Spicy Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• Vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika, hot or sweet
• Lime wedges
• Hot sauce

Directions

1. Whisk the lime juice, rum, soy sauce, and sugar together in a bowl until the sugar is fully dissolved.
2. Add the chicken to the bowl and turn it in the marinade. Leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes, or marinate it longer in the refrigerator and then let it sit out for 30 minutes before you cook.
3. Pour enough oil into a skillet to reach at least half an inch up the sides. Warm it over medium high heat until the surface shimmers and a tiny pinch of flour crackles as soon as it hits the pan.
4. As the oil heats, whisk the flour, paprika, and salt together in a bowl. Lift the chicken out of the marinade, blot it dry with paper towels, then coat the pieces in the flour mixture and set them on a plate.
5. Fry the chicken in batches, about 3 total, cooking each piece for about 3 minutes per side, until richly browned and cooked all the way through. If the outside is darkening too fast, turn the heat down a little.
6. Transfer the cooked chicken to a paper towel-lined plate so the extra oil can drain.