Chicken Nugget Starfish & Beach Party Food

Make a splash with your beach party snacks this summer and serve some crispy Chip and Dip Chicken Nugget Starfish made with French Onion Dip and an Under the Sea Fruit Bowl.

If you want to throw the ultimate beach or pool party this summer, serve some really cool food to your guests, like these starfish-shaped chicken nuggets.

Over the years I've hosted a lot of parties and have found that my party guests love chips and dip, as well as, chicken nuggets, so I morphed the two together to create this fun beach-themed snack.

I hosted a beach party for my friends and was excited to serve the starfish-shaped chicken nuggets.

They were served alongside a tray of S'mores Starfish and a bowl of fruit topped with dolphin, lobster, and fish-shaped melon.

My guests couldn't wait to dig in. Let me show you how to put together a fun fruit bowl before we get to the starfish chicken nugget recipe.

Ingredients

Under the Sea Fruit Bowl

• honeydew melon, watermelon, and Cantelope

Starfish Chicken Nuggets

• ground chicken - I suggest you use ground white and dark meat so your nuggets are juicy.
• sour cream and onion potato chips - This will add flavor and crunchy texture to your nuggets.
• flour - Coating the chicken in flour will help to keep the chicken moist as it cooks.
• salt - Even though there is salt on the chips, it's good to add a little more salt to the flour before dredging the chicken in the flour.
• eggs - To get the potato chip coating to stick,
• French Onion Dip - The creamy dip will add robust flavor to the nuggets.
• oil for frying

Items used to make these fun beach-themed foods can be found at amazon.com. I earn a small commission when you use any of the Amazon affiliate links to make a purchase at no extra cost to you.

R&M Starfish 4" Cookie Cutt...Shop on Amazon Fox Run Stainless Steel Sta...Shop on Amazon  Fox Run Lobster Cookie Cutt...Shop on Amazon
R&M Cookie Cutter, 4.5-Inch...Shop on Amazon MOLDS AND THINGS Starfish C...Shop on Amazon

Fruit Lobsters, Dolphin, and Fish

To create a really festive bowl of fruit for the party, I simply carved three types of melon, cut slices, and then cut them into animal shapes using cookie cutters.

Watermelon lobsters, honeydew dolphins, and cantaloupe goldfish really added a touch of whimsy to a big bowl of cut-up fruit.

Now, let's make some starfish chicken nuggets.

What's a party without chips and dip?

I used the French Onion dip to not only flavor the chip and dip chicken nuggets but also for dipping. To display the dip and to keep it cold during the beach party, I filled a small pail with crushed ice and nestled the tub on top.

The chicken nuggets taste great all on their own but are so much better when topped with a bit of French Onion Dip.

The starfish-shaped chicken nuggets are simple to make but do require a little bit of time. You can make them and fry them just before the party which is what I prefer, or you can reheat them when your guests arrive. Either way, they are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Shape starfish chicken patties.

To make the starfish-shaped chicken nuggets, spray a star-shaped or starfish-shaped cookie cutter with cooking spray. Set it on a non-stick tin foil-lined baking sheet or a non-stick baking pan and spoon in some ground chicken. Press the chicken into a ½-inch thick layer, then remove the cutter.

If using a regular star cutter, reshape the points so they look more like starfish legs.

Pop them in the freezer for an hour.

The number of starfish you get out of one pound of ground chicken will depend on the cutter you use. I used a 3-inch star cutter and got 22 starfish out of 2 pounds of chicken.

Coat in crushed potato chips.

Crush 12 ounces of sour cream and onion potato chips into fine crumbs using a food processor, if you have one. If not, just pound them with a rolling pin.

Blend together the eggs with the French Onion Dip. I found using a blender worked best, but you can whisk it by hand if needed.

Pour the flour into one shallow bowl, the egg dip in another, and the crumbs in another.

Dip a starfish into the flour and pat off any excess, then dip into the egg, and let the excess liquid drip off.

Place in the potato chip crumbs and press the crumbs onto the chicken. Set on a baking sheet and repeat.

Fry the chicken nuggets.

Heat your oven and oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fry the chicken nuggets until golden brown then bake for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Use an instant-read thermometer to check that the chicken comes to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

To keep the chicken nuggets crispy, it's best to set a cooling rack over a baking sheet and set the chicken on top before placing it in the oven.

Storage

These chicken nuggets are best eaten the day they are made but can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze the fried chicken nuggets for up to 3 months.

Related Recipes

Veggie Pizza Fish • Fruit Pizza Beach Ball • Goldfish Marshmallow • Peanut Butter Fudge Starfish
Starfish S'Mores • Ice Cream Cone Goldfish • Rice Krispie Treat Sand Castle • Beach Ball Pie

Recipe

Print

Chicken Nugget Starfish

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

55 mins

 

Crispy fried chip and dip chicken starfish.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken nuggets, chip and dip, starfish chicken nuggets

Servings: 22

Author: Beth Klosterboer

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground chicken
• 12 ounces sour cream and onion potato chips
• ⅔ cup flour
• 12 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup French Onion Dip
• 8 cups oil for frying

Instructions

1. Line baking sheets with non-stick tin foil.
2. Spray a star shaped cookie cutter with cooking spray. Set cookie cutter on baking sheet. Spoon chicken into cutter, press down into a ½ inch thick layer.
3. Remove cutter and repeat making about 22 stars.
4. Pinch the pointed ends of each star, reshaping them to look like starfish legs.
5. Freeze for at least one hour.
6. Crush potato chips into fine crumbs, either using a food processor or a rolling pin.
7. Pour crumbs into a shallow bowl.
8. Blend together eggs and French onion dip.
9. Pour into a shallow bowl.
10. Combine flour and salt and pour into a shallow bowl.
11. Dip one frozen starfish chicken patty into the flour then pat off excess.
12. Dip into egg mixture allowing excess liquid to drip off.
13. Coat in potato chip crumbs.
14. Repeat.
15. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
16. Heat oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

17. Fry starfish until golden brown.

18. Set starfish on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet.

19. Bake the chicken nugget starfish for 8-10 minutes until cooked through and a thermometer inserted into the chicken registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

20. Serve with more French Onion Dip.

Recipe Notes

These chicken nuggets are best eaten the day they are made but can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze the fried chicken nuggets for up to 3 months.

• Author
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Beth Klosterboer

Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com

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