Crispy Chicken Bites

A long-time family favorite, Brenda has been making these Crispy Chicken Bites for decades. Toss with sauce, or serve as is.

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Crispy Chicken Bites

Step 1: Assemble

1. Prepare a first sheet pan by lightly spritzing with non-stick spray = Sheet Pan A

2. Prepare a second sheet pan by covering with aluminum foil = Sheet Pan B

3. Set oven to 400F to preheat

4. To a first pie plate add:

   1 egg, beaten

   1 tsp garlic salt

5. To a second pie plate, add:

   1/2 cup corn starch

6. Trim & cut:

   1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1” cubes

7. Begin to heat a large skillet over medium, with:

   1/4” oil (canola recommended)

8. Allow to heat while continuing to Step 2.

Step 2: Prep Chicken

1. Add all of the chicken to the first pie plate, combining with the beaten egg and stir around until each piece is coated

2. Select one piece:

• Dredge in the prepared corn starch in the second pie plate

• Flip to coat other side

• Remove and place coated chicken on prepared Sheet Pan A (spritzed with non-stick spray)

• Repeat until all chicken is coated

Step 3: Cook

Note: it may be necessary to cook the chicken in 2 or 3 batches. It is important not to crowd the skillet, but to leave at least 1/2” of space between chicken pieces.

Caution: always be careful when frying - even in shallow oil.

Using heat-proof tongs:

1. Carefully & quickly, piece by piece, add the coated chicken pieces to the hot oil

2. Cook for ~2 minutes, or until golden

3. Flip each piece to other side, cooking an additional 2 minutes or until golden

4. Transfer chicken to Sheet Pan B (foil-covered)

5. Place Sheet Pan B in hot oven

6. Repeat with remaining chicken (if needed)

Bake chicken for 8-12 minutes, until internal temperature is 165F.

Remove Sheet Pan B from oven and sprinkle Crispy Chicken lightly with:

Garlic Salt

Serve hot.

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Brenda’s tips:

• Serving size: 4

• The oil added to the skillet is not specified in cups or ounces, but instead adding oil until it is 1/4” deep in the skillet - this direction is given because two skillets that are marketed as the same size may have vastly different volumes (due to shape) and the depth of the oil is the important element.

• When cooking, “dredge” refers to coating the item with a dry ingredient, in this recipe it is corn starch.

• The method of pan-frying and then baking is recommended to create a crisp crust without drying out the chicken pieces. Pan frying until the chicken is cooked through is also an option, but often the breading will become soggy. It also makes it easier to manage if many batches are needed. Alternately, the chicken can be deep fried, cooking for 3-6 minutes in small batches.

• Serving recommendations:

  • Make these Chicken Bites to replace the ground beef in Brenda’s favorite Tacos

  • Add to Stir-Fried Veggies and serve over Rice

  • Dredge in, or serve with any sauce:

    • Buffalo Sauce

    • Sweet Chili

    • Sweet & Sour Sauce

    • Ranch

    • BBQ

    • Fry Sauce

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Window to B’s kitchen . . .

Crispy Chicken Bites served with Brenda’s favorite Sweet & Sour Sauce