Sourdough “Discard” Chicken Nuggets

These Sourdough Chicken Nuggets are made from scratch with a Sourdough “Discard” batter. They are salty, and deep-fried to a golden crisp.

Sourdough Discard- For this recipe, I use discard that has been in the refrigerator for 1-10 days before a lot of hooch has formed on top. Unfed sourdough starter (discard) that has been sitting for long periods has a higher amount of acidity. It will give off a very pungent sour taste that can be too bitter and overpowering, in my opinion.

Chicken Nugget History- A popular fast food restaurant item. Chicken nuggets originated in the United States and were developed by Robert C. Baker in the 1950s. He was a food science professor at Cornell University. They were originally called “Chicken Crispies”.

The Process – I’m not going to sugar coat it. Although this recipe is simple, I find the process of making them a bit on the longer side and a little tedious since you have to shape each chicken nugget individually. But once you get into the rhythm of it is not as hard as it seems. Getting them the right thickness will help get that nice crispy texture in the end.

Chicken Nugget Ingredients:

2 pounds of cubed chicken breasts

1 Tb ground sage

2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

Cornstarch for coating

Chicken Nugget Batter:

1 cup sourdough starter or discard

1 egg

2 Tb honey

1 Tb yellow mustard

1/2 Tbsp of garlic powder

1/2 Tbsp of onion powder

1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp Knorr Chicken Flavor Bouillon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Enough water to make the batter on the thinner side. You want the batter to run off the chicken nuggets and almost be translucent before placing them into the hot oil.

2 quarts of peanut oil for frying or other cooking oil used for frying

Place the cubed chicken in a food processor and, using the puree setting, grind the chicken into a paste. Add in the ground sage, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Mix again until all the seasonings have been well incorporated into the ground chicken.

Place a generous amount of cornstarch on a plate and begin dropping small batches of 1/2 Tbsp fulls of the chicken mixture onto the cornstarch. Begin by working each ball of chicken meat around in the cornstarch so it is easier to handle. Then gently work each one out, flattening them into a chicken nugget-sized patty. About 1 inch by 2 inch around and 1/8 inch thick. You want them to be roughly uniform so they cook evenly. I use the palm of my one hand to hold them and my fingertips of my other hand to shape them.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the sourdough “discard”, egg, honey, yellow mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper.

In a heavy-bottom pan or Dutch Oven, heat the oil to 300-325 degrees Fahrenheit. Do a test run with the oil and cook a few at first to see if the temperatures need adjusting. A very important step is to check the oil temperature between each batch to make sure the oil stays at a consistent temperature. If the temperature is too low, allow time for it to reheat back up to 325 degrees, or if it’s too hot. Let it cool down to avoid burning the nuggets. The recommended internal temperature for chicken nuggets is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ideally, you want them to cook 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping them in between. Once they have cooked through and are crispy, place them on a cooling rack to allow any extra oil to drip off.

Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.

Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3-5 days and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until they are hot and crispy.

Notes:

I found that if the oil got any hotter than 325 degrees, the oil would cook the chicken nuggets too fast and burn the outside, leaving the inside raw meat and undercooked. This might not be the case for everyone, you may need to up your temperature if you find they take longer than 3 minutes to fry on both sides.

You can double-fry or bake any nuggets that might turn out undercooked. The first time I tried making these, it was trial and error to get them to fry properly. So I had to double-fry a few that did not turn out. After a few times of making them, I learned I was frying them too hot. The temperature may vary depending on your pan, stove, etc.

Freezing Sourdough Chicken Nuggets:

This recipe makes roughly 70 chicken nuggets, depending on how big you make them. Freeze any leftovers, or you can make up a big batch to have ready to go and reheat at a more convenient time when you don’t have the time it takes to mix, shape, and fry.

Freezing Chicken Nuggets:

To freeze the chicken nuggets, let the nuggets completely cool off before placing them in a freezer-safe bag or an air-tight freezer container. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat the chicken nuggets, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet directly out of the freezer and into a preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and heat for 10 – 15 minutes or until they are warm and crispy again.