Homemade chicken nuggets aren't kid stuff anymore when you add a Wild Turkey marinade. Wild Turkey is a Kentucky bourbon known for being strong and inexpensive. Soy sauce and whisky break down the chicken's muscle fibers while honey adds sweetness and helps keep the chicken from drying out. The mellow smoothness of vanilla complements and tames the whiskey's harsh bite and breading and frying the nuggets ties it all together and seals in a smoky, mellow tang that's grown-up enough to stand up to a spicy brown mustard dip.
Step 1
Pour a bit of Wild Turkey into a small bowl. Between ¼ and ½ cup is good but the proportions don't have to be exact.
Step 2
Add three to four times as much soy sauce as you have Wild Turkey. Whisk in the honey and vanilla to taste. Season the marinade with kosher salt and cracked pepper and mix it well.
Step 3
Wash your chicken tenders and pat them dry with paper towels. Cut them into nugget-sized chunks.
Step 4
Place the chicken nuggets into a plastic zipper bag that is large enough to comfortably hold them.
Step 5
Whisk the marinade again and pour it over the chicken nuggets.
Step 6
Squeeze as much air out of the plastic bag as you can and seal it. Squish the bag around to coat all of the chicken nuggets. Place them in the refrigerator for 4 hours to overnight.
Step 7
Pour 2 to 3 inches of canola oil into a deep skillet.
Step 8
Heat the skillet over medium-high. The oil is ready when it starts to shimmer and when a drop of water scattered into it skips and spits.
Step 9
Pour 1 inch or 2 of flour into a pie pan. Remove the chicken nuggets from the marinade and add them to the flour. Toss them in the flour with your fingers until they are completely coated.
Step 10
Shake the excess flour off the chicken nuggets and place them in the hot oil. Don't crowd them; they will cook more evenly if there's space between them.
Step 11
Cook the chicken nuggets for 3 to 5 minutes and then turn them with a slotted spoon. Continue cooking them for another 3 to 5 minutes, until they are golden brown all over.
Step 12
Check for doneness by scooping out the largest nugget with your slotted spoon and poking the very tip of an instant-read thermometer into it. They are done when the temperature reads at least 165 F.
Step 13
Combine mayonnaise, spicy brown mustard and honey to taste. Add a drop or two of hot sauce and thin the mixture with a spoonful of orange juice if it's too thick.
Tips and Warnings
- Blend spicy brown mustard with nonfat yogurt and honey for a sweeter dipping sauce.
- Never use the same utensils for cooked chicken that you used for raw chicken.
Things You'll Need
- Wild Turkey bourbon
- Small bowl
- Soy sauce
- Honey
- Vanilla
- Kosher salt
- Cracked pepper
- Paper towels
- Plastic zipper bag
- Pie pan
- Flour
- Deep skillet
- Canola oil
- Slotted spoon
- Instant-read thermometer
- Mayonnaise
- Hot sauce
- Orange juice
Member Comments