CHICKEN NUGGETS

My boys love these. Don’t brine the chicken much longer than 30 minutes or it will be too salty. To crush the panko, place it inside a zipper-lock bag and lightly beat it with a rolling pin. This recipe doubles easily and freezes well.

serves 4

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs, crushed 
2 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 egg whites (here's a link on how to separate egg whites from yolks)
4 cups peanut or vegetable oil

• Cut each chicken breast into evenly sized ½-inch-thick pieces (they can be any shape you want; just make sure the thickness of all the pieces is pretty uniform so they cook properly). Whisk water, 1 tablespoon salt, and Worcestershire in large bowl until salt dissolves. Add chicken pieces and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.
• Remove chicken from brine, discard brine, and pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine flour, bread crumbs, onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic powder, and baking soda in a shallow dish. Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish until foamy. Coat half of chicken with egg whites and dredge in flour-crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining chicken (don’t discard flour-crumb mixture). Let sit 10 minutes.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat to 350 degrees (use the link to see how to gauge oil temperatures for deep frying without a thermometer). Return chicken to flour dish and turn to coat, pressing flour-crumb mixture gently to adhere. Fry half of chicken until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Drain chicken on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken.
• MAKE AHEAD: Cool fried nuggets, transfer to zipper-lock bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuggets on rimmed baking sheet and bake, flipping once, until heated through, about 15 minutes.