I came home to a wonderful surprise the other day after work! My wife had just fried up some of the best tasting chicken I have ever had! She found the recipe at the Iowa Girl Eats Website. The secret to this wonderful dinner is letting the chicken soak in a marinade that includes pickle juice. This is essential because one of the great parts of the Chick-fil-A sandwiches is the taste of pickle. So each little chicken bite tastes like a sandwich with a pickle! Brilliant!
Here’s the Recipe, we omitted the dipping sauce used in the original recipe because we aren’t big fans of honey mustard. Instead we dipped the bites in our “Healthy Ranch Dip” made from Greek yogurt. Pair it with a side of broccoli and mashed potatoes and you have a great meal for the family!
- 2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt & pepper
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup pickle juice
- 1 egg
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup peanut oil, divided (or canola or vegetable oil)
- Whisk together egg, milk and pickle juice, and pour into a large ziplock bag or bowl. Add chicken pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
- Combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper in a large ziplock bag. Shake to combine. Remove chicken from the marinade and add into the bag. Shake to coat the chicken completely.
- Heat half the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat (6 or 7 out of 10.) Test the oil by dropping in a bit of the flour mixture. If it sizzles, the oil is ready, if it pops, lower the temperature a bit.
- Gently place chicken pieces into the oil with tongs. Do this in 2 batches, as you don’t want to overcrowd the pan. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Turn the chicken over and allow to cook for 3-4 more minutes. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Heat the remaining oil and continue with the other half of the chicken pieces.
