Chicken Nuggets (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】チキンナゲット
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
These are the chicken nuggets we make in Japanese school kitchens: ground chicken blended with firm tofu, seasoned simply with mayonnaise, salt and pepper, then fried until golden. The tofu keeps them soft and juicy inside, which is why children who usually leave meat on the plate happily finish these. There is no breading to fuss with - just scoop, drop into the oil, and fry - so they come together quickly on a busy evening. A little ketchup on the side is all they need.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 75 gground chicken
- 15 gfirm tofu
- 4.5 gflour
Seasonings
- 2 gmayonnaise
- 0.3 gsalt
- to tastepepper
- 9 gvegetable oil
- 4.5 gketchup
Directions
- 1
Drain the tofu in a colander (or set it on paper towels) to remove the excess water.
- 2
In a bowl, combine the ground chicken, the drained tofu from step 1, the flour, mayonnaise (use egg-free mayonnaise if you are cooking for a child with an egg allergy), salt, and pepper. Mix, mashing the tofu as you go, until the mixture becomes sticky.
- 3
Pour about 2 cm of oil into a frying pan and heat it to 170°C (340°F). Scoop up the mixture with a spoon, shaping it as you slide it into the oil. (Tip: pour a little oil into a small container and dip the spoon in it before scooping, and the mixture will drop off easily.)
- 4
Press each piece lightly with the spoon to form a nugget shape, then fry for about 5 minutes, turning them over as they cook.
- 5
Serve with ketchup on the side.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 252 kcal | 504 kcal | 252 kcal |
| Protein | 14.6 g | 29.1 g | 14.6 g |
| Fat | 20.3 g | 40.5 g | 20.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.2 g | 6.3 g | 3.2 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 21 mg | 42 mg | 21 mg |
| Iron | 0.9 mg | 1.8 mg | 0.9 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 252 kcal | 14.6 g | 20.3 g | 3.2 g | 0.6 g | 21 mg | 0.9 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 504 kcal | 29.1 g | 40.5 g | 6.3 g | 1.2 g | 42 mg | 1.8 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
This is the elementary-school portion of Chicken Nuggets (larger quantities, same method).
