buffalo chicken pancake bites

This may be Ed's favorite meal that I make, and that's not joke. Add this to some cold beer and my family's favorite baked corn and he's the happiest camper your ever met. These take some time, effort and a little love and care, but they are worth it.

I saw these little guys on an episode of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals a long time ago. As she was cooking them, I jotted down the instructions and made them the next day. I've been making them ever since. They are deep fried, so of course they're delicious, and they've got just a touch of buffalo flavor.

You start by cutting - your chicken tenders into 1 inch cubes and toss them in buffalo sauce- like I've said before, we use Frank's Red Hot Sauce. After tossing the chicken in the buffalo, coat them in dry pancake mix. A few at a time, drop them now into your prepared pancake batter. The pancake batter should have buffalo sauce mixed in, or you can omit this. Believe me, they won't be as spicy as they sound.

I use vegetable oil to fry ours- it's kind of like frying a donut. When you drop them into the oil, they should begin to fry around the edges- not just sink to the bottom and not explode with heat. When cook one side thoroughly and they should flip themselves, if they don't you can give them a nudge.

The easiest way to tell if these are done is to cut one open. Because this is chicken, I always test one each batch cutting them, but you can use a thermometer to check as well. About 5-7 minutes for each batch should suffice.

Remember to not crowd the pan, and to allow the oil to reheat before each batch. Allow the nuggets to drain on a paper towel and salt to season. We dip ours in ranch, and they reheat like a champ. It's really hard not to enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Pancake Bites
1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders, cut into 1 inch chunks
6 oz. buffalo sauce
1/2 cup pancake batter
2 cups prepared pancake batter
24 oz. vegetable oil
Salt, to taste

In a large stock pot, heat oil on medium for frying. In 3 separate bowls, pour buffalo sauce, dry pancake mix and prepared pancake batter. Toss chicken chunks into the buffalo sauce, then into the dry pancake mix. In small batches, toss the chicken into the prepared pancake batter and drop into the hot oil. Flip the bites when one side is golden and crispy. Allow to fry for 5-7 minutes. Drain on a paper cloth and season with salt. Serve with ranch or blue cheese. Enjoy!