How To Make Roast Chicken For Toddlers
Description
When you’re ready to up your poultry game from nuggies and cutlets to full-on pieces of roast chicken, look no further than this blast of flavor and juiciness, which provides both the crunch you crave and the moistness that satisfies your (not) discerning toddler. A baste of tahini on the skin + a coating of everything spice are the keys to please here–and the technique works just as well with drumsticks (ideal for toddlers younger than three years) as it does with thighs (to for older toddlers). Novel? Sure. But with a big payoff for very little extra work: it only takes five minutes to prep; cook the chicken in your air fryer and it’ll be on the dinner table twenty minutes later.
(Note: recipe picture for display purposes only. Of course we don’t expect you to serve it just like this to your child (unless he/she is older than five); see “Serve” section below for suggestions on how to plate and present to a toddler.)
Ingredients
Instructions
Prep
- If using a conventional oven, preheat to 350 degrees. (Air fryer directions provided in ‘Cook’ section.)
- Gently salt the chicken pieces on both sides, then brush tahini all over the skin side of each piece.
- Pour enough of your everything bagel spice to cover the bottom of a small plate; press the tahini-based side(s) of each chicken piece into the spice mix to coat the surface of the chicken. (Note: if you have a large container of everything bagel spice and/or have no qualms about burning through your stash, just shake/pour the seasoning all over the chicken until coated.)
Cook and Assemble
- Cook for 40-45 minutes in an oven, or 18 minutes in an air fryer set to 350.
- Let the chicken pieces rest for 2-3 minutes before cutting and serving.
Serve
If your child is particular about what parts of the bird work for him or her, we recommend cutting slices or pieces from the center, where the segments will be much more uniform in size and texture (and leave you all the best bits at the edges). Serve sided by some warm tomato sauce, or squeeze lemon all over and serve with a creamy sauce (e.g., ranch, yum-yum).
Adapt
If you like the idea of this recipe but know your child would prefer to eat his/her chicken in cutlet or nugget form, mix the everything bagel spice with equal parts panko breadcrumbs; dip the chicken piece fully in tahini and then roll all over in seasoning/breadcrumb mixture before frying in a bit of oil for 2-3 minutes a side.
For a similar take--but different taste--check out our dry-rubbed barbecue chicken.
