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1
THAW chicken breast tenderloins; POUND tenderloins if necessary to 1/3-inch thickness, between sheets of plastic wrap using a flat mallet; CUT chicken into 2-inch x 1 1/4-inch wide various shapes, using kitchen shears; PLACE chicken into prepared BRINE (4 cups cold water, 2 teaspoons fine sea salt); SOAK chicken pieces in brine for 2 hours; BLOT dry.
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2
MEASURE the BREADING ingredients into another medium bowl; PLACE breading bowl into working area.
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WHISK the BATTER ingredients together until smooth; PLACE batter bowl into working area (whisk batter often while using to refresh consistency).
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4
COAT a few chicken pieces at a time in the BATTER mixture until evenly battered.
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5
DROP a few pieces of chicken at a time into the BREADING mixture using tongs; TURN chicken gently using tongs in the breading until evenly coated; REMOVE breaded chicken with tongs individually and place onto a breading rack (I use a food-industry grade breading rack). NOTE: YOU MAY DOUBLE-BREAD THESE IF YOU PREFER; SIMPLY REPEAT THE BATTERING AND BREADING STEPS (MAKE SURE YOU'VE ADDED ONE EXTRA TEASPOON POWDERED SUGAR FIRST).
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6
IF FREEZING MCNUGGETS FOR FUTURE FRYING: PLACE rack of breaded chicken loosely wrapped into freezer until frozen; TRANSFER frozen McNuggets to Ziploc bag(s) until needed.
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7
PREHEAT the DEEP-FRYING fat to immerse chicken completely in a deep heavy pot, or manufacturer's recommended amount of fat in deep-fryer; SLOWLY heat oil in gradual increments oil to 350u00b0F until preheated; ADD chicken carefully using tongs, to elevated frying basket (outside of frying oil) without overcrowding.
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8
FRY chicken nuggets until golden-crisp and fully cooked (longer for frozen McNuggets, naturally), depending on chicken portion/size until chicken is no longer pink in the center, and juices run clear (DO NOT OVERCOOK!).
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9
RAISE frying basket when chicken is cooked and allow to drain; PLACE chicken nuggets on absorbent paper NOTE: To keep chicken warm before serving, place chicken on a rack-fitted baking sheet covered with a sheet of foil in preheated 175u00b0F oven.
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10
SERVE with your favorite dipping sauces and/or other condiments and enjoy!
