fresh parsley and thyme – I always think the flavour of fresh is best and I’m lucky that herbs grow in abundance in my garden, but you can substitute with 1 teaspoon of each dried herb.
White pepper – It’s a little milder than black pepper.
Wholemeal flour – For drenching. I always use wholemeal where possible, but you can substitute with plain/ all purpose flour.
Eggs and milk – For breading.
Olive oil and Panko breadcrumbs – For the final coating of these crispy cauliflower nuggets.
How to make the Best Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets
This is a really simple recipe to make when using a kitchen gadget 😊.
Thermomixer? Just chop the ingredients in your thermo cooker, shape and bread the nuggets, and then pop them in the oven. 25 minutes later, you your children can demolish them!
Conventional cook? The method is exactly the same. Use a blender or a food processor to finely chop the ingredients, shape and bread the nuggets, and then pop them in the oven. No kitchen gadget? You could make these by hand, by finely chopping and grating the vegetables and herbs, and using pre-minced chicken. Remember, if you use store-bought mince, you might need to add standard breadcrumbs to the mix so it isn’t too wet to handle.
See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and detailed steps for both thermo cooker and conventional methods.
Serving these nuggets
For lunch, dinner or snack, these homemade nuggets are a healthy option! My children don’t like tomato or bbq sauce, but if yours do then serve with their favourite dipping sauce 😁 and whatever sides you like. You can serve them whole or in bite-sized pieces, depending on what’s best for your child.
If you’d like more finger food recipes, check out my homemade Pork Sausage Rolls! They’re another great finger food recipe made with simple ingredients.
Looking forward to seeing if these homemade nuggets get your tick of approval for health and nutrition, and your children’s tick for taste and texture. If you try them, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too for more finger food recipes.
Happy cooking!
Chloe x
The Best Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets
Category: Finger FoodTap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 75 g / 1/2 brown/yellow onion peeled and halved
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- 210 g cauliflower cut into florets
- 100 g / 1/2 zucchini (Thermomix: cut into 3cm/1in pieces) (Note 1)
- 5 g / 2 tbs fresh parsley
- 5 g / 2 tbs fresh thyme
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 140 g chicken breast (Thermomix: cut into 3cm/1in cubes) (Note 2)
- 140 g chicken thigh (Thermomix: cut into 3cm/1in cubes) (Note 2)
- 75 g / 1/2 cup wholemeal flour
- 2 eggs
- 60 g / 1/4 cup milk
- 120 g / 2 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs (Note 3)
- 40 g olive oil
Thermo Cooker Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180° C. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper/parchment paper.
- Put onion and garlic in the mixing bowl, and chop 3 seconds, speed 6, MC on. Scrape down the mixing bowl.
- Add the cauliflower florets, zucchini, pepper and herbs. Chop for 7 seconds, speed 6, MC on. Scrape down the mixing bowl.
- Add chicken breast and thigh meat. Chop for 7 seconds, speed 6, MC on.
- Transfer mixture to a large bowl. With your hands, shape 1 tbs of mixture into nuggets and set aside on a plate.
- Prepare your assembly line – in a small bowl, measure out the flour. In another small bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. In another small bowl, measure out Panko breadcrumbs and olive oil. Stir or lightly rub the olive oil into the Panko until mixed.
- Lightly coat the shaped nuggets in wholemeal flour, then egg mixture, then Panko breadcrumbs. Place on baking tray.
- Bake for25 minutes until golden brown, turning the nuggets after 20 minutes.
Conventional Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180° C. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper/parchment paper.
- In a food processor or blender, finely chop the onion and garlic.
- Add the cauliflower florets, zucchini, pepper and herbs. Chop until fine.
- Add the chicken, and pulse until chicken is minced and mixture is mixed together well.
- Transfer mixture to a large bowl. With your hands, shape 1 tbs of mixture into nuggets and set aside on a plate.
- Prepare your assembly line – in a small bowl, measure out the flour. In another small bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. In another small bowl, measure out Panko breadcrumbs and olive oil. Stir or lightly rub the olive oil into the Panko until mixed.
- Lightly coat the shaped nuggets in wholemeal flour, then egg mixture, then Panko breadcrumbs. Place on baking tray.
- Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown, turning the nuggets after 20 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
[1] Chicken Cuts, 2020, Australian Chicken Meat Federation.
One Response
So good, tasty and healthy. A great natural alternative to processed nuggets.