How To Make Chicken Fries At Home

chickenfries_main These homemade chicken fries blow the fast-food version right out of the game. (Photos: Paul Harriso
Paul Harrison•

When you think of chicken fries, you may think of a certain fast-food item, and you may think of it as an abomination of food. But honestly, you'd be wrong. It's just a long chicken nugget. You like chicken nuggets, right? Of course you do. And if not, GTFO. No, seriously, GTFO RIGHT NOW.

Okay, now that we're all on the same page, we're going to do a variation of the chicken fry that's not a long chicken nugget but instead is a strip of chicken breast. And in honor of Frites Week, instead of doing a standard breading, we're going to fry these in a buttermilk mashed potato beer batter. That's right: buttermilk mashed potatoes mixed with beer to make a batter. It's homemade magic.

Oh, and we're also going to make some sweet and sour sauce to dip these into, 'cause as a kid I always got sweet and sour sauce for my nuggets, and you know you did, too. Unless you had no imagination. If you got barbecue sauce, I'm sorry to tell you, you have no imagination. Now, on to the magic.

How To Make Chicken Fries At Home
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Prep Time
50
minutes
Cook Time
1.33
hours
Servings
4
chickenfries_main
Total time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds russet potatoes
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1/3 cup minced scallion
  • 1/2 cup beer
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 2 1/2 cups neutral oil
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar (or cane)
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
Directions
  1. :::chicken fries:::
  2. Peel potatoes, cut into large chunks, and soak in cold water for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Bring water to a boil in a pot large enough to fit potatoes. Boil potatoes for 20 minutes.
  4. Mash potatoes (a potato ricer is great right here) and set aside to cool.
  5. Cut the chicken breasts into 1/4-inch french fry–style strips.
  6. Mix seasoned flour ingredients together.
  7. Mix the rest of the batter ingredients with the mashed potatoes.
  8. Toss chicken in in seasoned flour.
  9. Bring oil to 340°F in Dutch oven or other deep, heavy-bottomed pot/pan.
  10. Dip chicken strips into batter two at a time, and drop into oil. Repeat until pot is filled (about 8 strips in my large Dutch oven). Try to maintain heat at 340°F.
  11. Fry for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
  12. Serve with dipping sauce.
  13. :::sweet and sour sauce:::
  14. Mix all ingredients except cornstarch and water in a small saucepan.
  15. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  16. Mix cornstarch and water together.
  17. After sauce has been simmering for 20 minutes, add the cornstarch mixture.
  18. Simmer 15-20 minutes more, or until nice and viscous (think of fast-food sweet and sour sauce to guide you).
 
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