Quick and easy one pot fried chicken bites recipe, homemade with simple ingredients in 30 minutes. Tender Southern style boneless chicken breast pieces are coated in super crispy toppings of panko breadcrumbs and cornflakes.
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Believe it or not, you can make these quickly at home with ingredients you likely have already in your pantry! Save money by staying in tonight and making these for the family and I promise no one will complain. While you're at it, check out my Sheet Pan Nachos and Roll Up Pinwheel Sandwiches for more delicious fun.
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Key ingredients
- Flour- All-purpose flour works the best in this recipe. You can also mix in 1-2 tablespoon rice flour and that also helps with the crispy factor.
- Spices- I like to use a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Buttermilk- If you don't have this on hand, just make a homemade substitute by mixing together 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in 1 cup whole milk.
- Egg- This is what truly helps bind the crunchy coating to the chicken.
- Breadcrumbs- Use seasoned breadcrumbs for best flavor. In the past, if I didn't have this in my pantry, I just mixed some Italian seasoning or any spices and dried herbs that I am fond of, into my plain breadcrumbs. That worked just as well.
- Cornflakes- Use plain flavor and crush them.
- Chicken- This should be boneless breast and cut into small cubes.
Variations for breaded nuggets
- Buffalo flavor- Adding about ¼ cup buffalo sauce in the buttermilk mixture will give some great flavor!
- Bacon wrapped version- If you really want to take this recipe up a notch in flavor and make it a party favorite, wrap it in bacon before frying. These would look similar to my One Pan Bacon Wrapped Dates.
- Oven baked version- If you want a low fat option or just aren't comfortable frying, you can place these on an oven tray for 25 minutes at 425 degrees F.
- Asian style- Use ginger, Chinese 5 spice blend, garlic, and a little honey to add an oriental twist.
- Make it spicy- You may want to add some red chili flakes, cayenne pepper, more black pepper and a hot sauce for dipping.
How to make easy one pot crispy fried chicken bites recipe from scratch?
- Make flour, buttermilk and breadcrumb mixtures- In individual Ziploc bags.
- Coat chicken- In the flour mixture, then buttermilk mixture and then breadcrumb mixture.
- Deep fry- Until golden brown.
- Transfer- To a tray lined with paper towels.
- Serve immediately- With dipping sauces.
What to serve with them?
- These are made for dipping! There are some great dips to choose from: Ketchup, Sriracha mayo, Sweet chili sauce, Honey mustard, Ranch sauce, Bacon Cheddar Ranch Dip, Homemade Veggie Dip and Creamy Dill Dip.
- You can also serve these alongside or on top of various salads: Best Summer Salad (One Bowl), Easy Kale Salad (One Bowl), Easy Green Salad (One Bowl), Creamy Coleslaw (One Bowl).
- I usually enjoy roasted vegetables for a light lunch and these mini bites compliment perfectly for added protein. Try these veggies: Oven Roasted Vegetables (One Pan), Sautéed Brussels Sprouts (One Pot), Roasted Cauliflower Steak (One Pan), Oven Roasted Beets (One Pan)
- Potatoes and chicken were a match made in heaven. Try these: Microwaved Baked Potatoes (One Pot), Crispy Sautéed Potatoes (One Pot), Parsley Potatoes (One Pot), Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes (One Pan), Creamy Mashed Potatoes (One Pot)
- Add them to your sandwiches: Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich (One Pot), Easy Tomato Sandwich (One Pan), Cucumber Sandwich (One Pan) and Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich (One Pan).
Tips and techniques
- Use Ziploc bags instead of mixing bowls- Because it makes less of a mess for easy cleanup.
- Homemade buttermilk- This is one ingredient that not everyone has on hand all the time. Thankfully, there is an easy way to make it at home with 2 simple ingredients you likely have: 1 cup milk and 1 Tbs lemon juice or vinegar.
- Use plain cornflakes- Do not use Frosted Flakes or anything like that because it will taste too sweet and it's possible the texture would be off and it wouldn't fry as nicely.
- Use seasoned breadcrumbs- Because they have so much more flavor!
- If using plain breadcrumbs- Season them with some herbs and spices, such as Basil, Parsley, garlic salt, pepper, Thyme, and Rosemary.
- Make sure oil is hot before frying- Because otherwise the topping will absorb too much oil before actually frying and become soggy. This is one of my first cooking mistakes that I remember when I started cooking on my own
- Drain excess oil on paper towel- Because you don't want your chicken too greasy and this also keeps it crisp for longer.
Recipe FAQs
There are many different options you can use for frying. Your choice may depend on what you have on hand, your health preferences and parameters, the flavor you want, as well as what you can afford. One of the cheapest oils and one that is most commonly used for frying is vegetable oil. However, canola oil, peanut oil, and avocado oil are also often used and make a great choice as well.
First, you will need to make sure that you are frying at the right temperature, depending on what oil you use. Secondly, using seasoned bread crumbs and cornflakes to coat the chicken is key to giving it the right crunch and flavor that people love.
There could be a few reasons. You didn't pat your chicken dry upon starting, causing moisture to get trapped. Your oil was not hot enough when you started frying. Your pot was over crowed and caused steaming. Once fried, you didn't drain excess oil of these bites on paper towels.
Storage
- Fridge- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container for up to 3 days but won't be as crispy as when they were freshly fried.
- Freezer- This is not recommended because they become the topping becomes soft upon thawing.
- Reheat- In an air fryer or toaster oven to bring that crispy texture back again.
- Make ahead- Prepare the flour mixture, buttermilk mixture and breadcrumb mixture 1 day in advance but assemble and fry before you are ready to serve for maximum crispiness.
More One Pot Appetizers
- Stuffed Mini Peppers (One Pan)
- Garlic Cheese Bombs (One Pan)
- Mini Cheese Balls (One Bowl)
- Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Wings (One Pan)
- Bacon Wrapped Smokies (One Pan)
Recipe
Easy One Pot Crispy Fried Chicken Bites
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Ingredients
Flour mixture
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- ½-1 teaspoon Paprika Adjust according to your preference
- Salt To taste
- Pepper To taste
Buttermilk mixture
- 1 cup Buttermilk Full fat
- 1 Egg Large
Breadcrumb mixture
- 2 cups Seasoned breadcrumbs I highly recommend using Italian or seasoned breadcrumbs for more flavor but plain breadcrumbs can be used.
- 2 cups Cornflakes Plain, Crushed
Chicken
- 2 pounds Boneless chicken Cut into small 1.5 inch cubes
Instructions
- In a large Ziploc bag, make the flour mixture by mixing together flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper.
- In another large Ziploc bag, make the buttermilk mixture by mixing together buttermilk and egg.
- In a third large Ziploc bag, make breadcrumb mixture by mixing together breadcrumbs and cornflakes.
- Add the chicken cubes to the bag with flour mixture. Seal bag and toss to coat each piece in the seasoned flour.
- Dip each chicken cube individually in the buttermilk mixture and then dredge in the breadcrumbs until fully coated.
- Deep fry these breaded chicken pieces in hot oil until deep olden brown.
- Transfer to a tray, lined with paper towels.
- Serve immediately with dipping sauce of your choice and enjoy!
Notes
- Homemade buttermilk substitute- Mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar in 1 cup whole milk.Â
- Make sure your oil is hot before you start frying to prevent soggy bites.
- Please place fried bites on tray lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. They are so greasy if you skip this step.Â
- Try other seasonings that you like for a different flavor profile.Â
- Don'd overcrowd your pan when frying so that they cook evenly and don't end up steaming.Â
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Tastes best when served immediately but leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 days and reheated in an air fryer or toaster oven.Â
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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