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Chili's Chicken Crispers Recipe
Chili's Chicken Crispers
By Todd Wilbur

Recipe Type: Appetizer
Calories: 620
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Recipe Rating: 4.6 (19 reviews)
 
Menu Description: "Strips of hand-battered chicken fried to perfection. Served w/sweet corn on the cob, honey-mustard dressing and homestyle fries."

When biting into Chili's delicious trademarked Chicken Crispers, I detect the distinct flavor of MSG, or monosodium glutamate. Although there is no English word for it, the Japanese call this flavor "umami", and it delivers a taste sensation that is different from bitter, salty, sweet, or sour flavors. This "fifth flavor" is created naturally by glutamic acid, an amino acid, and it can be found in mushrooms, ripe tomatoes, fish and dairy products. But rather than adding something like Accent flavor enhancer - which is pure MSG - to this recipe, I thought of another approach. To clone the flavorful batter for this Chili's entree, I decided to bring canned chicken broth into the mix. Most chicken broths, including Swanson brand, contain autolyzed yeast extract. These yeast enzymes release flavor-enhancing compounds that work just like MSG, amplifying flavors in much the same way. Plus, the chicken broth is made with other goodies such as carrot, onion, and celery that will contribute to a tasty crunchy coating. As for the frying, Chili's has recently switched to a shortening that contains no trans fat. So, if you want the best clone use shortening, but find the kind that has no trans fat. Crisco now makes a version, and so does Smart Balance. Shortening produces a superior clone and it will release less "fry smell" into your house, but you can also use vegetable or canola oil, if that's what you're into.

Source: "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2" by Todd Wilbur.
Honey Mustard Dressing
2/3 cup mayonnaise
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jammie hunter  
Submitted on 11/28/11
This recipe is fabulous! tastes exactly like the real thing, especially the dressing! Yum!
Kristy D. from Chicago  
Submitted on 08/14/08
Me & My husband love this recipe!! These are my favorite thing to order at Chili's and with a 9 month old we don't get to out very often but now we don't have to! Tastes exactly like them! We loved them so much we made them twice in one week!
A. Hall  
Submitted on 02/26/08
My family couldn't tell the difference. Now this is a Friday night favorite.
G. May  
Submitted on 07/13/07
The batter went a little soggy, taste was nothing special, was easy to make, but I don't think I would make again.
K.Holhos  
Submitted on 01/05/07
Chicken Crispers are my favorite at Chili's! When I saw this receipe, I had to try it. I am so excited that I can now make them at home. The taste is fabulous and close to perfect like at Chili's. And the honey mustard is what makes the whole thing soar! Thank you
Kayla Thompson  
Submitted on 12/11/06
Myself and my family love Chili's chicken crispers! The closest Chili's to us is an hour away. I made these a while back for a family members birthday and they were such a hit! I am making them again tomorrow for a get together and I can't wait! Thanks so much!
Jeff Wood  
Submitted on 11/16/06
Wonderful. All I can say is perfection!!!
viviklou  
Submitted on 11/09/06
The Honey Mustard recipe is what I was really after. We like this recipe better than Chili's! The batter isn't quite as crispy as Chili's, but it tasted great anyway. To keep it from sticking to the frying basket, I seared the pieces when I dipped them in the grease, then almost immediately moved them around in the hot grease to keep them from sticking.
TAM1142  
Submitted on 09/08/06
This recipe was absolutely fabulous! I think even better than the original, because it didn't get soggy sitting under a heat lamp in a restaurant! A plus to this recipe. Easy to follow and delicious!
lori  
Submitted on 05/16/06
This recipe had a good taste, however I had trouble with the batter like coating. When I immersed chicken in the deep fryer basket the coating stuck on the basket and I had to scrape the chicken out.
ercss  
Submitted on 04/15/06
Spot on! This was, in my opinion, even better than those from Chili's--not as greasy and gooey. The honey mustard dipping sauce is perfect--just like Chili's. Great recipe, well worth the cost.
PDA  
Submitted on 03/26/06
This was next to perfect. Make sure your oil doesn't get too hot though or the batter will overcook and your chicken won't be done. This along with Top Secret's recipe for Chili's honey mustard was almost an exact match!
SusieB  
Submitted on 02/28/06
This recipe is fantastic, my family was very pleased. It was a simple recipe. The chicken and the honey mustard are so much like the original that you'll think you brought home take out!
Kim in Floirda  
Submitted on 02/26/06
Having had Chili's Chicken Crispers many times, I have to say these taste just like the original. Even the Honey Mustard is the same!! Yummy!
sawyerbug  
Submitted on 02/23/06
I've never had Chili's version but I just loved the recipe. The entire family really enjoyed it. The honey mustard dipping was was out of this world. I didn't have self-rising flour avail. I just used all purpose and it was still great.
norcross92  
Submitted on 02/22/06
Tried this tonight and they came out great!!! Added a dash of onion poweder to enhance the flavor and horseradish (cream or powdered) should be added to the honey mustard to give it that zing it needs.
 
Submitted on 02/22/06
Loved these - they were almost exactly like it - I even made the corn on the cob to go with the meal. Like Chili's at home...Thanks
SVBMom10  
Submitted on 02/21/06
I made this and it was very very good. I added some paprika to the batter mixture. Next time I will make this with soy flour and 1% milk. It will not be quite the same, but it will make it very low on carbs. YUMMY!
~Cindi  
Submitted on 02/21/06
I thought the chicken strips were great although I never had Chili's to compare them to. I did not use the self-rising flour (just regular white flour) and they were great.