CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN NUGGETS

Ingredients

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups Panko style bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Generously grease a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Cut chicken into bite size pieces or strips.  In a shallow baking dish or pie pan, whisk together buttermilk and eggs.  Place chicken pieces in buttermilk mixture and let sit for about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, black pepper and cayenne in another shallow dish. Remove chicken pieces from buttermilk and coat in bread crumb mixture.  Place in a single layer on prepared pan.  Spray chicken with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown, turning once about half-way through cooking time.

Let's Dish
My kids, excluding the sometimes vegaterian, loved this!  I loved that it wasn't too greasy and fattening.  I suppose you could fry these up in some oil and they'd be really good, but I was aiming for something a bit healthier.  The coating of non-stick cooking spray helps the nuggets crisp up nicely in the oven.  There are probably hundreds of ways to coat and season chicken nuggets, so feel free to add or omit spices to suit your tastes.  If you don't have buttermilk, just add a tablespoon or so of vinegar to your milk and let it sit for a few minutes.  And if you don't have Italian breadcrumbs, just throw some basil and oregano into the mix.  We like ours dipped in Jalepeno Pepper Jelly.

Who Dished It Up First
Probably McDonald's.  This was my attempt to improve on one my children's favorite meals.