Four Ingredient Baked Chicken Nuggets

So you know those summer evenings filled with piles of dirty dishes, coffee stained sweaters, unchopped veggies, a whining toddler, and a complicated dinner recipe the length of your arm? Oh, maybe that's just me. But just in case you do identify, here's an easy, four-ingredient meal. A meal that goes perfectly with frozen or canned veggies. A meal that is (mostly) whine-free. A meal that...oh wait, it doesn't do the dishes or laundry, but it does free up a good chunk of evening that I usually devote to prepping and cooking dinner. I call that a win in my book!

These chicken nuggets marinate in ranch dressing for a few hours, are rolled in a breading mixture, then bake for about twenty-five minutes. Easy and definitely a family-pleaser. My daughter's plate was CLEAN after dinner--a feat that usually only happens when the food ends up on the floor.

Here's the recipe, with wishes for a more stress-free evening than (my) normal! :)

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup ranch dressing
1 1/2 cups crushed Saltines
1 cup quick oats
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cut the chicken breasts into 1 1/2 - 2 in. pieces. Think bite-sized. Place all pieces in a large Ziploc bag and pour in all the ranch dressing over the top of the chicken. Refrigerate for a couple hours. If you're super short on time, don't worry about marinating them! Just pour the ranch dressing over the chicken pieces in a large bowl and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F about 15 minutes before you want to bake the chicken nuggets. It only takes a few minutes to coat the chicken with the breading, so you can do this while the oven preheats! :)

To prepare the breading mixture, combine the crushed Saltines and quick oats in a large bowl. Mix in as much salt and pepper as you like. (I'm a pepper fan. Our nuggets were heavily peppered!)

Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge. Spray two large baking sheets with cooking spray. Next, using two spoons or forks, generously coat each piece of chicken with the breading mixture.  Place pieces about one inch apart on the baking trays. Discard remaining breading mixture.

Bake both trays for ten minutes. Remove and using tongs, turn each chicken nugget over so the other side can get that fun, fresh-baked golden color. Bake for another fifteen minutes.

Remove from oven and enjoy with:
           ketchup (my choice)
           BBQ sauce (hubby's choice)
           a side of yogurt and berries (daughter's choice--note the princess plate)
           more ranch dressing
           nothing!
They are tasty with just about anything, and nothing.

Enjoy with life. <3


**Health Note** If you are eating clean or gluten free, there are many ways to change this up! Try substituting the ranch dressing for Greek yogurt with chives and green onions. Instead of using Saltines, you could use cornmeal and a certified brand of gluten free oats.