Buffalo Chicken

It seems as though every person is on an unconscious search for the perfect version of a certain dish. The perfect hamburger, coffee, chocolate chip cookie, we’ll go almost anywhere to see if the next version we try will be the best. For me, that is to find the perfect spicy, juicy, and tangy buffalo chicken fingers. Perfect as an appetizer at bar-type restaurants, or the perfect addition to pizzas, calzones, salads, or sandwiches, this warm and spicy chicken is a versatile dish that gives any meal a mouth-watering kick.

I always find myself attracted to this dish whenever I see it on the menu. However, I am usually never pleased upon ordering this delectable creation. Why? Restaurants are always serving either too spicy, too bony, too dry, not flavorful enough, or lack-luster chicken drenched in sauce. So when my brother came home from college, we decided to perfect our favorite meal together and this is what we came up with; they are absolutely fantastic, if I do say so myself.

We broke down what makes a buffalo finger mouth-wateringly satisfying. First off, good quality chicken. (We chose organic and plump chicken strips to prevent too many bones from getting stuck in our teeth, gross). The frying process is so important, because who would want a dense, thickly coated deep fried chicken breast? Not I! We chose a three step method for preparation: a salt and pepper flour mixture, egg wash, and a spicy blend of Panko bread crumbs mixed with various spices.(For those of you who haven’t been enlightened by Panko, it is a Japanese breadcrumb that contain fine crumbs that are light and they fry nicely). Then, of course, the buffalo sauce is the key to make or break this dish. We bought our favorite sauce, Texas Pete Buffalo Sauce, but added a few ingredients to make it even more rich and delicious (which are shown below). We found a cool and creamy blue cheese dressing and added a little lemon juice, and voila! The perfect, most ultimate buffalo fingers were right at our fingertips in under an hour.

 

Ingredients:

1 package of organic chicken strips

3 C vegetable oil

1 C flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

3 eggs

2 C Panko bread crumbs

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

dash of paprika

dash of sage

Fresh parmesan cheese (grated to preference)

1 ½ C Texas Pete Buffalo Sauce (or any buffalo sauce of choice)

1 tbsp. ketchup

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions:

1.      In a large saucepan over medium heat, let oil heat.

2.      Rinse chicken strips in hot water and drain on paper towel

3.      Assemble two paper plates and one bowl. In one paper plate, mix flour, salt, and pepper. In the bowl, whisk eggs. In the last paper plate, mix Panko, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and sage.

4.      Check oil by dropping a dime-sized amount of egg into the pan. The oil is ready when the oil simmers and releases bubbles.

5.      Create an assembly line—Dip chicken in flour mixture, then egg, then Panko mixture, and pile them on a clean plate.

6.      Once all of your chicken strips have been assembled, drop strips into the oil 3 or 4 at a time. (you don’t want to put too many in at one time, or it will drop the oil temperature!) Let each strip cook in oil for about 5-8 minutes, or until they are a crispy golden brown.

7.      Once they are done cooking, let chicken strips drain on a paper towel. While they’re still hot, grate the parmesan cheese over the chicken on both sides. The cheese will melt.

8.      In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, mix the Buffalo sauce with ketchup and butter.

9.      Roll chicken strips one-by-one in the Buffalo sauce, making sure to evenly coat.

10.  Transfer onto a clean plate, and Enjoy!