Quick Chicken Bites

We have entered a very busy time in our year. The glow of the holidays and the time off from school and work to just be has been replaced with school projects, camping trips for Cub Scouts, meetings and work travel for Jim. Many of these nights have found me standing in the kitchen at 5 realizing that the meal I planned to make would not do as we had to be somewhere in 45 minutes or less.

On these nights, it would be easy and understandable if I swung by the drive through for a quick bite on our way to wherever, but we try to not make that a habit for health as our wallets and waistlines could not afford that! So I have to get creative in a hurry. I love making a big batch of fried chicken, but between the oil, frying and assembling all of the parts, it can be a bit of a production and I always, ALWAYS end up with leftover egg that I feel wasteful throwing out cannot think of another use for. So to save myself time and suffering, I chopped my chicken up into little bits, swapped the eggs for milk that I had on hand and whipped up these bites that are ready in 30 or less. And I do say so myself, these are way better than any I can get at a drive through. But give them a shot and let me know if you agree!

Quick Chicken Bites

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup flour
• salt
• pepper
• oil, for frying

Directions

1. Place chicken, milk, breadcrumbs and flour in separate shallow bowls. Add salt and pepper to the flour and stir to combine
2. In a large skillet, add oil (about 1/2 inch deep) and heat oil over medium heat
3. While oil is heating, place chicken in flour, turing to coat all sides
4. Next, place chicken in the milk, ensuring all sides are coated
5. Last, place chicken in the breadcrumbs, gently pressing on all sides of chicken to ensure a good crumb coat
6. Check oil to determine if it is hot enough to fry. I do this by sprinkling a drop of water from a spoon into the oil. If it bubbles and pops a little, it is ready to fry
7. When oil is ready, place pieces of chicken into the oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes then flip and cook other side for 1-2 mintes as well
8. Place cooked chicken on plate and cover with foil to keep warm and prepare the remaining chicken
9. Serve these yummy bites with your favorite dips!

Tips

• Since these bites are cut small, they will cook very fast so don't place them in the skillet then walk away. Once you get frying these, they will be done in a flash so have all the chicken coated and a plate ready to go for the cooked chicken before you begin.
• You can use store purchased breadcrumbs but I love, love my DIY Breadcrumbs made from leftover Basic French Bread. You can use any leftover bread you have on hand and the results will be a breadcrumb like you have never tasted before. And it is so easy!
• My son keeps it simple and dunks these bites in ketchup, but they go great with ranch, BBQ sauce and my personal fave, Sriracha Mayo. You can purchase this pre-made or simply mix Sriracha and mayonnaise in a bowl until you reach your desired flavor. Yum!