This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Crunchy Cheetos add great flavor to these Cheetos Chicken Strips!
Crunchy chicken tenders with a cheesy twist
These Cheetos Chicken Strips are juicy and tender on the inside, and golden and crisp on the outside, and that uniquely-delicious Cheetos flavor really shines through.
We were inspired to make this recipe after seeing a local restaurant list a Cheetos chicken sandwich on their menu. Jack decided to try making Cheetos Chicken Strips at home – and the results are VERY delicious!
Why You’ll Love Cheetos Chicken Strips
- They are a deliciously cheesy variation of your classic chicken strips dish.
- Both kids and adults love this easy meal and it’s great for family dinners or game day party appetizers.
- You can make this recipe in entree-sized strips, or smaller bites for an appetizer.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken – We used boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into generously-sized strips and these made the juiciest chicken strips. But, you could use chicken tenders or butterfly your chicken breasts and make chicken cutlets instead. Just note that the cooking time will vary based on the size and thickness of your chicken strips.
- Buttermilk – This is used to marinate the chicken, helping to tenderize the chicken.
- For the Breading:
- Eggs and Whole Milk or Cream
- All-Purpose Flour seasoned with kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, ground white pepper.
- Cheetos® Crunchy – You can use plain or Flamin’ Hot flavors.
- Canola Oil – For frying.
- Blue Cheese Dressing and Celery Sticks – For serving on the side.
Special Tools You’ll Need
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Various Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Various Bowls
- Whisk
- Food Processor – To grind the Cheetos into a powder, or a rolling pin to crush them by hand.
- Sheet Trays
- Wok or Deep Heavy Pot – For frying.
- Deep Fry/Probe Thermometer or Heat Gun Thermometer
- Long-Handled Tongs
- Spider Strainer Spoon
- Paper Towels
How do you make Cheetos Chicken Strips?
- Trim the chicken of any excess fat, then cut into strips.
- Marinate the chicken strips in buttermilk.
- Coat the chicken in crushed crunchy Cheetos, then dip in an egg wash. Then, dredge the chicken in seasoned flour.
- Fry chicken strips in hot oil until tender. (Just be sure to keep the oil between 325 degrees F and 350 degrees F to avoid scorching the breading.)
- Drain any excess oil before serving.
Alternate Cooking Methods
I suspect some of you will ask if you can bake these Cheetos Chicken Strips, or make this recipe in the air fryer.
The answer: We haven’t tried doing so ourselves but if you try it, please leave a comment and let us know how the recipe came out!
How do you serve Cheetos Chicken Strips?
We served our Cheetos Chicken Strips with blue cheese dressing as a dip, and celery sticks on the side – as you would serve buffalo chicken strips.
Note that as written, the recipe made with the plain Cheetos have a gentle heat from adding cayenne to the flour dredge. But if you decide to use the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, you’ll especially appreciate the cool, creamy dressing on the side. Ranch dressing served as a dip would be another great option, especially for the kids.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Cheetos Chicken Strips ahead of time? You can pre-cut the chicken strips, but they are best cooked just before serving.
- How do I store leftovers? Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- How do I reheat leftover chicken strips? To keep their crispy texture, we suggest reheating in a warm oven, being careful not to overcook.
- Can I freeze the cooked chicken strips? Yes, you can. Thaw and reheat in the oven as noted above.
You might like these other Fried Chicken Recipes
Click here for more delicious Chicken Recipes!
See The RecipesWe love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Cheetos Chicken Strips
Crunchy Cheetos add great flavor to these Cheetos Chicken Strips!
Ingredients
2 pounds trimmed boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups buttermilk
6 whole eggs
1/2 cup cream or milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 8 1/2-ounce bags of Cheetos® Crunchy, (plain or flamin’ hot, your choice)
Canola oil, for frying
Blue cheese dressing, to serve on the side
Celery sticks, to serve on the side
Instructions
- Cut the breasts into thick strips (any size) and place in a medium bowl.
- Pour over the buttermilk and let soak at room temperature for two hours.
- While the chicken is soaking, prepare the breading station.
- In a medium bowl beat eggs and cream and set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk flour, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and white pepper. Set aside.
- Place two bags of Cheetos into food processor and grind to a fine powder. (May need to do it in two batches as I did). Place into a medium bowl and set aside.
- Place a wok or heavy pot on the stove and fill about 3-4 inches of canola oil. Do not heat yet.
- After two hours, remove a few pieces of chicken from the buttermilk letting the buttermilk drip off a bit and place in the Cheetos crumbs and coat. Remove those pieces to a sheet tray and continue until all the pieces have been coated with the Cheetos. Discard buttermilk and ground Cheetos.
- Dip the Cheetos-covered pieces one at a time into the egg mixture, then the flour mixture, pressing the flour onto the pieces. Remove from that bowl, shake excess and place back on the sheet pan. Discard egg mixture but do not discard flour mixture yet.
- As the chicken pieces sit on the sheet pan, they will become moist. Take the remaining flour and place into a sifter and sift over the sheet pan of chicken so each piece is thoroughly coated on both sides with no wet showing.
- Heat the oil and keep the temperature between 325 degrees F and 350 degrees F. Do not go higher than 350 degrees F or lower than 325 degrees F.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F to keep each batch warm if you wish.
- Using tongs, carefully drop 4-5 pieces into the hot oil. Cook in four or five batches for about 4-5 minutes per batches.
- To test, insert a probe thermometer into one end of one piece. The cooked temperature should be 160 degrees F. Also, the chicken pieces will float once fully cooked. If you cut your strips small, check internal temperature around the 2-3 minutes mark. If you are not sure, just pull one out with tongs and cut one in half to check.
- Use a strainer or spider and remove to a paper towel covered sheet pan. Keep warm in the preheated oven in between batches.
- Serve hot with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks or your favorite dipping sauce.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Leave a Comment