Crispy Fried Chicken Bites5 (1)
Who doesn’t love Fried Chicken? It’s one of the most popular dishes consumed all over the world, and we’re massive fans of it here at Dinnertime Somewhere. For a fun twist on the classic Fried Chicken, why not try these Crispy Fried Chicken Bites? They’re a great side dish or appetizer to munch on. Simple, bite-sized pieces of tender Chicken that has been deep fried to crunchy perfection! We serve this beautiful dish with a simple dipping sauce that packs some heat. The perfect accompaniment to these awesome bites of deliciousness!
How to make these delicious Crispy Fried Chicken Bites
Making these tasty morsels of fried goodness is so easy to do. You’ll need to get your hands on about ½ lb. of Chicken Tenders and cut them up into small bite-sized pieces. They sit in a Buttermilk brine for a few hours (preferably overnight) before being coated in a spicy breading and then deep fried. There are a few steps in the process, however it’s all very manageable and easy. You’ll be left with a beautiful bowl of Crispy Fried Chicken Bites just ready to be devoured by the hungry masses!
Don’t buy ‘Buttermilk’ from the grocery store, just make your own at home with regular Milk and Lemon Juice!
Buttermilk brining keeps the chicken beautiful and tender, as well as adding flavor. Brining the Chicken in Buttermilk is an important step that you shouldn’t skip. No need to go out and buy any off the shelf Buttermilk from the grocery store either, as you can make it yourself at home. All you need is some regular milk and the juice of half a Lemon!
Buttermilk is essentially regular Whole Milk that has slightly ‘curdled’. So, by adding the Lemon Juice to the milk it will instantly curdle, turning that milk into Buttermilk! You can flavor the Buttermilk too, which will act like a marinade for the Chicken. Try adding some spices and seasoning to the Buttermilk such as Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and heat such as Cayenne Pepper and Hot Sauce
It’s not true Southern Fried Chicken unless it’s got a bit of spice to it!
The more south you get, the hotter it gets. We’re not just talking about the weather either, we’re talking about the food! There’s nothing more southern than adding some beautiful spicy heat to your cooking. Fried Chicken loves spice, so we’re big fans of adding some heat to these delicious Crispy Fried Chicken Bites
Don’t be shy from aggressively seasoning your brine and breading. The Chicken will take quite a lot of seasoning before it becomes overpowering so get generous with your seasoning. For the spice we’re adding Cayenne Pepper to the breading and the brine. It’s a lovely heat that isn’t overwhelming to the palate but is just enough to make you sit up and notice!
We’re making a simple dipping sauce for the Chicken Bites which consists just of Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise and Hot Sauce. Use your favorite Hot Sauce to spice it up or go with the classic Tabasco. Whatever you like will work great in the Sauce. We’re recommending Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise as it is sweeter than regular Mayonnaise, which works perfectly with these Crispy Fried Chicken Bites
Add a little bit of Lemon Juice to the sauce too. Not much, just ¼ of a Lemon is enough. It just adds a brightness and acidity that brings the whole sauce together
Use the classic ‘double dip’ method to bread the crispy Fried Chicken Bites
We’ve eaten a lot of Fried Chicken in our days and can categorically tell you this is the only method you should follow for perfectly Crispy Fried Chicken. The double dip method involves dipping the brined Chicken into the breading, then back into the brine, then finally back into the breading. This technique gives the Chicken two coats of breading which results in an unbelievably crispy result
This method leaves the Chicken with a thicker coating of breading, so you need to ensure it all gets cooked through completely. The first coating of breading will give the Chicken great coverage, which avoids any Oil seeping into the Chicken while it’s cooking
The second coating adds a beautiful, gnarly texture to the Chicken. The unevenness of the coating results in lots of funky bits that stick out and crisp up beautifully. What you’re left with is the crispiest Fried Chicken you’ve ever eaten
So, go with the double dip for the best Crispy Fried Chicken!
We use a very simple breading mixture of All Purpose Flour, Salt, Pepper, and Cayenne Pepper
No need to over complicate the breading, keep it simple with the basics of AP Flour and seasoning. The important step during the breading process is to ensure that your Flour is very well seasoned. The Flour is a primary vessel for seasoning Fried Chicken, so be aggressive with it, particularly the Salt and Pepper
We’re recommending adding Cayenne Pepper to the seasoning to add some heat. If you want to go all-in on the spice however, you can add Chili Powder for a bigger punch of heat! If you are cooking these Crispy Fried Chicken Bites for kids, we’ve recommend scaling back or even removing the spice. However, if you’re cooking for spice lovers then dial it up!
Recipe Details
2 – 4 people
3 hours
10 minutes
3 hours
Crispy Fried Chicken Bites Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ lb. Chicken Tenders
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 5 cups of Frying Oil (Canola Oil / Vegetable Oil)
- Juice of ½ a Lemon
- 2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- Salt and Pepper
For the dipping sauce
- 2 tbsp. Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise
- 1 tsp. Hot Sauce
- Juice of ¼ a Lemon
Equipment needed: Candy Thermometer
Instructions
- Pour the Milk into a large bowl then add the Lemon Juice and mix to make Buttermilk. Add Cayenne Pepper and 1 tbsp. of Salt into the Buttermilk
- Cut the Chicken Tenders into bite sized pieces and place them into the Buttermilk, ensuring they are fully submerged. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight
- When ready to cook, remove the Chicken from the refrigerator and let sit for about 30 minutes to warm up a little bit. Prepare your breading by combining the Flour, 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper, 1 tbsp. of Salt and 1 tsp. Pepper. Mix well to combine
- Add the oil to a large Saucepan over high heat with a Candy Thermometer placed inside the pot to monitor the oil temperature. Heat Oil to 350F – 375F
Instructions Continued
- Place a few pieces of Chicken into the Breading mixture and coat well. Then, dip the Chicken back into the Buttermilk (use a fork as it’s easier), and then dip back into the Breading to double coat the Chicken. Carefully place Chicken pieces in Oil. Try to avoid overloading the Oil with too many pieces as it will drop the heat
- Maintaining the temperature of the Oil between 350F – 375F, fry Chicken until golden-brown and their internal temperature is 160F. Should take about 4-5 minutes. Once cooked, remove from Oil and place Chicken on a wire rack and season immediately with Salt. Repeat for remaining pieces
- Prepare the dipping sauce by combining the Mayonnaise, Hot Sauce, and Lemon Juice in a small bowl. Serve alongside the Fried Chicken Bites
We hope you’ll enjoy these amazing Crispy Fried Chicken Bites! If you’re loving these Southern inspired dishes, head over to our Southern Sides page for similar recipes that taste awesome. Here are a few of our favorite recipes that we recommend you trying
Happy Cooking!
