Chicken Bites

Spicy chicken bites served in a big platter for a crowd

Spicy chicken bites are perfect little bite sized morsels, fit for a cocktail party or as a starter. These tender juicy bites are marinated in a concoction of spices and fried till crisp. Then coated with a spicy, sweet and sour sauce to give it the shiny gloss. A great dish to make ahead. Just pop it in the oven when ready to serve and heat till the bites sizzle a bit. Serve with onion rings and green chilies or accompanied by mint sauce. I prefer to use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe.

Spicy chicken bites served in small individual appetizer plates. 

Ingredients:
10 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
Oil for frying
Grind to a coarse paste
1 inch piece fresh ginger
5-6 large cloves of garlic
2-3 green chilies
Palm full fresh coriander
Marinade
1 tbsp thick plain yogurt
3 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp rice flour
1 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder
1 tsp sambal
1/4 tsp cumin powder
salt to taste
Sweet and sour sauce
1 tsp oil
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp Chili garlic sauce (I used Sriracha sauce)
1 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate

1. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.
2. Coarsely grind all the ingredients listed under 'Grind to a coarse paste' using very little water. 
3. Add all the ingredients under marinade to the above paste to form a smooth red marinade. You can add a few drops of red color if you like, but I find that using the Kashmiri chili powder does the trick.  
4. Marinate the chicken pieces in this mixture and keep aside for 5-10 minutes. 
5. Shallow fry the marinated chicken on medium high for 3-4 minutes per side, till cooked through and crisp from outside. Do not over crowd the pan. Fry in batches. Remove and keep aside.
6. Now use the ingredients listed under sauce. Using the same pan, remove all but a tsp oil. Saute ginger garlic paste for 30-40 seconds until fragrant, then add all the other ingredients and bring to a rolling boil. 
7. Boil for a few seconds to allow everything to combine well and the sauce to become slightly syrupy. Add the fried chicken bites and toss well to coat. Check the seasoning here adjust as per your taste. 
8. Serve hot with onion rings and mint chutney.