CopyCat Recipe: KFC Filet Bites

I LOVE KFC! I really do. But the down side is that it’s expensive and really not healthy. So when I was craving KFC Filet Bites I started looking for a recipe, but it just didn’t cut it. So I had another episode of “I can do that!” and this is what I came up with. Peer reviewed by a couple of friends visiting the same night and there wasn’t a single piece left.
Still not the healthiest of food options, but at least it’s homemade and free from sugars and preservatives. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 500 gr chicken breast
- 0,5 l buttermilk
- 250 gr flour
- 1 tbsp paprika powder
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- vegetable oil
Cut the chicken in to bite size pieces and submerge them in the buttermilk. Let it soak for 20 to 30 minutes. This process will make the chicken extra tender, because the lactic acid breaks down some of the protein in the meat. This also causes the meat to retain moisture and allow flavours to permeate through the meat. The lactic acid will also reduce the microbes in the meat.
Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the spices, mix thoroughly. Add about 100 ml of the buttermilk to the flour mixture while stirring continuously, creating small lumps and crumbs. Next, heat about 2 cm of vegetable oil in a large skillet.
Do not drain the chicken! The bites must be wet from the buttermilk. Remove a piece of chicken from the buttermilk and place it in the flour mixture, turning it over to coat it thoroughly. You will see that it is not coated evenly, but rather in a very lumpy, dry kind of batter. This is what makes it so tasty! Place the chicken strips on a plate, but don’t stack. The bites tend to stick together after a while. Continue coating chicken bites until they are all ready to cook.
When the oil is sufficiently heated, begin cooking the bites a few at a time. Cook them for about 1.5 minutes on each side. When golden and crispy, remove them to a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, like mayonnaise. Or try my homemade ketchup!
Try them with Home Made Fries or serve as a snack.