Longhorn Spicy Chicken Bites
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This Longhorn Spicy Chicken Bites recipe will quickly become a favorite in your house! Spicy chicken bites – made with frozen popcorn chicken – and coated with a homemade spicy chili-ginger sauce that has the same exact taste as Longhorn!
What You Will ❤️ About Spicy Chicken Bites
- Quick & Easy – grab that popcorn chicken and whip up this sauce in 2 minutes!
- Perfect Copycat – I went to Longhorn and grabbed some extra sauce to bring home so I could be sure my recipe was perfection. I promise – the flavor – is ON POINT!
- Crunchy, Sweet & Spicy – The popcorn chicken is nice and crunchy – then tossed in that tasty sweet & spicy sauce – everybody will love it!
This recipe was made using the Paula Deen Air Fryer.
Ingredients for Longhorn Steakhouse Spicy Chicken Bites
Longhorn has so many great appetizers but this is one of my favorites! The Dipping Sauce is easy to make with only 4 ingredients – one of them is a bit of a secret ingredient you might not expect!
I knew when I tasted it – the sweet chili sauce, ginger and honey were in it – but just using those didn’t give it the same color and texture as the OG sauce. That’s when I realized – mayonnaise will give it that creamy texture and a more solid orange color! PERFECT!
Here’s what you need:
- 24 oz Popcorn chicken
- 3 tbsp Sweet chili sauce
- 6 tbsp Honey
- 1/4 tsp Ginger paste
- 3 tsp Mayonnaise – this is the secret!!!
- 3 tbsp sliced green onion
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
Recipe Variations
- Wanna make it HOTTER? The sweet chili sauce gives it a nice kick but you could add red pepper flakes or a little hot sauce to bump up the heat if you’d like.
- No Breading – want a healthier alternative? Dice your chicken breast and cook (air fry, roast, saute) and toss the “naked” chicken bites in the sauce!
- Vegetables – Have some broccoli or chopped up green peppers? Air Fry/roast/saute them and then toss them in the sauce with the chicken and make it a meal!
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How to make Spicy Chicken Bites
Making this Longhorn Spicy Chicken Bites copycat recipe is easy! Cook up your chicken bites and mix up your sauce and serve! Here’s how we do it:
- Cook chicken bites according to package directions – bake or air fry. (I air fried at 400º for 10 minutes. The perfect golden brown color with no frying and no oil!)
- While chicken bites are cooking, mix together sauce. In a mini blender, add chili sauce, honey, ginger paste and mayo. Blend for 30 seconds. Set in refrigerator until chicken is ready.
- You could whisk the sauce together but I found the blender worked better to emulsify the mayo into the other ingredients.
- Remove chicken pieces from air fryer/baking sheet and place in a large bowl. Pour in half of sauce. Toss chicken bites in sauce.
- Serve chicken on a plate with remaining sauce on the side for dipping. Garnish chicken bites with green onion and sesame seeds
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the air fryer for 4-5 minutes at 300º.
No – you can whisk it together but the blender does help the mayonnaise emulsify with the chili sauce and honey a lot more quickly and easily.
Sure – be sure to use boneless skinless chicken breast and make up a breading out of all purpose flour and spices like salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and a dash of cayenne pepper. Then – fry away!
These Breaded Chicken Tenders are made with Panko bread crumbs and would work great!
Sure – the tenders or chicken strips would be great – and you could always cut them up into bite size pieces.
Best Air Fryer Accessories
Here’s my ultimate list of best air fryer accessories – whether you have a basket- or oven-style appliance! I’ve also included a price guide as well as my favorite recipes for those accessories.
More Longhorn Steakhouse Recipes
What side dishes to serve with Spicy Chicken Bites
More Chicken Dipping Sauces
Longhorn Spicy Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 24 oz frozen popcorn chicken
- 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 6 tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp Ginger paste or fresh ginger
- 3 tsp Duke's mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp green onion diced
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook chicken bites according to package directions – bake or air fry. (I air fried at 400º for 10 minutes. The perfect golden brown color with no frying and no oil!)24 oz frozen popcorn chicken
- While chicken bites are cooking, mix together sauce. In a mini blender, add chili sauce, honey, ginger paste and mayo. Blend for 30 seconds. Set in refrigerator until chicken is ready.You could whisk the sauce together but I found the blender worked better to emulsify the mayo into the other ingredients.3 tbsp sweet chili sauce, 6 tbsp honey, 1/4 tsp Ginger paste, 3 tsp Duke's mayonnaise
- Remove chicken pieces from air fryer/baking sheet and place in a large bowl. Pour in half of sauce. Toss chicken bites in sauce.
- Serve chicken on a plate with remaining sauce on the side for dipping. Garnish chicken bites with green onion and sesame seeds3 tbsp green onion, 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
I could drink this sauce! I did use fresh ginger as I had it on hand, maybe a whole teaspoon cos I like ginger. You’re right it is spot on! Thanks for sharing ❤️
These Longhorn Spicy Chicken Bites are a must-try! The sauce, especially with the Marzetti chili ginger sauce, adds such an explosive flavor.
Absolutely terrible. I hate you. Wasted a lot of time and money to be nothing but a gigantic disappointment and my girlfriend who is sick is so upset and so am I because this tastes nothing like the real chicken bites from longhorn. And yes I followed the ingredients and recipe exactly as described.
I’m sorry you lost 15 minutes of time cooking (putting chicken strips in oven and stirring sauce). I’m sorry your girlfriend was sick. I’m sorry that – at the most – you wasted $8. And most of all – I’m so sorry you HATE me. I mean – this is most definitely a reason to HATE another person. In the world we’re living, with racism, jobs being lost, rights being lost – you making a recipe and not liking it – is most definitely cause for hatred. Oh please, I hope you’ll forgive me and stop the hate.