Buffalo Chicken Bites

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Crispy fried chicken cubes tossed in butter and Frank's — a crowd-pleaser from my restaurant days at Caddy's and Smokehouse Pizza.

Prep15 min

Cook10 min

Total25 min

Yield4 servings

CourseAppetizer

Ingredients

Chicken & Dredge

• 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking oil, for frying

Buffalo Toss

• ½ cup Frank's RedHot sauce
• ½ cup butter, melted

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized cubes.
2. In a bowl or shallow dish, whisk together the flour, Lawry's, and black pepper. Dredge the chicken cubes in the seasoned flour, tossing to coat each piece thoroughly.
3. Heat cooking oil in a deep skillet or fryer to 350°F. Fry the chicken in batches until golden brown and cooked through, about 4–5 minutes per batch. Don't crowd the pan.
4. While the chicken fries, melt the butter and stir it together with the Frank's hot sauce in a large mixing bowl — about a 1:1 ratio.
5. As soon as the chicken comes out of the oil, drop it straight into the bowl with the butter and hot sauce. Toss to coat while everything is still hot. Serve immediately.

BBQ Variation: Skip the Frank's and butter altogether and toss the fried chicken in your favorite barbecue sauce instead. Any style works — sweet, smoky, tangy, Carolina mustard, whatever you like.

Tip: The toss has to happen while the chicken is fresh out of the oil. Hot chicken hitting the sauce is what makes the coating cling and the bites taste right.

Serving: Great with celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch on the side.

Adapted from a recipe served at Caddy's on the Beach (Treasure Island, FL) and Smokehouse Pizza & BBQ (Provo and Orem, UT).