Last Updated on 17th December 2021 by
Sometimes, I will do something very unhealthy and sit in my bed watching Netflix while snacking on a bowl of Cheetos. The Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are my favourites. I love the kick that they have, putting just enough spicy flavour in my mouth to make them exciting to eat. I’m not one for very spicy foods, so this is the perfect level of heat for me.
If you like the taste of these Cheetos and particularly the crunch they have to them, then you may want to try them as a breading for your chicken. Like bread crumbs, they have the right texture and crunch to make for a crispy outer layer. Then on top of that, they have a spicy kick that is perfect for people who enjoy eating buffalo wings or spicy chicken bites.
With this hot Cheetos fried chicken recipe, I want to show you how you can make your own hot chicken bites using Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. You can control the flavour and the spiciness level, and you can enjoy the sense of accomplishment you get from making them yourself.
As far as fried chicken recipes go, this one is pretty easy to pull off, and you won’t need to be a chef to make it yourself and have it turn out great.
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Fried Chicken Recipe
You will need a few key ingredients to make this easier to prepare. I suggest using the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos rather than taking regular Cheetos and trying to spice them up. Your results will be better, and you will keep your workload to a minimum.
The other thing you need that you might not think of is chicken bites. Rather than use whole pieces of chicken like the thigh, leg, and wing, opt for prepared chicken bites. These have no bones and are just meat, with perhaps a little fat. They will be easier to work with and easier to bite through. I know people love their buffalo wings, but I think you will be pleased with how easy the boneless chicken is to bite through and work with, and I really do recommend that you give it a try.
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken bites or chicken breast meat
- ¾ cup of mayonnaise
- 1 bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos (makes about 5 cups)
- 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp of corn starch
- ½ tsp of kosher salt
- 1 cup of cooking oil (canola, peanut, etc.)
Instructions
- Crush your Cheetos on the countertop using a large, flat item. Alternatively, you can place the entire contents of the bag of chips into a food processor and turn it into dust that way. It should take about a minute to turn them into a powder.
- Mix together the corn starch, Cheeto dust, cayenne pepper and kosher salt. One of the easiest ways to mix them thoroughly is to add them all to a plastic resealable bag and shake that up.
- The next step for our fried Flamin’ Hot Cheetos chicken wings recipe is to coat the chicken in mayonnaise. You can do that in a bag as well, massaging the chicken with the mayonnaise until it is all coated. You can also do that in a bowl, if you like. If you buy boneless chicken breasts, just be sure to cut the breast meat up into bite size pieces or as large as you want them.
- Place about half a cup of oil in a frying pan and heat on medium. While that is warming, place the chicken into the same bag or containers as your seasonings. Mix all of that together until the chicken is fully coated with dust. The mayo works to hold the seasoning in place and to keep it from falling off much during frying.
- Once the oil is heated, you can transfer the chicken to the frying pan. It’s best to use tongs for that. Make sure there is some space between each piece of chicken so that it can fry properly. Cook each piece of chicken on medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side. Then, remove the chicken from the frying pan and place on a paper towel or parchment paper to allow the grease to fall off. You can eat the chicken after it has been allowed to cool for a short while.
Closing Thoughts
The Flamin’ Hot Cheeto chicken can be stored in your fridge for up to three days after cooking. I suggest serving it with a bowl of ranch sauce for dipping or your favourite buffalo wing dipping sauce. This chicken pairs nicely with Italian bread, pasta, noodles, and pizza.
You may not think adding in the adding the cayenne pepper to the hot Cheetos chicken wings recipe fried dish is a good idea. You may think it would make the food too spicy, but the Cheetos will actually lose some of its spiciness during the preparation and cooking process. Adding in the pepper gives it its kick back, making your chicken bites about as spicy as the chips were in their original state. If you want to add more than what I suggested, then feel free to, just understand that you will be increasing the spiciness over what the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos already offer.
I recommend that you don’t scratch your face while you make this food. You can easily get Cheeto dust or cayenne pepper powder on your hands, and you don’t want that to end up in your eye or nose. You should wash your hands thoroughly after handling the seasonings.
If you want to make this even crispier, you can add in some bread crumbs. The mayo will hold those crumbs in place pretty well while the chicken is cooking. You can add other seasonings and crumbs to the outer layer as you like to make this chicken to your liking. Feel free to consider my recipe as a template and add on from here to make this recipe your own. If you made some good modifications you tried that worked out well for you, please be sure to share them in the comment section below. I’m sure all of my readers would want to hear about how you made your Flamin’ Hot Cheetos fried chicken turn out differently with good results.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!
