Bite-sized spicy chicken nuggets coated in a Flaming Hot Cheeto Crust.
Or as I like to call them. Lava Rocks.
Working off last year’s most popular recipe — the Flaming Hot Cheeto Chicken Sandwich — I was inspired to create dippable, bite-sized nugget version. And it did not dissapoint.
It follows the same steps as the sandwich, with a pickle brine that leaves each bite of chicken incredibly juicy and tender. The hot cheeto crust adds a nice bite of heat — and you can opt for any dipping sauce your heart and stomach desire. For mine, we used a hot honey, a habenero mayo dip, and a sweet chili sauce.
With these nuggets, you could also make some Hot Cheeto Cheese Curds as a perfect appetizer. Quite a theme we have going here, huh? At this rate,. I’ll have a whole Cheeto cookbook.
Time You Need
- ~1 hour resting
- ~20 minutes prep
- ~25 minutes cooking
- Yields: ~25 chicken nuggets
What You Need
- 3 boneless chicken breasts
- ~2.5 cups of pickle juice
- ~1 cup of AP flour
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- ¼ cup of milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 bags of 8.5 oz flaming hot Cheetos (or jalapeno Cheetos)
- Dipping sauces of choice
What You Do
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized nuggets. The best way is to start cutting the breasts into about 1 inch thick strips. Then halving those strips to create the nuggets.
- Then cover the nuggets in plastic wrap and tenderize with a tenderizer (or your fist).
- Take a plastic bag and add the chicken and pickle brine. Place in the fridge and let the chicken marinate for at least on hour (or longer for juicier chicken).
- Using a food processor, chop the Cheetos into a fine powder/dust and add to a mixing bowl or gallon sized bag and set to the side.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Create a dredging station with a bowl of flour, the beaten eggs + milk, and then a third bowl/or bag for the Cheeto dust.
- Start an assembly line, taking one chicken nugget and coating in flour, then the egg/milk mix, and finally coating in the Cheeto dust. Place on the baking sheet and repeat the process for the rest of the bite sized chicken nuggets.
- When finished, place the sheet in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauces!