Crispy Chicken Bites, also known as deep fried dinner

Future Ticia 2020 here, as I went through and revised my old recipes, I discovered this one, and I almost deleted the Crispy Chicken Bites recipe because really, there were no pictures or anything. But my directions and all that were so hilarious I had to keep it. So, I give you the Crispy Chicken Bites recipe, definitely a tried and true recipe.

I might end up with some affiliate links in here, we’ll see

I now give you Ticia 2009’s Crispy Chicken Bites recipe

So….. I looked at Brian Boitano’s recipes and went wow those sound fancy, and then I saw Crispy Chicken Derby Bites. I can do that, it sounds kind of like chicken nuggets, so my kids should like it. Let’s give it a try.

Crispy Chicken Bites Ingredients

Hi, Future Ticia 2023 here, I just remade this a few days ago, and when I updated this in 2020, I didn’t have the recipe cards plugin, so now I’m updating the Crispy Chicken Bites with a recipe card, which will have actually significantly more useful directions than what is down below.

• 4 strips bacon (ummm, only used if you make the sauce, but you do use the grease)
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce (I discovered as I was making this that I was out, so I just added extra chili powder and paprika)
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (Future Ticia 2020 used chili powder rather than cayenne)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups canola oil

Derby Dip:

3/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/4 cup blue cheese, room temperature, cut into small pieces

How to make Crispy Chicken Bites

1. Cut up the chicken into little bite sized pieces. Check.

2. Make up the marinade, mix buttermilk and hot sauce together and marinate the chicken pieces for at least 2 hours. Ummmm, how does that work if I want to have dinner ready in about an hour? Sigh, well I guess we’re doing chicken and dumplings tonight, and we’ll do this tomorrow. Dump chicken and marinade in a dish, and stick it in the refrigerator.
Future Ticia 2023 did not marinate it for hours, instead I marinated it for maybe 20 minutes, and when I made it for the house of teens there were no leftovers. NONE. I thought about getting a few more nuggets and was guiltily told they had eaten the last one.

3. Pull out the chicken mess. Get a large plastic bag to pour the flour into it, use tortilla flour because you’re out of regular flour, and let’s face it, I’m never going to make homemade tortillas. Add the other spices in. Just dump in something that looks like the right amount.

3b. Throw the kids in the backyard, because they’re running around being crazy. This is a very important step. Make sure to repeat the rule “No hitting your sister on the head with a shovel,” before sending them outside

*** Future Ticia 2020 here, I read these directions to my much older kids, and my daughter was in a bit of shock I actually published that last part and shook her head at me.

*** Future Ticia 2023, I was making this again and my daughter saw this with my 2020 comments and there was much eye-rolling going on. A LOT of eye-rolling.

4. Grab a handful of chicken, let the marinade drain off, and then put it in the flour mixture, seal and shake a bunch.

5. Repeat until you’ve coated all of the chicken. You’re supposed to repeat this a second time dipping the chicken back in the marinade and then in the flour again, but about halfway through the chicken mess I stopped doing that. Future Ticia 2020 would take the chicken from shaking it up and start cooking, rather than make a giant messy pile of chicken.

6. Oh, while you’re doing this cook some bacon until it’s really crispy.

7. Now finish reading the directions and decide you’re going to ignore what he says and use the deep fryer you have, because it sounds easier. Really. Directions are for wusses. Exception when building things or making Legos, then you follow it religiously and freak out if the piece is missing.

*** Future Ticia 2020 here again, two things:

1. When I read this to Princess she said, “Directions are for wusses, Mom? Really? Really? I am hardcore judging you right now. What about the directions the Bible gives us?” I waved my hand at her, which just seemed to give her more ammunition, and she ranted on for quite a while.
2. This time I learned from my last mistake, and I just heated the oil in my large fry pan and cooked it in smaller batches.

8. Heat the deep fryer to 350 and add some of the bacon grease (you know the bacon grease I didn’t use for any except the first time).

9. Cook handfuls of chicken for about 4-5 minutes. Take the chicken out of the fryer and pry it out of the cage with your knife. The batter kind of formed around the wire and would stick to it. I guess this is why he wasn’t using a fryer. That and not everyone has one.

Future Ticia 2023 here, when I made it last night I used my fryer, and I think the difference between what I did then versus now, I’d guess I added too much chicken, and so it was pushed down into the cage.

10. To go with it, get out your “apple peeler, slicer, corer,” and peel and cut a potato with it. Voila, instant homemade potato chips. Or they will be once you fry them.

11. Can you see why I called this the deep-fried dinner?

And then in theory you mix together the other stuff to make a dip. Or, in my reality dinner is running late because it never takes the time the recipe says it does to make it, and you just throw food at the kids and say “EAT! No you can’t stand on the chair… Now get a towel to clean up the milk you spilled because you were standing on the chair.”

Overall, the recipe is yummy. Lots of work, but it’s good. A nice alternative to most chicken nuggets, and it makes lots. Really, I mean lots. We have a fair amount of leftovers.

And Future Ticia 2020 says the recipe still made a lot and I still had leftovers, even making it for giant teenagers who eat everything in sight.

Future Ticia 2023 had no leftovers, maybe I didn’t make as much, I don’t know. I used about the equivalent of 5 chicken breasts.

To see the other Brian Boitano recipes everyone else made head over to I Blame My Mother.

Crispy Chicken Bites

Print

These delicious crispy chicken bites are like gourmet chicken nuggets that parents will love to eat too.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper or chili powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups canola oil

Instructions

1. Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
2. Mix buttermilk and hot sauce together and marinate the chicken pieces. Ideally for 2 hours, but it can be marinated for only a few minutes.
3. In a Ziploc bag, add the flour and spices. Seal the bag and shake it until the spices have mixed throughout the flour mixture.
4. If using a deep fryer, turn it on to 350 so it can start heating the oil. If frying on the stove, pour oil into pan and start heating it.
5. Add a handful of the chicken pieces to the flour mixture, seal the bag, and shake to coat the chicken.
6. Remove the chicken from the bag and put them on a plate. Repeat this process and start to cook the chicken in amounts that will not crowd your pan or deep fryer. I found I could fit roughly 20 or so chicken nuggets in my deep fryer easily.
7. Cook for 5-6 minutes, then removed from oil and let drain on a plate covered in paper towels.
8. Serve with whatever dipping sauces you prefer.

More recipes on the blog

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• Zuppa Tuscana
• Egyptian Beef and Lentils
• Moroccan Chicken and potatoes
• Green Tea Cookie