BBQ Chicken Nuggets Recipe for Picky Eaters

Picky eaters.  Ugh.  That’s one of the number one struggles I’m asked to address in cooking class.  It only takes one parent mentioning their child doesn’t like a certain food group to send shudders of fear through the class with frightened murmurs of “picky eater”, as if it’s a contagious disease they’re afraid their own child might catch.  I’ve worked with a lot of parents on ways to get their kids excited about healthy foods, but it wasn’t until recently that I actually had to cook for my own picky eater at home on a regular basis. Our exchange students usually eat pretty much anything and everything.  They’re thrilled when I serve food from their respective countries, but also happily eat food from other cultures as well, excited to learn about cuisines around the world.  I find that Italian food is usually their favorite, with Mexican a close second.

But last August, we got our first picky eater.  The first time I served spaghetti, which all our other students would eat by the gallon, he picked all the noodles out, then searched through his digital translator to inform me that he thinks “tomatoes are a garnish”.

When I made enchiladas for dinner, he took two bites then got up to make himself instant ramen, saying that “cheese makes me want to vomit”.  The night that I served chicken caeser salad, he ate all the chicken but left the salad because “vegetables should be cooked”.

In fairness, it wasn’t all bad.  He loved my Asian cooking and said my rice is as good as his mother’s (a HIGH compliment).  But cooking for him was definitely a challenge.  We love cheese, tomatoes and salad, so a lot of our favorite dinners were on his “not delicious” list.

I wouldn’t make him a special meal on nights we ate something he didn’t like; either he could eat what we had, eat leftovers, or make himself noodles.  Once in a while I could adjust the recipe slightly, leaving the cheesy topping off his corner of the casserole for instance.  But I tried to make sure that at least three nights a week I would make something I knew he’d like to eat.

One of his favorite foods was barbecue sauce, and he’d pour it on just about anything.  He also loved chicken, so these barbecue chicken nuggets were high on his “very delicious” list.  I love this recipe because it’s so easy to make, and it’s ready in less than thirty minutes.

The nuggets are baked so much healthier for you than fried chicken nuggets or, even worse, the frozen nuggets made of horribly processed chicken parts.  Eric and I love these as much as our exchange students, so they’re the perfect solution for our picky eater.

Don’t forget to check out the Chicken Change Up on Facebook.

You’ll find tons of easy chicken recipes, tips, and videos from Celebrity Chef Tim Love. There are also daily giveaways and an awesome $5000 grand prize grocery store gift card!

I’ll also have an awesome picky eaters giveaway prize package posted tomorrow, so stop back by to enter for goodies to please the pickiest of palates.

I love these barbecue chicken nuggets, but am always looking for ways to change it up.  Do you have a favorite nugget or dipping sauce recipe?