This crispy popcorn chicken recipe is going to become a favorite! Battered chicken pieces fried to perfection, the perfect appetizer or kid-friendly meal.
Try our other classic chicken recipes like our Air Fryer Chicken Tenders or Baked Chicken Wings!
POPCORN CHICKEN
Looking for crunchy popcorn chicken?! This recipe will give you the juiciest and crispiest popcorn chicken. Instead of buying freezer popcorn chicken from the local grocery store, make these fresh homemade chicken bites. Not only are these delicious but a great copycat recipe for KFC popcorn chicken. These are going to be loved by both kids and adults alike!
| POPCORN CHICKEN VS CHICKEN NUGGETS– Although they are similar, chicken nuggets are typically made from ground chicken while popcorn chicken is chicken cut into bite side pieces. |
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Chicken– You can either use boneless skinless chicken breast or tenderloins. We do not recommend that you use chicken thighs.
- Milk– Whole milk, creamer or even buttermilk can be used for the marinade.
- Egg– Adding eggs to the marinade helps the marinade to stick better onto the chicken when frying.
- Pickle Juice– The key to getting juicy and delicious chicken is to add pickle juice to your marinade!
- Flour– Be sure to use good quality all-purpose flour to coat the chicken! When fried, this helps give you crispy chicken.
- Panko– When you add panko crumbs to the batter, it helps with the crisp! You can also substitute for classic breadcrumbs, crushed corn flakes, or even crushed ritz crackers.
- Flavor– You can’t forget the seasoning! We use salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika. You can also use any other seasonings. Add some Cajun seasoning or chili powder for spicy popcorn chicken.
- Oil– For frying you want to use either canola oil or vegetable oil for the best results.
HOW TO MAKE CRISPY POPCORN CHICKEN
With just a few steps you can have crispy popcorn chicken ready to enjoy!
- Cut the chicken into small bite size pieces.
- In a bowl, combine the wet batter and add in the chicken and allow to marinate.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the dry batter.
- Take the chicken from the wet batter and coat it in the dry batter. Repeat with all the chicken.
- Pour oil into a large skillet or pot, covering about 2 inches of the pan.
- Once the oil reaches 350°F add the battered chicken and fry until golden on all sides. You do not want to over pack the pan, so fry in batches.
- When the chicken is golden brown, add to a paper towel lined plate as you finish the rest of the chicken.
- Top the chicken with flakey salt and serve with desired sauce and sides.
| Serve crispy popcorn chicken with our copycat Cane’s sauce, chick fil a sauce, or even our Ranch dip! |
AIR FRYER METHOD-
Avoid all the deep frying and make air fryer popcorn chicken!
- Prep the chicken per instructions. Once coated in both wet and dry batter, add the chicken pieces to the air fryer basket in a single layer, not overfilling the basket. Spray with baking spray.
- Air fryer at 375°F for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Toss halfway through the cooking time to ensure all around crisp.
- Repeat with all the chicken and serve with desired sauces and sides.
BAKING METHOD-
You can also bake the popcorn chicken!
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add the dredged popcorn chicken to a baking sheet and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Flipping halfway through bake time.
- Serve with desired sides and sauces and enjoy.
| Add this chicken to your Caesar salad, garden salad, pasta, or your KFC bowls! |
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
Yes! You can totally make gluten free popcorn chicken, just swap out the flour and panko crumbs for gluten free flour and panko crumbs!
For the best results, marinade the chicken for up to 12 hours in the fridge. But if you have no time, at least 30 minutes will do!
You can swap out the panko crumbs for regular breadcrumbs, crushed cornflakes, crushed crackers or even crushed chips.
You want to make sure you do NOT add the chicken into the oil too early! The oil should stay between 350°F to 375°F as you are frying the chicken. If it’s too hot, you will burn the coating and if it’s too cold the chicken will absorb the grease giving you overly greasy chicken.
Yes! Add chili powder and cayenne powder in your flour mixture for spicy chicken.
STORING AND FREEZING POPCOR
Leftover Popcorn chicken is just as good! You can either store leftovers in the fridge or even the freezer! Stop buying the premade frozen popcorn chicken and make your own!
- Fridge– Store cold popcorn chicken in an airtight container or bag in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave, air fryer or oven until warm.
- Freezer– Once the chicken is fried and completely chilled. Layout the chicken on a plate or platter (whatever will fit in the freeze) and freeze for about 30 minutes, or until hard. Transfer the chicken to a freezer safe bag for up to 2-3 months. You can reheat them frozen or thaw overnight!
COOKING FROZEN POPCORN CHICKEN
We love making an extra batch or two to have popcorn chicken in the freezer to enjoy whenever without all the work every time! You can reheat the chicken frozen either in the oven or air fryer.
- Air Fryer– Air the frozen chicken at 400°F for about 8-10 minutes, or until warmed through inside.
- Oven– Preheat the oven to 400°F and add the desired amount of frozen popcorn chicken to a baking sheet. Bake for 15-16 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Microwave– Add the frozen chicken to a plate and cook in the microwave until the chicken is warmed through.
SERVING IDEAS
There are several different ways to enjoy this chicken! Pair with the right sides for a delicious meal:
Crispy Popcorn Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cubed into bite sized pieces
- oil for frying
Marinate-
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp pickle juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Breading-
- 1 1/3 all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Cut the chicken into small bite size pieces.
- In a bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, pickle juice, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. (You can marinate the chicken for up to 12 hours in the fridge.)
- Combine the flour, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika in a bowl.
- Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the chicken from the wet batter and add to the flour mixture. (Allow the wet batter to drip off the chicken.)
- Fully toss the chicken in the dry ingredients until fully coated. Transfer to a plate or baking sheet and repeat with all the chicken.
- In the meantime, cover a large skillet or pot about 1 ½ – 2 inches deep of oil and heat on medium high heat. Once the oil reaches 350°F you are ready to fry the chicken.
- Add the battered chicken to the hot oil, do not overcrowd. Fry for about 5-6 minutes until golden crispy, flipping halfway to ensure all around cooking.
- Transfer the fried popcorn chicken to a paper towel lined plate, repeating until all the chicken is fried.
- Top the popcorn chicken with flakey salt and serve with desired sauces and sides.
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