Tajín-Seasoned Chicken Nuggets with Avocado and Jalapeño Lime Ranch

Introducing Dressed-Up Frozen Chicken Nuggets, a Series.

Michael loves the NFL. Like really really loves the NFL. I was basically forced to promise that we'd never miss a Washington Football Team game in my marriage vows--I'm not sure he would've married me if I'd disagreed.

Michael views football snacks as the holy grail of culinary delicacies. When we first got married I had a lot of fun with football snacks, but honestly, I'm not a big football fan and I'd rather spend my Sunday unwinding than watching grown men roll around on the ground while I plan new ways to make nachos exciting. Enter: frozen chicken nuggets.

A couple of months ago, we became obsessed with these lightly breaded chicken nuggets from Costco. When I'm feeling lazy I throw a few in the air fryer and serve them up with a salad or whatever else we have lying around. I've had some fun tossing them in different sauces and seasonings, so Michael proposed that we come up with a different way to serve them every Sunday, based on the team that Washington is playing. So, I present to you: Dressed-Up Frozen Chicken Nuggets, a Series.

Each week I'll post a new way to serve these chicken nuggets, inspired by popular food in the geographical region that Washington's opposing team is from. In the process, hopefully we'll create some easy ways to transform frozen chicken. Win-win (except for Washington. They'll probably lose. Sorry, Michael).

Part 1: Washington Football Team v. Los Angeles Chargers

First up--the Los Angeles Chargers. Californians like avocados and Mexican food, right? These L.A. inspired chicken nuggets are seasoned with Tajín and cayenne and served with an avocado, jalapeño, lime, and cilantro ranch. For a 15-minute football snack, they're pretty dang good.

That being said, just because we're serving these as a football snack doesn't mean you have to. They're perfect for a quick meal too--especially if you have kids and you're looking for something a bit more elevated than plain chicken nuggets.

What you'll need.

• Chicken nuggets. We use these from Costco. I like them because they're lightly breaded and not too heavy. Feel free to use your favorite chicken nuggets (or make your own!). Here are some made by Purdue.
• Avocado
• Cilantro
• Fresh lime juice
• Mayonnaise
• Black pepper, salt, ground cayenne and garlic powder
• Tajín Seasoning. Tajín is a chili-lime seasoning you can find at most grocery stores.

Here's what I did.

I heat my chicken nuggets in the air fryer at 350 degrees until they're crisp, about 10 minutes, but you can cook them according to package directions or whatever is easiest for you.

While the chicken is cooking, combine avocado, jalapeño, lime juice, mayonnaise, black pepper, salt, and garlic powder in a food processor and blend until smooth. Once the nuggets are done, toss them in Tajín and ground cayenne while they're still hot and serve them with the avocado dip.

Serve these chicken nuggets with...

• Super fast and easy lightened-up Mexican black beans
• Two bean, corn, and veggie summer salsa
• The best party-sized guacamole