Easy Popcorn Chicken

Hello, welcome to Djalali Cooks! I have a fun recipe today that is great for a game day snack or a Halloween party spread. With flavorful breading that crisps up to a satisfying crunch; tender, juicy chicken breast, these fried chicken bites will not disappoint. Serve up a basket of Popcorn Chicken with a variety of dipping sauces and I promise, these will be the hit of the party!

I have slightly adapted this recipe from Cook’s Country. And I have to say that the breading is so well-seasoned it’s a great recipe to keep on hand for fried chicken, too. Start off by placing the chicken breasts on a plate, in the freezer for about 40 minutes. This will firm up the breasts so they will be easier to cut into roughly 1/2-inch cubes. I have about 1.5 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breasts.

The Breading

For the breading we have flour, corn starch, baking powder, Kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper and sugar. Mix these dry ingredients really well in a large mixing bowl. Then pour in 1/2 cup of water. Stir the water into the flour mixture with your hands, creating little clumps of the breading.

Set the bowl of breading aside and cut up the chicken breasts. In another medium bowl, lightly beat two eggs.

Toss the chicken pieces with the beaten eggs and sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt. Mix the chicken, eggs and salt to evenly distribute the salt.

Take about half of the chicken pieces out of the egg mixture and add to the breading mixture. Toss the chicken pieces in the breading with both hands, squeezing the clumps of breading onto the chicken pieces. Transfer the chicken pieces, one by one, to a large sheet tray. Then repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Be sure you’ve fished out all the chicken pieces, then discard whatever breading is left in the bowl.

Let the breaded chicken pieces hang out on the sheet tray while we set up our fry station and heat the oil.

Time to Fry!

Pour 1.5 quarts of vegetable oil into a Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot. You want the oil to be about 1-inch deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Set up a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil. Line a second sheet tray with three layers of paper towels and set it on the right side of the pot of oil. When the oil temp reaches 400 degrees, we’re ready to fry.

Working in batches, use a spider skimmer to transfer half of the chicken pieces (several pieces at a time) to the hot oil. Immediately stir the chicken pieces so they don’t stick together. When you have about half of the chicken pieces in the oil, stir to avoid sticking and let fry for about 2-3 minutes, until the chicken pieces are golden brown. Transfer fried Popcorn Chicken to the paper towel-lined sheet tray. Let the oil come back up to 400 degrees and repeat with the rest of the chicken.

And that’s it! Super-easy Popcorn Chicken. Serve with a few different dipping sauces; I have a Sriracha Barbecue sauce, Jalapeño Honey Mustard and a Buffalo Ranch sauce.

I grabbed a shallow bread bowl and lined it with a piece of butcher paper, and tossed int he Popcorn Chicken.

This Popcorn Chicken is spot on – the breading is well-seasoned and the chicken is so juicy, you don’t even need a dipping sauce! Thank you so much for spending some of your day with me, I do hope you try this recipe, it’s a winner for sure. If you’re looking for another great game day recipe, check out our 2020 Chicken Wing Showdown. Have a great day, everyone – take care and be well. xo Kelly

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Popcorn Chicken

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Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack – American

By Adapted from Cook's Country – Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 50 Minutes – Cooking Time: 4-6 Minutes – Total Time: ~1 Hour

Flavorful breading that crisps up to a satisfying crunch; tender, juicy chicken breast, these fried chicken bites will not disappoint.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, trimmed
• 2 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Cornstarch
• 1.5 tbsp. Granulated Garlic
• 1.5 tbsp. Sugar
• 1 tbsp. Baking Powder
• 6 tsp. Kosher Salt, divided
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 cup Water
• 2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
• 1.5 quarts Peanut or Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

1

Start off by placing the chicken breasts on a plate, in the freezer for about 40 minutes.

2

Whisk the flour, corn starch, baking powder, 4 teaspoons Kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

3

Then pour in 1/2 cup of water. Stir the water into the flour mixture with your hands, creating little clumps of the breading. Set the bowl of breading aside.

4

Cut the chicken breasts into 1/2-inch pieces.

5

In a separate medium-sized bowl, lightly beat two eggs.

6

Toss the chicken pieces with the beaten eggs and sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt. Mix the chicken, eggs and salt to evenly distribute the salt.

7

Take about half of the chicken pieces out of the egg mixture and add to the breading mixture. Toss the chicken pieces in the breading with both hands, squeezing the clumps of breading onto the chicken pieces. Transfer the chicken pieces, one by one, to a large sheet tray. Then repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Be sure you've fished out all the chicken pieces, then discard whatever breading is left in the bowl.

8

Pour 1.5 quarts of vegetable oil into a Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot. You want the oil to be about 1-inch deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Set up a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil. Line a second sheet tray with three layers of paper towels and set it on the right side of the pot of oil. When the oil temp reaches 400 degrees, we're ready to fry.

9

Working in batches, use a spider skimmer to transfer half of the chicken pieces (several pieces at a time) to the hot oil. Immediately stir the chicken pieces so they don't stick together. When you have about half of the chicken pieces in the oil, stir occasionally to avoid sticking and let fry for about 2-3 minutes, until the chicken pieces are golden brown. Transfer fried Popcorn Chicken to the paper towel-lined sheet tray. Let the oil come back up to 400 degrees and repeat with the rest of the chicken.