I love a good Shake and Bake. The crispy crunch it adds to a chicken or pork is delicious, but when I use it, I always wonder what’s exactly in this. The sodium always seems high, and I don’t feel confident about the ingredients sometimes depending on what stores I purchase it from and the look of the mixture.

With that in mind, I like to make my own mixture and know what my family is eating. I make a bulk batch since it stays fresh for a while if you use a glass bowl for storage. Using a ziplock bag can give it a baggy taste if you know what I mean. I try to use it within a week. The batch you’re mixing with the chicken needs to be in a separate bag or glass bowl so you don’t contaminate the mixture that you’re saving.

The mixture I have below uses 8 chicken tenderloins. If you’re making a bigger batch, use more breading mixture.

Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken Nuggets

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes | Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 chicken tenderloins
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 cup panko crumbs
• 3 tbs flour
• 2 tbs salt
• 1 tbs onion powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tbs celery salt
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 tbs oregano
• 1 tbs basil
• 1 tbs black pepper

Recipe

• Preheat oven to 425.
• In a glass dish or bag, mix all of the ingredients excluding the chicken.
• Portion out the mixture that you WILL NOT be using into a separate glass dish or bag.
• Grab a cutting board and begin slicing your tenderloins into 1 to 2-inch pieces.
• Coat those pieces in the breading mixture and assemble on a cooking sheet.
• Bake them in an oven at 425 for 6 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another 4 minutes or until they’re completely cooking through.
• Serve immediately!

XO, Rachel