Homemade Chicken “Things”
April 6, 2009 > 27 Comments
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Call them what you want…nuggets, fingers, crispers. The name doesn’t matter nearly as much as the taste. And these homemade chicken “things” taste fantastic!
Homemade Chicken “Things”
- 3 – 4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 c. complete (just add water) pancake mix
- 3/4 – 1 c. water
- 2 T. hot sauce
- 2 t. salt and black pepper
- Oil for frying
1. Trim chicken breasts and cut into desired size nuggets or fingers.
2. In a large bowl whisk together pancake mix, 3/4 c. water, hot sauce and salt & pepper. Add more water to thin if needed. (Note: You want the mix to be a little thinner than you would for making pancakes, but not very much.)
3. Heat oil in a fryer or in a medium-sized pot. Add chicken pieces to the batter and stir to coat completely.
4. When oil is hot, use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken from the batter to the oil. Depending on the size of chicken pieces, only cook about 5 to 10 pieces at a time.Cook about 3 – 4 minutes per side, until batter is browned and chicken is completely cooked.
Some Tips and Notes:
- This recipe makes a lot and I did that on purpose. The process takes some effort and time so I would rather invest all that time at once and be rewarded with some extras for the freezer. (We will get 3 meals out of this.)
- Yes, these do freeze very well. Freeze in a single layer in a freezer bag. To reheat, place frozen chicken nuggets on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, until fully warmed.
- These chicken nuggets are similar to the “chicken crispers” you can get at Chili’s. They are crispy but not crunchy.
- I do not have a thermometer that I use in my kitchen. I judge the heat of my oil with the handle of a wooden spoon. When bubbles form around the handle, the oil is hot enough. If the chicken starts browning too quickly, I turn the heat down a little.
- This is a super versatile item to have on hand in your freezer. They taste great as is or as part of a meal. I have a great recipe for that coming up later this week.
Stop by Blessed With Grace for Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Forever…Wherever for Tasty Tuesday, Tammy’s Recipes for Kitchen Tip Tuesdays or 5 Minutes For Mom for Tackle It Tuesday.
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27 Responses to “Homemade Chicken “Things””
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April 6th, 2009 @ 9:48 pm
my mouth is watering!
April 6th, 2009 @ 11:10 pm
Those look wonderful! I was going to make chicken and rice for dinner tomorrow, but now I think I’ll try these instead.
April 6th, 2009 @ 11:20 pm
What a great recipe to have. Thanks!!!
April 7th, 2009 @ 1:53 am
I nominated you for a lemonade award!
http://myfrugaladventures.blogspot.com/2009/04/lemonade-award-whoot-whoot.html
April 7th, 2009 @ 6:27 am
Oh, those look so good!!! We’ll be trying them out soon.
April 7th, 2009 @ 6:29 am
looks delicious! thanks for the recipe—hubby and I were just discussing have more fun food choices for the boys for lunch that my hubby can easily prepare—this looks perfect for the freezer!
April 7th, 2009 @ 8:15 am
We made something very similar to this growing up as our family’s secret fish fry recipe. We just used pancake mix and 7-up to deep fry the fish with and it looks exactly like that chicken. Apparently (we got this info from a friend in the food industry) this was what Long John Silver’s used for year’s for their fish!
I don’t know why I’ve never thought to do it on chicken – I will now! 
I blogged our fish fry here: http://herdofsteph.blogspot.com/2008/08/shepherd-fish-fry-how-to.html
April 7th, 2009 @ 8:33 am
These look absolutely scrumptious! My kids would soooo gobble these up!
April 7th, 2009 @ 8:51 am
OK, my family will love these. Thank you for sharing! I will have to try this.
April 7th, 2009 @ 9:12 am
The pancake mix is genious. Thanks for sharing!
~Liz
April 7th, 2009 @ 9:29 am
I am always looking for more ways to use mixes that we already have and saving on space in my cabinets!
April 7th, 2009 @ 11:13 am
those chicken things look great….love the name
April 7th, 2009 @ 11:41 am
Those sound absolutely delicious!
April 7th, 2009 @ 12:17 pm
these would be great for sweet and sour chicken!! thanks!
April 7th, 2009 @ 12:17 pm
What a yummy tackle!!
April 7th, 2009 @ 4:08 pm
Yum! These do look great for sweet and sour chicken!
April 7th, 2009 @ 10:05 pm
[...] that chicken recipe I shared yesterday for the homemade chicken “things.” Well here is a delicious way to use them in a [...]
April 8th, 2009 @ 12:22 am
What a totally great idea! Bravo Kate!
April 8th, 2009 @ 2:12 am
Is it dumb to ask what kind of hot sauce? Are you talking Tabasco or picante or what? This recipe looks great!
April 8th, 2009 @ 3:00 am
Oh wow..those look so tasty! What a simple yet delicious recipe!
April 8th, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
oh wow! Those look exactly like the chicken that comes from my favorite chinese restaurant in the Honey Garlic Chicken & Rice dish. Yummmm…with a little honey garic sauce (just honey heated with garlic clove) … printed & will definately be trying this weekend! Thanks!
April 10th, 2009 @ 3:59 am
[...] Homemade Chicken “Things” Looks like an incredibly good idea for dinner! [...]
April 28th, 2009 @ 5:07 am
Yep, we love these. I saw the exact same recipe on Rachael Ray about 3 years ago, and had to try it!
August 18th, 2009 @ 9:44 pm
[...] 8. Homemade Chicken “Things” [...]
August 27th, 2009 @ 11:48 am
YUMMY!! I LOVE chicken crispers from Chili’s! One of my favorite things in the world. I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing.
December 30th, 2009 @ 10:19 pm
[...] Homemade Chicken “Things” [...]
August 3rd, 2010 @ 9:15 pm
I’m in the process of cooking these for the first time (right now, haha) and had to run to my computer to thank you for an awesome and easy recipe!! They are sooo DELISH! Of course, I’ve been nibbling:) I have to say I was a bit hesitent to make such a large batch but went for it anyway….so glad I did! If anyone was thinking the same thing, DO IT