Curried Chicken Nuggets and Fennel Apple Slaw with A Cinnamon Maple Vinaigrette

I'm feeling a cooking and blogging break coming on as our vacation is only a couple of weeks away, but I still hope to bake something with pumpkin before heading out.  For many reasons Fall is my favorite time of year, there is just something wonderful about the gentle cooling of the air after the heat of Summer.  The acorns have begun falling from the oak trees with the leaves blowing around and covering the yard.  This has absolutely nothing to do with chicken nuggets with a bite of fennel apple slaw or I don't know? maybe it does.  I rarely eat fried anything but I'm more likely to fry chicken when the outside temperature is cooler.  We normally take a vacation at the end of October when the weather starts to change here and we've made many golf trips to the desert in the Fall where it's still warm.  This year we're flying to Amsterdam and taking the train with a few stops(Brussels, Paris, Zurich) ending in Rome the second week in November.  I'm thinking about taking a month off with cooking for the holidays to lure me back to my regular schedule of posting when I return.

I feel like I'm showing off because I actually fried something, maybe there's a doughnut post me.  Why is fried chicken so good?  Apologies to MacDonald operators but homemade chicken nuggets made with skinless boneless chicken breasts from Whole Foods rock and are an entirely different bird than I've previously previously tasted after robbing my children's and grand children's Happy Meals over the years! Served with the chicken nuggets is another delicious recipe from Two Dudes One Pan, I just love the bites of fresh red grapes in the slaw and will serve this salad in the future with perhaps a more conservative baked chicken dish.

Ingredients And Directions For Curried Chicken Nuggets And Fennel Apple Slaw With A Cinnamon Maple Vinaigrette


For The Curried Chicken Nuggets


4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup panko bread crumbs, quick whirl in the food processor to give a finer crumb
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon Maharajah curry powder, Penzeys Spices
1 tablespoon Garam Masala, Penzeys Spices
1/2 teaspoons cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Sea salt
vegetable oil for frying
2 eggs

Whisk the flour and spices together in a medium bowl.  Place the panko in a separate bowl.  Then put the eggs in another bowl and whisk with a little water.  Cut the chicken into chunks.  Toss the chicken in the seasoned flour, shake off the excess.  Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, make sure they're well coated.  Then roll the chicken in the finer ground panko.  Pour vegetable oil 1 inch deep in a heavy pan, I used my dutch oven.  Heat the oil until medium hot and fry the chicken nuggets in two batches until brown on one side, flipping once half way to finish cooking, about a minute and a half on each side. Transfer to a plate and season to taste with sea salt.  You can hold the chicken nuggets on a baking sheet in a low 250F oven while you make the slaw.

Fennel Apple Slaw with Red Flame Grapes and A Cinnamon Maple Vinaigrette


For The Slaw
2 Medium fennel bulbs
2 Apples, like Pink Lady, Honey Crisp or Braeburn
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1/2 Cup halved Red Flame grapes
3 Tablespoons toasted almonds
2 Teaspoons chopped chives, extra for garnish
1 2-Ounce chunk Pecorino cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler

For The Vinaigrette
2 Tablespoons grape seed oil, or canola oil
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 Shallot, peeled and minced
1 Tablespoon Champagne vinegar
1 Teaspoon pure maple syrup
1/4 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste

Halve, core and trim the fennel bulbs.  Peel and core the apples.  Slice the fennel into very thin slices and then into bite size pieces.  Slice the apples very thin and cut into matchstick size pieces.  If you are making the salad ahead of time sprinkle on the lemon juice to prevent browning and set aside.  Whisk the champagne vinegar, maple syrup, cinnamon and sea salt together in a large bowl.  Add the shallots and drizzle in the oil while whisking.  Add the fennel, apples, grapes, almonds and chives, toss to combine.
Serve on individual plates topped with cheese and chives for garnish. Don't forget  to serve the warm Curried Chicken Nuggets along side.

I am honored to be featured in an interview on my friend Nancy/Spicie Foodie's beautiful blog in her 'Favorite Foodie Series' this week.  If you haven't paid Nancy a visit at Spicie Foodie please treat yourself to a visit!
Nancy is a young Mexican expat living in Europe who brings us along on  her extraordinary culinary adventure that spans several continents and features spicy dishes from all over the world.  I have been a regular follower of Spicie Foodie for going on a few years now and I don't like to miss a post.  Since I can't get enough of her blog I also picked up her cookbook, An Epiphany of the Senses which is available through her site at Amazon.com.