Cooking with kids can be a challenge. There's the mess, the chaos, and concerns about safety. But the whole point of Mark Bittman's new cookbook "How to Cook Everything Kids," is to get your young chefs comfortable with the kitchen.
Now, I can't tell you to do it if I'm not willing to do it myself! So I tried out his book with my children. Reggie (11), Gabrielle (8) and Annalise (7) picked out recipes, and Mark Bittman bravely joined us in-person to show us how it's done.
On the menu: "Chicken Mark Nuggets" and "Chicken with Orange Sauce." Long story short: my kids had a blast and so did I!
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Chicken Mark Nuggets
You won't believe how easy it is to make crispy tidbits of chicken in the oven. And they're waayyyy better than what you get at a drive-thru window. You can double this recipe to feed a lot of hungry people, or if you want to freeze leftovers in an airtight container. They can be heated later in the microwave.
SERVES 4
TIME: 30 minutes
- 1 pound boneless chicken (tenders, breasts, cutlets, or thighs)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 cups corn flakes
- 3 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil, plus more as needed
STEPS
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- Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut the chicken into chunks about 2 inches long. Put them in a medium bowl, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and pour in the milk. Toss with a fork until the pieces are all coated with the milk. Let the chicken sit while you get everything ready to cook.
- Put the corn flakes in a shallow bowl and crumble them with your hands or a potato masher. Crush the flakes into crumbs about the size of coarse bread crumbs. (For a more even coating, make finer crumbs by pulsing the cornflakes in a blender or food processor.)
- To set up for breading and baking: Put a large rimmed baking sheet on a counter or table and smear the bottom with the oil. On one side (depending on whether you like to work from the left or the right), put the bowl with the crumbs. Next to that, put the bowl with the chicken.
- Toss the chicken again with the fork to make sure all the pieces are wet. With tongs (or your hands), one at a time lift a piece of chicken from the bowl and roll it in crumbs until coated all over. As you work, put the pieces on the oiled pan, spreading them out so they're evenly placed without touching. (Be sure to wash your hands once you're done with this step.)
- Set a timer for 10 minutes and let the chicken bake without touching. You're looking for a crunchy-looking golden brown crust to form on the bottom as the oil sizzles. You'll see it around the edges when the pieces are ready, and you'll be able to turn them easily without tugging. Tongs are the best tool to avoid splatters, but sometimes a stiff spatula can help loosen every bit from the pan. If they're not ready to turn when the timer goes off, set it for another 5 minutes and check again to see if they're ready to turn.
- If you used breasts or tenders, bake the second side for another 5 minutes (or 8 minutes for thighs). You want the second side to be about the same color as the first. To test for doneness, carefully remove the pan and cut into a piece with a fork and small knife so you can peek. The meat should feel firm against the fork and cut easily and you'll see no pink. The juices should be clear. You don't have to check every piece once you get the hang of what they look like.
- Sprinkle the nuggets with a little salt and pepper if you like. Serve them plain, or with a condiment or homemade sauce for dipping on the side.
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Chicken with Orange Sauce
Feel like a total chef when you whip up perfectly golden chicken and a bright, buttery sauce. It's easy, especially if you have some help.
SERVES 2-3
TIME: 45 minutes
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more if you like
- 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken tenders or thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup orange juice
- Pepper (if you like)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, parsley, or chives for garnish
STEPS
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- Spread the flour out in a large shallow bowl next to the stove. Add the salt and stir with a fork to combine. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss the pieces in the mixture until every nook and cranny is covered.
- Put the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter foams and the oil is hot and shimmering, quickly but carefully use tongs to lift a piece of chicken above the bowl, shake off the excess flour, and put it in the pan. Smooth side down first is best, but if you can't, no big deal. Try with some of the other pieces. It's more important that the chicken is spread out as much as possible.
- When all the pieces are in, adjust the heat so the edges sizzle without burning. If the flour is getting dark fast, turn the heat down under the pan. Cook without touching until the chicken smells like toast and you can see the edges curling up from the bottom of the pan, 3 to 5 minutes for breasts and 5 to 7 minutes for thighs. While the chicken cooks, dump the flour out of the bowl, wash and dry it, and put it next to the stove again.
- Tug on the thinnest piece of chicken with the tongs to see if it will lift easily and peek at the bottom. It should be golden brown. If it is, turn the pieces over, using a stiff spatula. If the chicken isn't ready, set the timer for another minute and check again.
- Repeat Step 4 to cook and brown the other side. As the pieces finish browning, move them to the clean shallow bowl and turn the heat under the skillet to medium-low. Even though the outsides are brown, the chicken will probably still be pink inside. That's okay. It will finish cooking in the sauce, but you're going to need to use a clean platter or dinner plates for serving. (Unless you want to just serve from the skillet—your choice.)
- Add the orange juice to the skillet and adjust the heat so it steams and bubbles. Use a stiff spatula to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Then add the last 1 tablespoon butter and stir until it melts and the sauce bubbles again.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and cook, using the spatula to move it around and coat it in the sauce until the thickest piece is no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes. To check, use a small knife to cut a slit and peek inside. Taste the sauce and see if it needs more salt, then move the chicken to the platter or plates and spoon the sauce over the top. Garnish with chopped herbs and eat.
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Eleana Tworek and Melissa Gray contributed to this story, with a special thank you to Julia Redpath.
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