Healthy Chicken Nuggets (Baked not fried)

I found this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe blog. Since the Wee One loves chicken nuggets, I decided to make a bunch of these and then freeze them for an easy meal.

Stars of the recipe:

• 2 to 3 thick slices of whole wheat bread (You want 1 c. of crumbs.)
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. oreano
• 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c. panko crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 4 lrg. (2 lbs) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch sized pieces.  (Either have the chicken partially frozen and then cut it.  Or use kitchen shears to help you cut up the chicken.  Just make sure you really clean the kitchen shears afterwards.)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large. rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, place the slices of whole wheat bread and pulse until crumbs form. Add the basil, oregano and Parmesan cheese and pulse until combined. Pour the bread crumbs into a shallow dish (like a pie plate) and mix in the panko crumbs.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, egg whites and water until well combined. Pat the chicken cubes dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Toss the chicken cubes in the egg white/olive oil mixture before taking a few of them at a time and rolling them in the bread crumb mixture to coat evenly.
4. Place the coated chicken nuggets on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, carefully flip the nuggets over (taking care not to remove the breading) and bake for 5 minutes longer, or until cooked through (the exact time will depend on the size of the chicken pieces).  

Happy eating, Traci