Deep-Fried Crispy Chicken Bites with Homemade Ketchup Sauce

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are versatile, delicious, and easy to cook. In this
recipe, chicken thighs are quickly baked, and then cut into bite-sized chunks,
breaded with Panko, and deep-fried until crispy. They are served with a spicy
homemade tomato ketchup sauce.

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Deep-Fried Crispy Chicken Bites with Homemade Ketchup Sauce

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are versatile, delicious, and easy to cook. In this

recipe, chicken thighs are quickly baked, and then cut into bite-sized chunks,

breaded with Panko, and deep-fried until crispy. They are served with a spicy

homemade tomato ketchup sauce.

Ingredients

For the Homemade Ketchup Sauce:

• 1 small can (6 oz, or about 170 grams homemade or canned tomato paste)
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (or more to taste)
• 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
• 1 Tablespoon Molasses
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp Kosher salt
• ¼ tsp garlic powder

For the Deep-Fried Crispy Chicken Bites:

• 8 boneless (skinless chicken thighs)
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs (whisked)
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 4 cups cooking oil (for deep-frying)
• Paper towels (for draining the chicken bites)

Instructions 

• For the homemade tomato ketchup sauce, combine the homemade or canned tomato paste with the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, Kosher salt, and garlic powder.
• Taste the ketchup sauce, and add more vinegar, sweeteners, or salt as desired.
• Set the ketchup sauce aside in the fridge.
• Before you intend to make this recipe, salt your chicken thighs, and allow them to rest in the fridge uncovered for roughly four hours in the fridge.
• After the salted chicken thighs have had at least four hours to rest, preheat the oven to 350˚F.
• Bake the chicken thighs for 12 minutes, or until the insides are almost cooked through, and remove from the oven and allow them to cool down.
• Cut each chicken thigh into 3 pieces, and set them aside in a bowl.
• When you are ready to begin deep frying, heat the neutral cooking oil in a cast iron pot with high sides that is meant for deep-frying.
• Heat the cooking oil until it reaches roughly 350˚F, and then reduce the heat to maintain the temperature at that level.
• Set up a breading station with one bowl of all-purpose flour, one bowl of whisked eggs, and a final bowl filled with Panko bread crumbs.
• Coat each piece of chicken in flour, and then dip into the egg mixture.
• Drain off the excess egg mixture from each piece, and dip in the Panko bread crumbs to fully coat the outsides.
• Deep-fry the breaded chicken thighs in 350˚F oil until the outsides are golden-brown and crispy and the insides are fully cooked through.
• Drain the deep-fried chicken bites on paper towels, and serve immediately with thehomemade ketchup sauce that you prepared earlier.

Notes

These crispy chicken bites are best served right after they have been deep-fried, although the ketchup sauce will store well in the fridge for a few weeks if left tightly covered.