Spicy Chicken Corn Dogs with Homemade Chili Sauce
By: Tami Weiser
Published: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 - 12:21pm

Ingredients




Homemade Tangy Chili Sauce:
1 ancho chili pepper
2 large pitted prunes
1 cup low-sodium chicken or beef broth
1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes
¼ cup tomato paste
1 small onion, peeled cut into quarters
1 teaspoon molasses
2 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
Corn dogs:
½ cup masa harina, Masabrosa preferred (see Kitchen Tip #1)
¼ cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 cup rice flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
Juice of one lime
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons rice milk
5 cups peanut or canola oil
4 spicy cooked chicken sausage links

Preparation

1 To prepare the skewers: 2 Soak 8 bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Set aside. 3 To make the sauce: 4 Cut the top of the dried chili and shake out the seeds. Transfer them into a saucepan along with the prunes, broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, molasses, garlic, pumpkin seeds, cumin, and oregano. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and cook for 2 minutes; then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes more. 5 Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until completely smooth. Return to the heat and simmer, uncovered, for another 15 to 20 minutes. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully ladle the sauce into a food processor, and process until smooth, working in batches; then return to the pot.) Set the sauce aside until ready to serve with the corndogs, or if you are making this ahead of time, once the sauce has cooled, transfer it to a container and refrigerate. 6 To prepare the corn dogs: 7 In a mixing bowl, combine the masa harina, cornmeal, ¼ cup of the rice flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and salt and mix to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well to combine. Add the rice milk and lime juice and mix to combine. The mixture should resemble a thick pancake batter; if more milk is needed, add by the tablespoonful. Cover and refrigerate the mixture if you are not going to be frying right away. 8 When you are ready to cook, heat the oil in a saucepan until it registers 350°F on a deep-frying thermometer. While the oil is heating, place the remaining rice flour on a paper plate and set aside. Cut each chicken sausage in half crosswise, to make eight pieces. 9 Roll each piece of sausage in the rice flour to lightly coat. Thread the moistened bamboo skewers through the sausage pieces, so that the tips of the skewers are not quite poking out the top. Holding it by its skewer, dip a floured sausage piece into the batter, until it is completely coated. Carefully lift the stick and hold it over the bowl for a few seconds, allowing any excess batter to drip off. Repeat with another skewer. Carefully place two corn dogs into the hot oil and cook until they are crusty on the outside, and dark golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. Repeat with each skewered sausage, allowing the oil to return to 350°F in between. Serve immediately with the chili.

About

Corn dogs are a big hit with kids of any age. Crispy, sweet, hot, and snappy, they are a finger-food treat that is great for parties. Serve with our Homemade Tangy Chili Sauce for a spunky accompaniment — it’s well worth the effort. Any leftover sauce can be served in countless variations. You can eat it with tortilla chips. Or spoon ¾ cup into a small baking dish, add two eggs, and bake for an anytime meal.