Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Chicken

Flamin’ hot Cheeto chicken tenders are an easy, Cheeto cheesy, spicy, and epic chicken bite you can make in your kitchen.

If you love a crispy chicken strip and a bag of Flamin Hot Cheetos, this combination will be the flavorful chicken of your dreams! 

Why we attempted Flamin Hot Chicken Tenders

We initially attempted this crazy hot chicken because this hilarious video from @_chrislamacchia_ showed a pathetic attempt from his local Applebees. We knew this recipe deserved a far better execution, and here are the results on how to make your amazing chicken strip using a Cheeto crust.

Are Flamin’ Hot chicken tenders any good? 

Yes! But you need to enjoy fried chicken AND spicy Cheetos – otherwise, this isn’t much more than a viral creative dinner. 

Try mixing it up by using any of the Flamin Hot Cheeto flavors. Any should work!

Ingredients: 

• Flamin’ Hot Cheetos -An 8.5 oz bag of Cheetos should make a full pound of chicken bites.
• Chicken breast – cut boneless skinless chicken breast into 2″ cubes. Alternatively, other chicken may be used as wings, thighs, or strips. Cooking time may need to be adjusted if you alter this recipe.
• all-purpose flour
• Two eggs + milk – Eggs and milk create a common and simple egg wash. 

How to make Hot Cheeto Chicken Bites

1. Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. 
2. Place Cheetos into a food processor and process until fine crumbs, about 10 seconds. Continue to pulse slowly to reach desired crumb size.
3. Remove and place Cheetos into a shallow dish. 
4. In a separate shallow dish, add 1 cup flour. In other words, combine eggs and milk (egg wash) and beat well. 

5. Dredge cut boneless skinless chicken breast pieces into flour 1st, then egg mixture, and finally processed Cheetos, coating well on each side of the chicken in each dish.
6. Place the coated chicken onto a prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken pieces are coated. 
7. Bake chicken for 20-22 minutes or until crispy and the chicken is no longer pink. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce or a side of hot sauce – if you dare! 

How many bags of Cheetos should be used? 

I measured the three servings with a kitchen scale, and 84 grams is about 3 cups of Cheetos. The crumbs covered about 1/2 lb of chicken breast. An 8.5 oz bag of Cheetos should make a full pound. My chicken pieces might be a little bit bigger than the appetizer size.

It should be fine if you cut them smaller, but you’ll want to adjust your cooking time, so you do not overcook the chicken. 

Poultry should reach 165 temperature in the middle.

Can you cook Cheeto Chicken in the Air Fryer? 

For pretty good results, most chicken can be easily done in an air fryer. However, this was not a test we did when making this recipe. Research says that most Air Fried chicken is cooked on Air Crisp or Air Fryer at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or 165 degrees internally.

If cooking in an Air Fryer, spray the air fry basket and the chicken itself with nonstick cooking spray. 

How to serve Cheeto Chicken

More than just buffalo chicken bites, these Cheeto chicken bites can be served as wings, tenders, or to create your own Flaming Hot Cheese Chicken Sandwich! 

Try ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, sweet honey mustard, or by melting cheese slices right on top.

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