Crispy and Juicy Chicken Nuggets
Crispy fried chicken nuggets are always a hit at my house during the weekend. It's seasoned to perfection and fried for the ultimate crunch factor. These nuggets are so juicy, so tender, and so easy to make.
Ingredients
Dry Rub
- 4-5 Chicken Thighs boneless, skinless, cut into chunks
- 2 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp Granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
Dredge
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 1 tsp Ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp Garlic powder
- 2 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1/4 cup Buttermilk
- Peanut or Vegetable Oil
Dulcet Scintilla Sauce
- 1/4 cup Mayo
- Garlic glove minced
- 1/4 cup BBQ Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Dry Rub
- In a small bowl add kosher salt, granulated sugar, and garlic powder together. Whisk well. Sprinkle the seasoning on both sides of the chunky chicken thighs. Place the seasoned chunky chicken thighs in a ziploc bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Frying the Chicken Nuggets
- Fill a dutch oven two-thirds full with peanut or vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 325 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl whisk together one egg and the buttermilk. Set aside.
- In a shallow pan, add the dry ingredients together (all-purpose flour, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and powdered sugar) and whisk well.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the refrigerator. In batches, first dunk the thighs in the dry flour mixture, next transfer to the egg wash. Lastly, place the chicken back into the flour mixture and then transfer the breaded chicken thighs to a sheet pan. Continue this process for all the remaining chicken thighs.
- In batches, fry the chicken nuggets for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. To double check if the nuggets are fully cook cut one in half. If it appears juicy and white with no show of pink it's fully cooked. Transfer the cooked nuggets to a wire rack. Complete this proess for the remaining chicken nuggets.
The Dulcet Scintilla Sauce
- In a medium sized bowl add together the minced garlic, mayo, BBQ sauce, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, yellow mustard, and dijon mustard. Whisk together until well combined. Enjoy.