You know those frozen chicken nuggets, breaded and ready in the freezer section of the grocery? My kids love ’em. Me? Not so much.

I mean, I do love the convenience of popping them into the oven for an easy meal. And I try hard not to think about the preservatives in them. When I need to fall back on nuggets, I use lots of self-talk to convince myself that it’s really healthy. But I’m not so sure.

Thats why I was thrilled when my sister told me about a recipe she tried that was similar to those chicken nuggets. I tried it, but it just wasn’t similar enough.

Disappointed, I decided that I’m going to figure it out on my own. And that’s how this recipe was born. It wasn’t perfect right away. I needed to tweak it a bit, but eventually, it became my kids’ favorite supper. It’s a bit of a patchkeh, but you can make a lot and freeze, so it’s almost as convenient as the grocery freezer!

An y’know what else? It has zucchini in it, and nobody noticed!

• 1 lb (450 g) ground chicken
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup matzah meal
• 1/4 cup plain panko crumbs
• 1 large zucchini, finely grated
• 1 tsp duck sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Crumbs

• 2 1/2 cups cornflakes crumbs
• 3 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp parsley flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2   tsp sugar
• 1/4   tsp salt
• pinch black pepper
• pinch cumin
• eggs, for dipping

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Line 2 large loaf pans with parchment paper and spread the mixture over them in a thin layer. Use a different pan size depending on how thick you like your chicken nuggets. Freeze.

Remove the parchment paper with the frozen chicken mixture from the pan and put it on a flat surface.

Cut it into little squares or fingers. If it’s too hard to cut, let it sit for 15 minutes first.

Combine the crumb mixture ingredients. Dip the chicken pieces in eggs, then coat with crumbs, and fry.

Alternatively, preheat oven to 275°F (135°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Arrange the chicken nuggets on the prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes. Then increase the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 35 minutes.