Pancake Battered Chicken Nuggets with Maple Syrup and Crisp Bacon
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Total
25 min
Servings
8
Level
Easy
Frying the chicken in batches helps keep the oil hot so the pancake batter will coat the chicken pieces and form a crust. These pancake-battered chicken nuggets are coated with a sweet and savory batter that includes smoked paprika and garlic and served with crisp bacon and maple syrup.
The batter contains pancake mix and spices, including cayenne and smoked paprika. Chicken breasts are coated with the batter, combined with buttermilk, and enough water to reach the proper batter consistency without overmixing. Chicken breasts are seasoned with salt and pepper before being tossed in the batter to meet the recipe's requirements for thickly battered chicken.
Check for oil sparkle before adding chicken. Reduce heat after adding chicken. Cook nuggets for three minutes, flipping halfway through. Check for an even breading to ensure proper breading. The main problem when frying breaded chicken is too much chicken in the pan at one time. Limit nuggets to five or six pieces at a time to keep the oil hot and ensure even breading.
Drain fried nuggets in paper towels to remove excess oil. Top with warm maple syrup and bacon bits. As described in the article, nuggets should be fried on the same day you want to eat them, the pancake crust softens when refrigerated.
Why we keep this one around
- Small batches of fried chicken help the oil stay hot, producing evenly browned and crisp breading on the chicken pieces.
- Large batches can result in chicken with breading that is oily and pale.
- Adding water to the breading mixture slowly prevents clumping and makes sure all chicken nuggets are evenly coated.
- Clumps in chicken breading can cause parts of the nuggets to cook at different rates.
- Draining some of the batter from the tongs prevents excess batter from falling into the frying oil and helps improve the appearance of the finished product.
- Seasoning both the chicken and coating creates tasty chicken breasts. The seasonings are salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.
- Chicken pieces of equal size will fry more evenly than chicken pieces of different sizes.
- Preparing chicken pieces of equal size can help prevent them from drying out when fried in batches.
Ingredients
- •1 ½ lb chicken breasts (roughly two large ones, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 1/2-2 inch chunks)
- •salt (to taste)
- •pepper (to taste)
- •2 cups pancake mix
- •⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- •1 tsp smoked paprika
- •1 tsp garlic powder
- •1 cup buttermilk
- •½ cup water (divided)
- •4 cups canola oil (for frying)
- •maple syrup (for serving)
- •crisp crumbled bacon (for serving)
Instructions
- 1
Liberally season the chicken chunks with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- 2
Add the pancake mix, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until evenly combined.
- 3
Pour the buttermilk into the bowl and whisk just until incorporated.
- 4
Add the water 1/4 cup at a time, whisking after each addition, until the batter is evenly incorporated and lump-free.
- 5
Add the chicken to the pancake batter and toss to coat with a nice, even thick layer. Set the bowl aside.
- 6
Add the canola oil to a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat.
- 7
When the oil is hot and shimmery, use tongs to lift battered chicken pieces, tapping the tongs against the bowl two or three times to dislodge excess batter. Transfer 5 to 6 pieces at a time to the hot oil.
- 8
Reduce the heat to medium-low and fry the chicken for 3 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- 9
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat in batches until all the chicken is fried and drained.
- 10
Serve the pancake battered chicken warm with a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of crisp, crumbled bacon.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
683
Calories
22g
Protein
62g
Fat
11g
Carbs
Reviews
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