Hot Cheeto Chicken Nuggets

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!
%d