Popcorn Chicken
Juicy, tender bites of chicken wrapped in a crunchy crust with a zesty kick. They disappear from the plate on game day and make an ordinary weeknight feel like a treat, especially with anything from ranch to BBQ sauce on the side for dunking.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
Breading
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Canola or vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the buttermilk, salt, pepper, egg, and hot sauce until fully mixed together. Add the chicken pieces, toss in the liquid, and let marinade in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. Pull out of the fridge 30 minutes before starting to bread.1 ¾ cups buttermilk, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon coarse ground pepper, 1 large egg, 1 Tablespoon hot sauce, 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts
- In a large bowl whisk together all of the breading ingredients.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon ground mustard, ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Line a second baking sheet with a wire cooling rack.
- Use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to scoop all of the chicken out of the marinade (DON’T dump out the marinade!) and let it drip so there’s not tons of excess liquid. Put into the flour mixture and toss with a spoon to coat the chicken. Pick out all the pieces of chicken, shaking excess flour off and put back into the liquid marinade. Stir around to coat again. The chicken pieces will stick together, use your fingers to separate as best as you can to coat and separate the pieces. Use the slotted spoon or spider strainer again to get all the chicken pieces out of the liquid and place it back in the flour mixture. Toss to coat the chicken again, using your fingers to help the pieces separate and coat evenly. Remove the chicken pieces, shaking excess flour off and place so none of the pieces are touching on the baking sheet.
- Add about ½ – ¾ inch of oil in a tall, heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. You’re aiming for about 350-360℉. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken in small batches to fry the chicken. Turn the chicken over when the first side is golden, about 2-3 minutes per side.Canola or vegetable oil
- Once the chicken is golden brown and cooked through to 165℉, remove to the wire cooling rack to cool and continue cooking the chicken. If you run low on oil, add more and let it heat up before continuing.
- Serve warm in your favorite dipping sauces like ranch, honey mustard, BBQ sauce, sweet and sour, etc.
Notes
Substitutions & Variations
- Nashville: Coat the freshly fried chicken in ¼ cup melted butter whisked with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper.
- Sweet & Spicy: Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of hot honey over the chicken right before serving.
- Buffalo: Toss the chicken while it's hot in ¼ cup melted butter mixed with ¼ cup buffalo sauce.
- Cheesy: Whisk ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese into the breading.
- Ranch: Whisk about 2 tablespoons of dry ranch seasoning into the breading.
- Cajun: Use an equal amount of Cajun seasoning in place of the chili powder.
- Pickle: Replace ½ cup of the buttermilk in the marinade with pickle juice.
- Lemony: Sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon pepper seasoning over the chicken while it's still hot.
Storage & Make Ahead
- Store: Let the chicken cool completely, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Spread the cooled chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Move it to a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Warm the chicken on a baking sheet in a 400°F oven or in the air fryer until hot and crisp, about 10 minutes, or a few minutes longer from frozen.
- Make Ahead: Marinate the chicken in the fridge for up to 24 hours, so all that's left is breading and frying. For a fully cooked make-ahead option, fry the chicken, cool it completely, and store or freeze it as above.
Nutrition
Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 3475mg | Potassium: 643mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 731IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 166mg | Iron: 4mg
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