Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets

Recipe by Martin Gonzalez, executive chef, Acqua Al 2.

I really like to cook — at home or at a friend’s house. Even when I’m invited to a barbecue, I manage to take over the grill. I make everything from pasta to Chinese food to pizza and enjoy making sandwiches and paninis on the grill.

Every Sunday is my day off from Acqua Al 2, and it’s also my cooking day. I have two kids and they’re a bit picky so I make them the easy stuff. Since my oldest daughter, who is six years old, is allergic to casein and gluten, we use this day to cook her food for the rest of the week. One dish both kids really love from scratch is chicken nuggets. I make them gluten-free for my daughter but both of my children love them. Give them a try and they will soon be your favorite chicken nuggets as well. Buon appetito!

INGREDIENTS

Makes 16 nuggets (feeds 3–4 kids)

2 chicken breasts (boneless skinless), cut into one-inch squares
1 cup of sunflower oil (or more if needed)
1 cup of brown rice flour
1 cup of potato flour
4 tablespoons of tapioca flour
2 T salt (or more to taste)
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups of rice milk

Cut chicken into one-inch pieces and set aside. Heat oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat (oil should be ready in about eight minutes).

In a one-gallon Ziploc bag, add in all the flours and the salt and mix well. In a medium bowl, stir the eggs and the rice milk well for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken to the egg-and-rice-milk mixture a few pieces at a time. Don’t overcrowd. Take them out of the egg mixture when well coated and place inside the Ziploc bag with the flours. Close the bag and shake it well so the flours thoroughly coat the chicken. Repeat this process until all of the chicken is coated with the egg-and-flour mixture.

When the oil is hot, begin to add chicken to the pan. Again, don’t overcrowd. The chicken is done when the outside is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Serve to hungry kids!