
🔥🎉 Firecracker Chicken brings you juicy bites wrapped in a crispy crust and doused in bold buffalo sauce. It's awesome for a chill family night or when you've got company. Everybody will want seconds!
INGREDIENTS
- Mustard Powder: ½ teaspoon, for a pop of tangy taste
- Butter: 1 tablespoon, melted so the sauce turns out creamy
- Cornstarch: ¾ cup, gets the chicken super crunchy
- Apple Cider Vinegar: 2 teaspoons, adds some zip to the sauce
- Eggs: 3 eggs, beaten until they're mixed and a bit bubbly
- Light Brown Sugar: 1 cup, makes the sauce sweet and tasty
- Salt: ¼ teaspoon, ties all the flavors together
- Vegetable Oil: 1 cup for frying, grab more if you see the pan needs topping off
- Buffalo Sauce: ¾ cup, brings the spicy kick
- Chicken: 1 ½ lbs. chicken breast or thighs, no bones or skin, cut into 2-inch chunks and dried off
- Salt/Pepper: Sprinkle on as much as you like to season up the chicken
- Soy Sauce: 1 teaspoon, gives the sauce a little extra oomph
- Garlic Powder: 1 teaspoon, levels up the flavor
- Chili Powder: ½ teaspoon, totally optional if you want more heat
INSTRUCTIONS
- Step 9:
- Top the chicken with green onions once baked. Dish it out hot, poured over white rice if you like it that way.
- Step 8:
- Spoon everything into a 9 x 13 pan and bake for 10 minutes, flip or stir the chicken, and put it back in for 10 more minutes.
- Step 7:
- Move the fried chicken to a bowl with your sauce. Toss it until every piece is coated well.
- Step 6:
- Let the golden chicken cool on racks, so any leftover oil drips off and keeps things crispy.
- Step 5:
- Drop the chicken into hot oil in batches, don’t crowd the pan. Fry 3-4 minutes per side till it's golden and crunchy. Turn the heat down or pour in more oil if needed.
- Step 4:
- Get your oil heated up in a deep pan at medium-high till it’s 365°F. Dredge a batch of chicken in cornstarch right before frying. Dip ‘em in the egg again.
- Step 3:
- Whisk up the eggs till frothy. Toss the chicken into the eggs and swirl it around so everything's nice and coated.
- Step 2:
- Chop your chicken into big chunks, pat everything dry, then sprinkle salt and pepper generously on top.
- Step 1:
- Crank your oven up to 350°F. Mix all those sauce ingredients in one bowl and set aside while the oven heats up.
Serving and Storage Tips
- Put the chicken on fluffy white rice and you're set for a solid meal.
- A finishing sprinkle of green onions or sesame seeds makes it look and taste even better.
- Leftovers? Stash them in a tight container in the fridge—good for three days.
Tips from Well-Known Chefs
- Gordon Ramsay always says make sure the oil's piping hot so your chicken stays crisp, not soggy.
- Ina Garten likes to rest fried chicken a few minutes to lock in the juices before tossing in sauce.
- Emeril Lagasse keeps it fresh—use good, fresh ingredients so your sauce shines.
VARIATIONS
- Skip buffalo and use teriyaki for a sweeter, Asian-inspired meal.
- Crushed peanuts or sesame seeds on top give a nice crunch.
- Make it heartier by adding steamed veggies next to your chicken.