Recipes 73-75: Chicken Nuggets, Honey Mustard Sauce, Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Well it's been forever since I've posted a new recipe (busy busy!) so to make up for it (sorta), here's a 3-for-1! Again, not a very photogenic bunch, but this dinner turned out amazing! Behold: baked panko chicken nuggets, roasted brussels sprouts, and a honey mustard dipping sauce. All of these recipes are variants of ones found on allrecipes.com. This is a good mix because the chicken and brussels sprouts bake at the same temperature. Also, the black leaves on the brussels sprouts might look gross or overcooked, but I think they have an awesome flavor!


RECIPE #73: BAKED CHICKEN NUGGETS

Ingredients

• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 2)
  
• 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs (I used Panko)
  
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (I used Italian seasoning instead)
  
• 1 tablespoon dried basil (Ditto...)
  
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch size pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter/margarine in a bowl or dish for dipping.
   
3. Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter/margarine first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place well coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. (I threw the chicken in a large ziplock bag with seasonings and melted butter, coated the chicken well, and took out the pieces individually for coating with Panko, then sprinkled the Parmesan cheese on top with more seasonings)

RECIPE #74: HONEY MUSTARD DIPPING SAUCE

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Mix the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, honey, and lemon juice together in a bowl. Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight. (I didn't leave it overnight, just for about an hour or so)
   

RECIPE #75: ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack. (I cut my sprouts in half top to bottom so they'd cook faster and take on more flavor since Nick doesn't like the middles as much. It seems to have worked!)
   
3. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.