CHEF JOHN'S BUFFALO CHICKEN NUGGETS

Chef John's Buffalo Chicken Nuggets image

A real chicken nugget, at least in the fast food context, is not just a small solid piece of chicken. It's more of a deep-fried, mostly-chicken sausage patty, fabricated from various parts of the bird, such as every legal part. But I like to use chicken thighs.

Provided by Chef John

Categories Appetizers and Snacks Spicy

Time 1h50m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 12

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Ingredients

1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay®)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Buffalo-style hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's® RedHot)
1 tablespoon melted butter
½ cup cornstarch
⅓ cup self-rising flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Steps:

Place chicken thighs in bowl of a food processor. Add breadcrumbs, kosher salt, paprika, pepper, seafood seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Drizzle in hot sauce and melted butter. Pulse on and off until mixture becomes a coarse paste with very few big chunks, about 18 pulses.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicon mat. Scoop out 24 portions of the chicken mixture with a small ice-cream scoop and place on mat. Cover sheet with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. (Or place pan in freezer for 15 minutes.)
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place cornstarch, self-rising flour, and salt into a quart-size zip-top plastic bag. Shake bag to mix thoroughly. Place 3 or 4 scoops of chilled chicken mixture into the bag; shake gently to coat and place on parchment-lined pan. Repeat with the rest of the nuggets. Shape them into flattened ovals, about 5/8-inch thick. Refrigerate pan overnight or until starch on surface is absorbed, flipping over once while they're in the fridge.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
Fry nuggets in batches for 1 minute. Drain on a rack over a baking sheet; chill about 1 hour or until you're ready to serve them.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry the nuggets a second time in batches for 2 minutes. Drain on rack.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 228.1 calories, Carbohydrate 17.9 g, Cholesterol 56.8 mg, Fat 11.1 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 13.2 g, SaturatedFat 3.5 g, Sodium 766.5 mg, Sugar 0.2 g