Panko Chicken Nuggets (oven baked)

Somehow I was craving chicken tenders/chicken nuggets. I saw some recipes and blog posts that inspired me and I merged them a bit into this. Pretty simple and tasty. You could use leftovers in sandwiches, or I wonder how they'd fare frozen? Perhaps these could be baked and then frozen for microwave reheating later... too bad there weren't any left to try it out!

Method:
Pound 2 lbs boneless, skinless  chicken breasts until relatively evenly thick with a meat mallet.

Cut chicken into strips.

Toss with:
1 TB kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
0.5 tsp garlic powder
optional 1 tsp sugar

Let sit for 5 minutes while you prep the rest. If you were trying to prep these for a busy weeknight meal, I'd imagine you could do this the night before and leave the chicken in the spices in the fridge overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Beat one egg until liquid/homogenous in a mug or bowl.

Put out 1 cup of panko (or bread crumbs) in a shallow bowl.

Dredge each piece of chicken in egg, then in panko/bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet.

Optional: spray with olive oil

Bake for 8-10 minutes on the first side. Then flip over and cook for 5 more minutes or until done.

Serve with spicy mayo (i.e. home made mayo + chipotle pepper), or honey dijon or bbq sauce.