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Switch up your chicken nugget routine with this chicharron de pollo recipe! Delightfully marinated chicken dredged in a deliciously seasoned flour mixture and fried to perfection. Serve it with your choice of a dipping sauce or with rice and instant pot Cuban black beans!
Cuban recipes have never let me down when it comes to flavor. Make an entire Cuban meal out of your dinner night. You’ll be really surprised at just how easy all of these recipes are as well. Cuban recipes are bold in flavor, light on ingredients, and heavy on the delicious.
What is Chicharron de Pollo?
This translates as “crispy chicken bites.” So, basically, a Caribbean version of chicken nuggets. The recipe often contains rum in the marinade, but it’s not necessary to obtain a delicious outcome. A Cuban spice mixture is used to season flour and bread boneless chicken pieces. I guarantee they will be the best “chicken nuggets” you’ve ever had.
What is the Best Thing to Fry Chicken In?
I like to use vegetable or canola oil. However, I have a few friends who prefer peanut oil. So, it’s honestly up to you and your taste preferences. Vegetable oil is one of the most commonly used oils when it comes to frying. Lard isn’t a bad idea either, especially since it adds such a detailed flavor to the fried portion of the chicken.
How To Make
- Brine – Using water and salt, brine the chicken. Once brined, let the chicken sit for up to 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towel.
- Season – Season the chicken with the orégano, cumin, sazón con achiote, fresh smashed garlic, granulated garlic, onion powder, and olive oil .
- Marinate – Leave the chicken to marinate for at least an hour or overnight.
- Prep chicken – Mix together the flour, granulated garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the mixture.
- Fry chicken – Heat up oil to 350 degrees. Slowly add the chicken and stir randomly until it has turned golden brown. Remove the chicken from the oil and Enjoy!
Tips For The Best Chicharron de Pollo
- Add rum – Many traditional versions of chicharron de pollo contain rum in the marinade. I don’t always have rum on hand so I rarely include it in the mix. However, if desired, you can toss some into your marinade.
- Add Adobo
- Use other spices – If preferred, you can add more spices or use your own. It just won’t be a traditional version of this recipe if you do.
- Make it mild – If you’re not a huge fan of spicy, you can remove the adobo spice and it should lighten things up a bit.
- Use your oil of choice – I usually use vegetable oil or canola oil when I fry chicken. However, you can use your oil of choice. Just make note that your oil will adjust the flavor profile of the chicken.
- Make your own dipping sauce – If you want to try your hand at making your own dipping sauce, you can try BBQ sauce, honey mustard, spicy ketchup, etc. All are easy to make homemade. You can even use my sauce recipes from my Honey BBQ Boneless Wings recipe and BBQ Chicken Nachos recipe.
- Fry in vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- The oil temperature should be about 350 degrees F.
Storage
- Fridge – Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer – Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- Reheating – Reheat in the microwave or in the oven. The air fryer would work as well.
Give these delicious fried chicken bites a try, You’ll be glad you did!
You can find more delicious recipes and cooking tutorial videos on Youtube and Facebook.
Chicharron de Pollo (Crispy Chicken Bites)
Ingredients
Brine
- 1 lb chicken breasts , chopped in bite-size pieces
- 2 cups water, room temperature
- 2 tbsp Kosher salt
Seasoning
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tsp sazon
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Coating
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Other
- vegetable oil, for frying
- lime wedges
- hot sauce, if desired
Instructions
- Add 2 cups of water and 2 tbsp of Kosher salt to a large bowl and mix well.
- Chop the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and then place it in the salt brine. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the saltwater and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
- Place the chicken in a large bowl along with the minced garlic, sazon, cumin, oregano, onion powder, 1 tsp granulated garlic, and olive oil. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.
- Add the flour, paprika, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper to a dish and mix well. Coat the chicken with the seasoned flour twice before frying.
- Heat some vegetable oil and once it reaches 350 degrees F, you'll want to fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the chicken bites are crispy and fully cooked through.
- Place the chicken bites on a serving platter and serve with hot sauce and lime wedges, if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Fry in vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- The oil temperature should be about 350 degrees F.
- Let the chicken sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before frying.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
