Cap’n Crunch Chicken Strips by Ree

Weirdness makes the world go round! And that is most certainly true with these crispy, slightly sweet chicken strips, which are a version of the famous chicken that originated at Planet Hollywood restaurants years ago. The minute I heard about their chicken strips way back when, I was intrigued. I’ve been a fan of sugared cereal all my life. Don’t tell my children.

The breading for the chicken is—get ready—Cap’n Crunch, and even though it’s sweet as all get-out, once you incorporate the chicken and add some salt to balance things, the result is a super delicious coating that both crisps and slightly caramelizes (because of the sugar) as it fries. A sprinkling of salt after frying makes everything perfect, and a side of ketchup is absolutely required.

Here’s how to make this crazy chicken!

For the breading assembling line: Add some flour to one dish…

Along with salt and pepper…

And whisk it all together.

In a separate dish, whisk a couple of eggs. Done!

Well, hello Captain!

I mean Cap’n.

Pour some into a third dish…

And crush it up using a cup or a bowl or your fist—whatever your mood!

Keep crushing it until you have just a few bigger chunks…

And some fine Cap’n Crunch crumbs.

Seriously, they should just sell Cap’n Crunch crumbs by the barrel full. Count me in for at least two barrels in my initial order!

Now, you can cut up chicken breasts if you’d like, but if you can buy a package of chicken tenders, they really are the best cut to use for this highly gourmet and sophisticated recipe.

To bread the chicken, drop the pieces one at a time in the flour.

Dredge it and shake off the excess…

Then dip it in the egg, turning to coat it completely.

Put it straight into the CCC (also known as Cap’n Crunch Crumbs)…

And turn it to coat it completely.

Set it on a plate…

Then bread the rest.

What I love about these is the golden color—gawgeous!

Now heat a little vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat…

Then drop in a few strips and fry them gently for a few minutes on the first side, moving them around a little to make sure they don’t burn. Check the underside every now and then and adjust the heat up or down according to how it’s doing.

When the first side is even more golden than the first side (and a little crispy), turn them over with tongs and let them finish cooking.

Remove them to a paper towel to drain.

Yum yum YUM!

You’ll want to flip them over on the paper towel after a minute or two to let the other side drain out any excess oil. And give them a generous sprinkling of salt at this point! That sweet-salty thing is super tasty.

And again: Serve these wonderfully weird babies with ketchup. It’s the perfect flavor complement.

(Though Sriracha is pretty durn good, too.)

Enjoy every bite of these, my friends! They may not be fancy, but they fun and oh, so flavorful. And weird in the most wonderful way.

Here’s the handy dandy printable!