Buffalo Popcorn Chicken Bites

Submitted by Wende

"Got this from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals on Food Network"

 

• Ready In: 20mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• vegetable oil, for frying
• 2 1⁄2 cups complete pancake mix, any brand, divided
• 1 1⁄4 cups water
• 8 teaspoons hot sauce, divided (recommended -- Tabasco)
• 1 1⁄4 lbs chicken tenders or 1 1/4 lbs chicken breasts, cut into small bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup store bought good quality refrigerated blue cheese dressing (recommended -- Marie's brand)
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper, 1/3 palm full
• cut celery rib, store bought

directions

1. In a deep sided skillet heat 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil over medium heat. If you wish to test the oil, add a 1-inch cube of bread to hot oil. If it turns deep golden brown in color in a count of 40, the oil is ready.
2. While the oil is heating make the batter. In a wide mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the pancake mix, 1 1/4 cups water and about 6 teaspoons hot sauce. (Use a regular teaspoon you would stir coffee with – that's what I did. I don't, technically, have a set of actual measuring spoons.) Place the remaining plain 1/2 cup pancake mix in another wide mixing bowl. Arrange the batter and the bowl of plain pancake mix near the cook top and the heating oil. Line a plate with a few sheets of paper towels and keep within reach.
3. Once the oil is heated and ready, toss the chicken pieces in 2 teaspoons of hot sauce then toss in the plain pancake mix, coat evenly and shake off excess. The plain dry pancake mix will help the batter stick to the chicken pieces. Add some of chicken to the batter, you are going to want to work in 3 to 4 batches coating and frying. Using a fork, toss the bites in the batter. Remove the first batch from the batter, shaking off the excess batter as you carefully add them to the hot oil. Fry for 2 minutes on the first side, or until the first side is a deep golden brown, flip and continue to fry for another 2 minutes or until deep golden brown all over. Remove from the oil and drain on the paper towel lined plate, season with salt. Repeat until all the popcorn chicken bites are fried. Serve immediately with refrigerated, good quality creamy blue cheese prepared dressing with chopped scallions and black pepper stirred into it for dipping. Garnish platter with celery sticks.

Reviews

[TasteTester]

We loved these -- they were the perfect snack for us to eat while watching football on TV. I made them exactly as directed, but since some other reviewers stated that they weren't that hot/spicy, I not only put the hot sauce in the batter, but also tossed them in some hot sauce after they were done frying. I loved the taste of the scallions in the blue cheese dip!! So delicious!! Thanks for posting this recipe.

 

[rosslare]

Great poppers, crispy and puffy, the pancake mix works really well on this recipe. However, like all the other reviewers have said before, I will also say; they don't turn out spicy. Maybe omitting the hot sauce from the batter but tossing the bits in hot sauce after frying would help the issue.

 

[winggirl]

these fry up really nicely,next time i will have to use a hotter brand of hot sauce.They were good,but not ver spicy.Thanks

 

[The Thorn of Hudson]

I made this recipe with regular size chicken tenders. The coating was good on the tenders, however, I did use the Hot sauce - but you couldn't taste it. I neglected to realize that I probably needed to increase the amount of hot sauce -though I'm still not sure why. Seems to me hot is hot and it shouldn't matter. I'll attempt these again though - perhaps the hot sauce is too old - and the fire has gone out :) Guess I' ll try a younger bottle!

 

[cook2003]

this is a very good recipe. delicious, easy and fun to eat,