The Perfect Fried Chicken Bites "Frango a Passarinho Frito". Let me introduce you to our version of Brazil’s ultimate bar food appetizer'' Frango a Passarinho''.
This recipe is our invention, but these Frango a Passarinho are inspired by Brazil and Paraguay, where I spent much of my childhood before moving to the U.S. After failing to find any similar recipe, my husband and I started experimenting.
We came up with our version of this savory concoction. Our recipe features delicious, limony, and crispy bite-size chicken bites made using classic bone-in style.
Drizzled with homemade garlic-infused oil, then topped off with crispy garlic chips and chopped Cilantro for the perfect finishing!😍
How to Make Fried Chicken Bites
Note: The full instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
In a small bowl, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients. Store in the refrigerator until needed. If you're using a whole chicken, start by washing it and removing any excess skin near the bottom cavity.
Cut the thighs from the front, then crack the joint bones on the back. Flip the chicken on its back, remove the legs, and set them aside. Cut through the carcass vertically to separate the back from the breasts and wings.
Remove the wings and set them aside. Split the breasts *bone-in. Start cutting everything into chunks. Split the thigh and drumstick, and keep on chunking.
Add all the chicken pieces in a large bowl and rinse with water and a splash of vinegar to remove any loose, broken bones.
Combine lime juice, salt, beer, green onion, onion flakes, granulated garlic, Tempero Baiano, and cayenne pepper in another large bowl. Add the chicken pieces. Mix thoroughly with the lime mixture. Let it marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Remove chicken pieces from the bowl and transfer them to a colander to drain off excess marinade. Let them sit on the colander for 15 minutes.
Then, place the chicken pieces onto a baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and cover with another kitchen towel (To absorb all the moisture). Combine all the coating mix ingredients in a medium bowl, then transfer to a large ziplock bag.
Add the chicken pieces into the bag, seal, and shake until completely coated with the flour mix. Heat the oil to 350 ºF, remove the chicken pieces from the bag, shake off the excess flour, and deep-fry the chicken in batches. Avoid overcrowding the pan.
It will take about 8 minutes or until golden brown (wings and other small pieces) to 12 minutes (drumsticks and other similar pieces). Place fried chicken bites onto a large sheet pan lined with a double paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a medium skillet, add sliced garlic and fry until lightly golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and drizzle the infused garlic oil and the fried garlic on top of the fried chicken bites.
Sprinkle chopped parsley on top and serve as an appetizer with the dipping sauce and a cold beer or drink.
Enjoy!😋🍻
Related Recipes:
- Korean Style Spicy Chicken Wings
- Buffalo Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings
- Chinese Style Chicken Wings
- Baked Peruvian Chicken
📖 Recipe
Easy Fried Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken , skinless or skin on, cut into bite-size pieces, about 2 ½ inches
- 5 Garlic cloves , minced* (for the marinade)
- 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
- 4 tablespoons green onion , finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Homemade Tempero Baiano or store-bought
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt , to taste
- 1 Tablespoon ground cayenne pepper or Ground Black Pepper to taste
- Zest and juice from 3 large limes or lemons
- 350 ml golden beer or any beer of your preference
- 1-½ cup peanut oil , canola oil, or vegetable oil enough to deep-fry the chicken pieces
For the Coating Mix:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour , sifted or cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the Fried Garlic: This is optional
- 10 Garlic cloves , thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For Garnish:
- 1 bunch of cilantro , parsley, or green onion, finely chopped
For the dipping sauce: This is optional
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Nestle , Table Cream, Plain Greek yogurt, plain yogurt, or sour cream
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Texas Pete hot sauce , to taste
- 2 tablespoons green onion , finely chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all dipping sauce ingredients. Store in the refrigerator until needed. If you're using a whole chicken, start by washing the chicken and removing any excess skin near the bottom cavity. Cut the thighs from the front, then crack the bones of the joint on the back.
- Flip the chicken on its back, remove the legs, and set them aside. Cut through the carcass vertically to separate the back from the breasts and wings.
- Remove the wings and set them aside. Split the breasts *bone-in. Start to cut everything into chunks. Split thigh and drumstick and keep on chunking. In a large bowl, add all the chicken pieces and rinse with water and a splash of vinegar to remove any loose broken bones.
- In another large bowl, combine lime juice, salt, beer, green onion, onion flakes, granulated garlic, Tempero Baiano, and cayenne pepper. Add the chicken pieces. Mix thoroughly with the lime mixture. Let it marinate for a least 1 hour or overnight. Remove chicken pieces from the bowl and transfer to a colander to drain off excess marinade, and let sit on the colander for 15 minutes.
- Then place the chicken pieces onto a baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and cover with another kitchen towel (To absorb all the moisture).
- In a medium bowl, combine all the coating mix ingredients, then transfer to a large ziplock bag. Add the chicken pieces into the bag, seal, and shake until they are completely coated with the flour mix.
- Heat the oil to 350 ºF, remove the chicken pieces from the bag and shake off the excess flour and deep-fry the chicken in batches. Avoid overcrowding the pan. It will take about 8 minutes or until golden brown (wings and other small pieces) to 12 minutes (drumsticks and other alike pieces).
- Place fried chicken bites onto a large sheet pan lined with a double paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a medium skillet, add the sliced garlic, and fry until lightly golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and drizzle the infused garlic oil along with the fried garlic on top of the fried chicken bites.
- Sprinkle chopped parsley on top and serve as an appetizer along with the dipping sauce and a cold beer or other drink of your choice.
- Enjoy!😋🍻
Notes
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
