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a close up of a plates full of fried chicken bites with lime wedges on the side
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5 from 7 votes

Fried Chicken Bites (Frango a Passarinho)

Fried chicken bites are a Brazilian appetizer (‘frango a passarinho’) that consists of chicken wings marinated, breaded, and fried until crispy. It is served with garlic oil and parsley, plus a very cold beer!
Course:Appetizer
Cuisine:Brazilian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
time to marinade 30 minutes
Total Time 53 minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories461.4 kcal
Author Denise Browning
Cost $ 1.00 per person

Equipment

  • 1 pan

Ingredients

  • Fresh juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or 2 tablespoon regular yellow mustard
  • 1½ tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 3 teaspoons ground black pepper divided
  • 5 lbs chicken wings skin-on. NOTE: You can cook them whole or cut them at the joint (drumettes and wingettes)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour If on a keto diet, replace for almond flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal If on a keto diet, replace for almond flour, or skip
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika optional
  • Vegetable oil enough to deep fry chicken pieces
  • 8 large garlic cloves minced
  • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or more fresh

Instructions

  • MARINATE: In a large Ziploc bag, mix in lime juice, mustard, 1½ tablespoons of salt, and 2 teaspoons of pepper. Place the small cuts of chicken inside, seal the bag, and try to cover the chicken with the mixture as much as possible. Let rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
  • BREAD THE WINGS: In another large Ziploc bag, mix the flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and paprika if desired. Remove the chicken pieces from the bag, shaking off excess marinade, and place into the flour mixture. Seal the bag and shake well until all pieces are well-covered with the flour mixture.
  • DEEP-FRY: Heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C), shake off excess flour, and deep fry chicken in batches. Avoid overcrowding the pan.
  • It will take about 8 minutes (whole wings) or less (wingettes and drumettes), depending the size of the piece. Place fried chicken bites onto a large sheet pan lined with double paper towel to absorb excess oil.
  • PREP THE GARLIC OIL: Meanwhile, toast minced garlic with olive oil over medium heat in a small to medium nonstick skillet -- just until garlic starts getting lightly brown. Watch carefully!
  • Remove pan from the heat, let cool a bit, and spoon on top of the fried chicken bites. Sprinkle chopped parsley on top.
  • SERVE: Serve by themselves or with French fries or yuca fries, and chilled beer or other drink of your choice.

Recipe Notes

  • INACTIVE TIME: 30-60 minutes (marinade). SERVES 4-6 people.
 
STORAGE: 
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Do not freeze the chicken after frying as it will lose its crispiness when defrosted.
 ALTERNATIVE HEALTHY COOKING METHODS: 
Breaded Chicken Wings in Air Fryer: You must preheat the air fryer at 350° F (180° C) for 10 minutes and lightly grease the basket before frying the chicken. It takes a little longer to fry in the air fryer than to deep fry but it produces crispy chicken wings!
Oven Fried Chicken Wings: Bake the chicken in a preheated oven at 350° F (180° C) until cooked through and crispy. The secret is to make it crisp is to place the breaded chicken bites on a wire rack so that the air circulates well on all sides, including under the chicken pieces.
HOW TO CUT CHICKEN WINGS
  1. To start, pat wings dry with a paper towel.
  2. Place them over a cutting board.
  3. Extend every wing using your fingers.
  4. Then locate the two joints. You will be able to feel where they connect.
  5. Using a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp Chef’s knife, cut through the center of each joint. It will leave you with 3 parts: the Drumette, the Wingette (also called a Flat), and the wing tip.
  6. Use the Drumettes and Wingettes in our recipe. Then, store all the wing tips in a large freezer bag and freeze them to make chicken broth.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 461.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 30.3g | Fat: 30.5g | Saturated Fat: 7.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13.8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 117.9mg | Sodium: 1442.5mg | Potassium: 315.5mg | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 438.1IU | Vitamin C: 3.3mg | Calcium: 32.9mg | Iron: 2.4mg

** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.

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