Jamie Oliver's proper chicken nuggets, sweet paprika & Parmesan crumb (2024)

Using wholemeal bread instead of the usual white bread coating means we are upping our fibre intake, and we’ve lowered the calories by baking rather than deep-frying these bad boys.

Ingredients

• 1kg free-range skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 level teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1 heaped tablespoon Greek yoghurt
• 1 large free-range egg
• 1 lemon
• 250g wholemeal bread
• 50g Parmesan cheese
• olive oil

Method

1. Start by cutting the chicken breasts into nugget-sized portions. The easiest way to do this is to use your scales to help you get it right the first time – you want each nugget to be just over 30g, then visually that will give you a guide for the rest. Cut up all the chicken, putting it on a tray as you go.
2. To make the marinade, crush the unpeeled garlic cloves through a garlic crusher over the chicken. Add the paprika, yoghurt, egg, and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Finely grate over the lemon zest and squeeze over all the juice, then use your clean hands to massage all that flavour into the meat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
3. Tear the bread into a food processor, finely grate in the Parmesan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and whiz until you have fine breadcrumbs, then tip into a large shallow tray. Working in batches, use two forks to transfer the pieces of chicken into the crumbs, using the forks to gently flick crumbs over each piece of chicken so they’re well coated. Transfer the nuggets to a deep tray lined with greaseproof paper, layering them up between sheets of paper as you go (this is probably more bread than you need, but it’s easier to work with – simply discard whatever’s left). Cook right away or freeze in the tray – once frozen, you can pop them into a tub or sandwich bags for easier storage.
4. To cook, place however many nuggets you need on a rack in a roasting tray in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Jamie Oliver MBE is one of the most famous celebrity chefs in the country. His cheeky Essex boy persona and simple, delicious food have made him a hit in the food industry. Starting his career as a pastry chef at Antona Carluccio's Neal Street restaurant in London, he made his unannounced appearance in a BBC documentary while working at The River Cafe in Fulham and the producers loved him. From there his television career started to take off and now he has over ten best-selling books, including classics like Jamie's 15 minutes meals and Save with Jamie as well as having restaurants all over the world. Although, at the heart of all Jamie's recipes is the desire to make easy family dishes that are full of quality ingredients and that are super simple to make. If you like the sound of Jamie's recipes, why not try some of our favourite Jamie Oliver recipes including spicy scrambled eggs, prawn curry ,harissa chicken traybake, or chocolate orange shortbread.