Chicken Nuggets for Grown Ups...

By Ethan Chlebowski · 40 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into thin slivers, then into small cubes.
2. Rock-chop the chicken for about 3 minutes until it looks like rough ground meat.
3. Sprinkle over the salt and MSG and chop for another minute.
4. Mix and massage the ground chicken with your hands for about 1 minute to bind it.
5. Shape the chicken into nuggets on a sheet lined with wax paper (about 18) and refrigerate while you prepare the batter and heat the oil.
6. Add about 2 inches of neutral oil to a wok over medium-low heat.
7. In a bowl, mix 100 g flour with the corn starch, baking powder, salt, cayenne, garlic powder and smoked paprika.
8. In another bowl, combine the beer and vodka.
9. Toss the chicken nuggets in the remaining 50 g flour until evenly coated, then place on a wire rack over a baking sheet.
10. Slowly whisk the beer mixture into the seasoned flour until just combined into a thin batter, between crepe and pancake batter consistency. A few small lumps are fine; do not overmix.
11. Heat the oil to 350°F/176°C.
12. Dip each floured nugget in the batter, let excess drip off, and lower gently into the oil. Fry in batches of 5 or 6 for about 4-5 minutes, until golden brown and crispy on all sides and the internal temperature reaches at least 160°F/71°C.
13. Move the fried nuggets to a paper towel, salt them right away, and blot off excess oil on both sides.
14. Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and serve with the hot nuggets.

Summarized from Ethan Chlebowski's video. Watch it for the details.

More recipes with

Chicken thighHorseradish