Frugal Food for Toddlers: First Chicken Nuggets
Filed under: Cavewife's Perspective, Frugal Food
Photo credit: my_amiiThe following is a guest post written by my wife, The Cavewife. She regularly writes here about what’s on her heart as a frugal stay-at-home mom.
As my daughter becomes older, it is becoming harder to come up with meals. Most nights she eats what the whole family eats, but some nights I make her special meals if my husband and I are eating something special. She is a picky eater and it is hard to please her with dinner.
In the past couple of weeks, I have been trying out new toddler-friendly recipes. The first recipe I came across was for “first chicken nuggets.” This recipe is good for toddlers from the ages of one to two. This recipe makes about 2-4 servings and takes about 25 minutes to prepare. It is also suitable for freezing and is good for up to 24 hours in the fridge.
First Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients:
- 1 Chicken Breast, cut into small strips
- 2-3 TBSP Dried breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly grease an oven pan by brushing with olive oil.
- Dip the chicken breast strips in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs.
- Place each nugget on the baking pan.
- Cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden on both sides, turning once.
I found this recipe from The Big Book of Recipes for Babies, Toddlers, & Children.
Cost of Ingredients:
| 15 Ounce Container of Breadcrumbs | $0.79 |
| 1 Large Egg | 0.12 |
| 1 Chicken Breast(roughly 1/2 of a pound) | 0.99 |
| Total Cost | $1.90 |
As you can see this recipe is easy and very inexpensive to make. I only made one change to the recipe when I made it the first time for my daughter. I added a little flour, black pepper, and basil to the breadcrumb mixture for more weight and flavor. Feel free to add special seasonings to add a little extra flavor to the nuggets. I just served the nuggets with ketchup and my daughter loved it! Serve the chicken nuggets alongside your little one’s favorite veggies and it should be a hit. If you’re trying out this recipe with a baby, cut the nuggets into small pieces that they can chew, but only if they have the teeth and chewing skill to properly eat the chicken.
For parents reading this post, I would love to hear from you. If you have great toddler-friendly recipes or recipes for the whole family that you would like to share. I am always looking for new recipes to try, especially now with another little one on the way.
Enjoy!
August 21st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
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August 22nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I take my 2yr old kid for chicken nuggets to Mcdonalds. They cost $1 for 4, and he normally has 2 (8 pieces) servings. Cheaper then doing it at home, though maybe a bit unhealthier…
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Due to some miscalculations, the prices we listed are off. As soon as I have a chance to go to the store, I’ll post amended prices. They won’t get down to $0.25 a piece, but they’ll be closer. If you factor the cost of regularly driving there for 8 nuggets compared to one trip to the store to pick up a 6 lb bag of chicken plus the other ingredients, I bet it’s nearly break-even.
That said, these chicken nuggets aren’t fried and are made of whole chicken breast, unlike the chicken “pucks” at McD’s. Plus, the “nuggets” you create at home are much larger, heavier, and healthier than the nuggets from McD’s.
Thanks for the input.
August 23rd, 2008 at 5:49 am
Good idea- the less processed foods the better. We’re all killing ourselves eating some of that processed garbage that is sold today.
I like how you add the different spices, too. I bet your daughter will develop a great interest in healthy tasty foods.
I stumbled.