Chicken Nuggets-A Thanksgiving Dog Treat Recipe

Lessons From A Paralyzed Dog is a blog that is both inspirational and informative and when Sharon contacted me to ask if I would share a recipe for a dog treat I was more than happy to oblige.  For years Sharon selflessly cared for her beloved Sophie who due to a rare disease became paralyzed, read about Sophie here. You see Sharon’s blog is near and dear to me she offers so much to pet parents of Special Needs Pets, both cats and dogs. My Nando is Special needs having suffered from diabetes for the past 6 years, he is also blind and has been almost 6 years. With the holidays it’s always nice to give our fur babies a special treat and although Nando gets these every day they are special.

So here is my recipe for Doggie Chicken Nuggets. I had to make them with diabetes in mind, I have had Nando on a very strict diet since he was first diagnosed he gets lean protein, vegetables and barley.  These little bites contain ground chicken breast, coarsely ground vegetables, pumpkin or butternut squash, cheese and barley. They are low on the glycemic index and Nando loves them. Happy Thanksgiving to all pets and pet parents.

Chicken Nuggets

1 lb ground chicken ( I use breast meat) You can also use ground turkey breast
1 cup ground vegetables, I use parsley, spinach, carrot, kale and celery
1/2 cup cube pumpkin or butternut squash (steamed until tender)
1/2 cup cooked barley
1/2 cup grated cheese (your choice) I use cheddar a lot)
1 egg lightly beaten
small pinch of sea salt

Pre heat oven to 350
Cut your pumpkin or butternut squash into cubes and steam or oven roast until tender. Set aside.
Grind the vegetables in your food processor, pulsing until coursely ground (don’t pulverize)
Place chicken, vegetables. barley, pumpkin or squash, egg,cheese and pinch of salt in bowl and mix to combine.
On small sheet pan lined with parchment and lightly greased with olive oil place the chicken mixture and spread into a loaf. Bake for 30 minutes or until done. Let cool for about 20 minutes and then chop into bite size pieces. Store in refrigerator.

Nando