One Perfect Bite: chicken nuggets

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Golden Nuggets

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's hard for me to believe, but One Perfect Bite will be entering its 7th year of publication in September. You know how grateful I am for your company and continuing interest in the blog, and I owe you, and a handful of other folks, a more than measured thank you. One of the groups to whom I am especially indebted is a small company called The Foodie Blogroll. FBR is an ad network that gives member bloggers, currently 18,000 of them, increased exposure and the opportunity to earn revenue for the work they do. They are currently conducting an outreach campaign that will expand their membership and entice more advertisers into the FBR fold. If you are looking to grow your own audience, one or more of their initiatives may be of interest to you. If you would like to be featured on the FBR Widget which is viewed over 30 million times a month, details can be found here. You might also want to participate in their Monthly Blogger Appreciation Giveaway and information regarding that can be found here. If you are not yet a member but are interested in joining the network, it's as simple as visiting the Sign Up page which you can find here. I do hope you'll join us.

I had a young visitor today and he and his mother, who does not allow him to eat processed foods, were the inspiration for tonight's post. This is a recipe that will have limited appeal because it doesn't pack much bang for the buck, and the time it takes to prepare the nuggets may seem excessive to some. There is a lot of wait time associated with their assembly and while these are tender and delicious I do understand why many of you would prefer to take a pass. Permission granted, but you must promise to come back tomorrow.

Friday, December 16, 2011

50 Women Game Changers in Food - #28 Anne-Sophie Pic - Chicken Nuggets

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...To understand the accomplishments of Anne-Sophie Pic, it helps to know that, worldwide, only 13 percent of women are executive chefs. She is one of the very few who have earned that title and then gone on to earn the prestigious Michelin three-star award for her restaurant, Maison Pic.

While she was born to a cooking dynasty, she had not planned to become a chef. Her father and grandfather were both Michelin 3-star chefs, but she had planned on a career in international business. That changed when the sudden death of her father sent the restaurant into a tailspin. She was 22 at the time, but she put her plans aside, donned an apron and went to work in the kitchen to help where she could. Five years later she became executive chef, displacing her brother who had lost the kitchen's third star. In 2007 she regained the lost star and went on, with the help of her husband, David Sinapian, to establish a culinary empire that included the legendary Maison Pic, a bistro, a cooking school and another Michelin two-star restaurant in Switzerland. In 2011, she was also the first recipient of the Veuve Clicquot Best Female Chef Award. She has earned her position on the Gourmet Live list of 50 Women Game-Changers in Food. She is extremely well organized and her ability to delegate has allowed her to spend evenings with her son. The recipe I'm featuring today was developed for him. It seems even great chefs have children who are picky eaters.

I committed to this recipe without giving it a proper read. It sounded easy and I though it would be perfect for this very busy week. I belatedly discovered that these "simple" chicken nuggets are made using a technique called sous-vide. This is a process in which foods are cooked at a very low temperature while submersed in a hot-water bath. The food must, of course, be tightly wrapped and, if possible, vacuum sealed. This is not part of my standard cooking repertoire, but I was determined to make it work and learn something in the process. I must say the nuggets are very nice. I can't say they were worth the effort it took to make them. This is a recipe for cooks who like to play and experiment in the kitchen. I had fun with it, but it will not become part of my regular rotation. I don't normally include photos with my recipe directions but I thought they might be needed here. Here's the recipe for those of you who would like to try it.

Anne-Sophie Pic's Chicken Nuggets - Nuggets de Volaille...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Anne-Sophie Pic

Ingredients:
Nuggets
14 oz. skinless and boneless breast of chicken, raw
1 cup very cold heavy cream(put 15 minutes in the freezer)
1 egg white
Salt and pepper
Breading
A bowl of all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
A bowl of beaten eggs (between 3 to 4 eggs)
A bowl of breadcrumbs (about 2 cups)
Salt
Oil for frying

Directions:
1) Cut chicken into very small dice. Put a quarter of the chicken aside and place remainder in a food processor. Add egg white, cream and salt and pepper to taste and process. When the "chicken paste" is smooth, scrape into a large mixing bowl, add the remaining diced chicken and stir. Season again if necessary. Put this mixture in the freezer for 15 minutes.
2) Roll out a large rectangle of plastic film on a working surface. Place chicken paste in a pastry bag and form a long 1-1/4 inches "sausage" on the center of the plastic wrap (leave room at the ends to tie the film). Wrap the paste tightly in the film, roll on the work surface, and knot the ends. If you have enough paste, you can make two "sausages".
3) Boil water in a large saucepan, reduce to a simmer and cook the nugget roll(s) for 25 minutes. Remove them, let cool and cut into 0.4 inch slices. See photos below for a step by step tutorial.
4) For the breading process, prepare three bowls filled respectively with: flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs. Dip each slice of chicken successively in these three plates (1-Flour, 2-beaten eggs, 3-breadcrumbs). Fry in hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Serve hot. Yield: 20 to 24 nuggets.