cheater Archives

“Cheater” Copycat KFC Twisters

I try to cook just about everything from scratch, but sometimes, that just doesn’t happen. But, even then, I try to do something different. I could’ve just heated up some precooked frozen chicken strips, and had them with Ranch dressing. Or I could make these crazy good (no, really!) “cheater” copycat KFC Twisters. Heck, I’ve never had the real thing, but if they’re nearly as good as these homemade ones, I’d order some.

Choose your chicken

I made two different versions of these “cheater” copycat KFC Twisters: one with crispy chicken strips, and one with Buffalo chicken strips (my favorite). You can make other variations by dunking the strips into your favorite sauces. BBQ, Nashville hot chicken, garlic Parmesan…. You name it. Any sauce you like for dunking chicken nuggets or slathered on BBQ will work here

Yummy sauce

There’s nothing fancy going on here, but these were tasty. The Twister sauce is pretty darned good, and would make a great sauce for sandwiches or burgers. And the sauce is also mighty easy to make.

Why is it cheating?

So why do I refer to these as ‘cheater’? Because i used precooked chicken. If I’d made the chicken from scratch, they’d be the real deal. Nothing wrong with the un-real deal, though, sometimes.

Cord Organizer for Appliance – Kitchen Appliance Cord Organizer Stick On, Best Kitchen Gadgets Gifts for New Home Must Haves, New Apartment Kitchen Stuff, Kitchen Gifts for Women Adults Mom Wife

Kitchen Gizmo Snap N Strain Pot Strainer and Pasta Strainer – Adjustable Silicone Clip On Strainer for Pots, Pans, and Bowls – Kitchen Colander – Orange

If you prefer to skip the wrap and just make the chicken strips, you’ll want to serve them up with my copycat Chick-fil-A dipping sauce.

Print Pin

4 from 1 vote

Cheater Copycat KFC Twisters

Heck, I’ve never had the real thing, but if they’re nearly as good as these homemade ones, I’d order some.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken fingers, crispy, wraps

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 316kcal

Author Mike

Ingredients

For the KFC Twisters

frozen chicken strips
4 tortillas 10 inch
Twister sauce see below
green leaf lettuce
1 medium tomato chopped

For the Twister Sauce

¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

For the KFC Twisters

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Place chicken on a baking sheet and cook 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a large skillet over medium heat, about 2 minutes per side.
Spread a 3″ wide strip of sauce across the middle of each tortilla, starting 1″ from the left edge and ending at the right edge.
Add the lettuce, tomato, and chicken over the center of the tortilla, over the sauce, still leaving the leftmost 1″ edge empy.
Fold the left edge over and then roll up the tortilla. The right edge will remain open. Serve seam-side down so it doesn’t unrolled.

For the Twister Sauce

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

Nutritional values do not include the chicken.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbooks Boxed Set: The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook, The Unofficial Disney Parks EPCOT Cookbook, The Unofficial … Cookbook (Unofficial Cookbook Gift Series)

Save

Cheater Pastrami

I love the week around St. Patrick’s Day. Not because I’m Irish or love the color green. No, it’s because corned beef briskets go on sale. And every year, I buy a big load of them and make cheater pastrami on my smoker. The end result is tender and very flavorful. Perfect for sandwiches. Almost beyond perfect.

So why is this approach called ‘cheating’? Well, real pastrami takes a long time to make. You don’t start with a corned beef brisket out of the grocer’s fridge. I’ve had the most amazing pastrami in New York City. Here in Indianapolis, the closest I’ve found is at Shapiro’s Delicatessen (though I’ve heard that Fat Dan’s Deli is also great). This cheater version isn’t as good, of course, but it’s actually quite fantastic. All my neighbors will back me up on that.

I start out by rubbing corned beef in a mix of mustard, all spice, coriander and a lot of cracked pepper.

The meat gets wrapped and goes into the fridge overnight to get ‘happy’.

Then onto the smoker at 225 F for about 8 hours or until the internal temperatures reach 195-205 F. Let them rest then slice then and enjoy!

This recipe is a combination of a recipe I found on Patio Daddio and the technique on my favorite Weber Smoky-Mountain-related site, the Virtual Weber Bullet.

Weber Pecan Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Apple Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Cherry Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Cheater Pastrami

Perfect for sandwiches. Almost beyond perfect.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword corned beef, homemade, pastrami, smoked

Prep Time 8

Cook Time 8

Total Time 16

Servings pastrami

Calories 1997kcal

Author Mike

Ingredients

1 corned beef brisket try to get a flat, one that is consistent in thickness
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3-4 tablespoons ground black pepper coarsely ground

Instructions

Note: I buy coriander seeds and whole peppercorns from the local GFS store and grind them using an old blade-style coffee grinder. Make sure you keep the grind a little coarse. You can also use a mortar and pestle.
Rinse and dry the corned beef.
Whisk together the mustard, brown sugar, coriander and allspice. Rub the mixture all over the brisket, then cover completely with the ground pepper. Place in a large resealable bag or wrap tightly in foil and keep in the fridge overnight.
The next day, fire up your smoker for 225-250 F. Place a chunk or two of light fruit wood in the smoker (I used cherry). Cook the brisket for at least 8 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 195 – 205 F.
Remove, wrap in foil, and let rest for 30 minutes.
Thinly slice the brisket against the grain using a meat slicer or sharp knife. Serve.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

GreenSpark Firestarters 70 Pcs Natural Fire Starter for Grill, Smoker, Pizza Oven, BBQ, Wooden & Pellet Stove, Fire Pit, Long Burn, Waterproof, All Weather Fire Starters Safe for Indoor/Outdoor Use

GEEKHOM BBQ Gloves, Grilling Gloves Heat Resistant Oven Gloves, Kitchen Silicone Oven Mitts, Long Waterproof Non-Slip Pot Holder for Barbecue, Cooking, Baking (Black)

Smoke Tube for Pellet Smoker, 12” Smoker Tube for Pellet Grill – Hot or Cold Smoker Accessories for Electric Gas Charcoal Grilling, Premium Stainless Steel Portable Barbecue Smoking Tube, Bonus Brush

Mini Chicken-and-Waffles

These mini chicken-and-waffles are the perfect sized appetizers for a crowd. Sure, you can make your own waffles. And you can fry your own chicken. But when you’re in a hurry, these will do just fine. For a little kick, dip the hot chicken nuggets into Frank’s Red Hot wing sauce before skewering them and placing them onto the waffles.

These great game-time treats will disappear in minutes. But they’re easy to make, so you can crank out a big batch of mini chicken-and-waffles in no time. Now, if you’re looking for the full-sized version just grab a few pieces of already-fried chicken and some already-heated Eggo waffles and you’re good-to-go!

Cord Organizer for Appliance – Kitchen Appliance Cord Organizer Stick On, Best Kitchen Gadgets Gifts for New Home Must Haves, New Apartment Kitchen Stuff, Kitchen Gifts for Women Adults Mom Wife

Kitchen Gizmo Snap N Strain Pot Strainer and Pasta Strainer – Adjustable Silicone Clip On Strainer for Pots, Pans, and Bowls – Kitchen Colander – Orange

Also try my glazed Kielbasa bites.