Louisiana chicken bites
<p>These delicious chicken bites from Christchurch’s iconic Sun Dog Diner are unforgettable.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Serves:</span> </strong>4</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /> </span></p>
<ul>
<li>4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on</li>
<li>Olive oil</li>
<li>salt and pepper</li>
<li>1 cup buttermilk</li>
<li>2 cups self raising flour</li>
<li>1 tablespoon onion powder</li>
<li>1 tablespoon garlic powder</li>
<li>1 tablespoon salt</li>
<li>1 tablespoon smoked paprika</li>
<li>1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><em>For the blue cheese dip</em></p>
<ul>
<li>1 cup sour cream</li>
<li>½ cup aioli or mayonnaise</li>
<li>50g blue cheese, crumbled</li>
<li>pinch of salt</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p>
<p>1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Drizzle olive oil over chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper.</p>
<p>2. Place in small roasting dish so breasts are close together but not overlapping. Roast for 20 minutes in the oven or until fully cooked. Allow to cool in the roasting juices.</p>
<p>3. When cool, remove the skins and cut the breasts into bite size pieces. Place the chicken in a bowl and cover with the buttermilk. Allow to sit for at least an hour in the fridge, but the longer it sits the better (even overnight).</p>
<p>4. Heat a small deep fryer to 170 degrees Celsius. Combine dry ingredients in a shallow container. In small amounts, transfer the buttermilk coated chicken into the flour mixture and coat well. Allow to rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes after all pieces are coated. Fry in batches until the crust is golden brown. For the dipping sauce stir together the aioli, sour cream and crumbled cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss the cooked chicken bits in hot sauce while still hot. Serve with julienned carrots, celery sticks and the dipping sauce.</p>
<p><em>* Sun Dog Diner, 2 Papanui Rd, Christchurch, New Zealand. Open Tuesday to Thursday 8am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday 8am to late and Sunday 8am to 5pm. </em></p>
<p><em>Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz.</span></strong></a></em></p>
