Nuggets For Everyone
an all purpose recipe to fill up your freezer
Everybody knows I’m really not into fake meat. I’ve been vegan for 21 years and vegetarian before that, so my ideas around the taste and texture of meat are vague. Considering that I was never really into meat in the first place, my memories of eating meat largely consist of me complaining and trying to get out of it. So even if fake meat tastes just like the real thing, it completely creeps me out. It’s too close to my very vague memories so I can’t enjoy myself. Of course, I live in a world full of meat. Hell, I live on the same block as a KFC so when I go to walk my dog, the air often smells finger lickin’ good– so to speak. The appeal isn’t lost on me even if I can't stomach eating it myself. So in my recipes I am always trying to mimic the experience of eating meat without actually going for the same taste and texture. It’s a subtle but important difference. That brings us right to this week’s recipe: Artichoke Chicken Patties and Nuggets.
My wife has been buying these jackfruit-based chicken patties for the last several months that she’s in love with. They heat up quickly in the oven, and they’re great in a sandwich, tossed on a Caesar salad, or even folded into mac and cheese. But of course, they’re getting more expensive and harder to find. So I set my sights on recreating them as best I could. Naturally I started with jackfruit, just like them, and was pretty happy with the results. The taste was good, and the texture was pretty spot on. For protein and a binder, I went with chickpea flour which worked like a dream. The beany taste cooks out in the oven and you are left with a sturdy patty full of protein without a bunch of other filler ingredients. But damn, jackfruit is getting expensive and harder to find too. I didn’t want to set you all up to fail with a recipe that involves driving all over for ingredients that you’ll never find. Then I thought of artichokes.
I switched out the jackfruit for the much cheaper and easier to find artichokes and the resulting patties and nuggets were even better than the originals. You want to grab a can of whole artichokes, not the fancy kind in olive oil, just the plainest 14 ounce can you can find. Squeeze the water out of the artichokes as you drain them and then you just toss them in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Easy. Then you have your base which you can shape into patties or nuggets, whatever your household is into these days. Toss them lightly in some breadcrumbs and then right into the freezer for them to chill out until you’re ready to use them. This step really helps them hold their shape and keeps them firm during the cooking process.
Want to eat them right away? Luckily, they’re so bite-sized that 30 minutes in the freezer is more than enough time for them to firm up. You can let them hang out in there for up to 3 months though, so no need to rush. You can bake or air fry them right up as needed, right out of the freezer. They’re a great back-up meal to have on hand when you can’t do much more than turn on the oven for dinner. Just like the patties that inspired this recipe, they’re great as a sandwich, in a salad, as a chicken-style wrap, a little finger food, or right on top of your mac and cheese. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of ways to use them and make them your own.
Artichoke Chickenish Patties/Nuggets