Popcorn Chicken is a crispy, crunchy, and flavorful fried snack dish. It is one of the signature dishes of the famous fast-food chain KFC that is popular across the globe. It is also called Chicken Pop. This chicken recipe is made with boneless chicken pieces and seasoned flour coating. The recipe I have shared here shows you how to make the KFC-Style Popcorn Chicken with simple step-by-instructions. I have also attached a detailed video of the recipe to make the process visually clear. This KFC-inspired Popcorn Chicken is perfect for an evening snack, party, or just as a starter or appetizer before a meal.
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What is Popcorn Chicken?
Popcorn Chicken or Chicken pop is a crunchy bite-sized fried chicken dish introduced by the popular fast food restaurant KFC. This fried chicken is also called Popcorn Nuggets that has many flavors based on the country and region.
So here in this post, I have shared the simple Popcorn Chicken recipe with an additional spice marinade to toss at the end. As with many other fast-food fried chicken, this KFC Popcorn Chicken is also an absolute kid's favorite dish that can be easily made at home.
While most fried chicken recipes require overnight or long hour marination, this one needs only 10 minutes. And the best part is you can prepare the whole dish within 30 minutes and it is also a good kids-friendly snack similar to our Fried Shrimp to delight your little ones. So without further delay, let's see what you will need for this recipe in the below section.
Ingredients
For Marination
- Boneless Chicken - Bite size boneless chicken breast or thighs works best for this dish
- Chili Sauce - You can use plain chili sauce, chili garlic sauce, sambal oelek, sriracha sauce or any others that is handy for you
- Ginger Garlic Paste - Helps to remove the raw smell from the meat. You can also substitute it with ginger and garlic powder to achieve similar results
- Milk and Lime Juice - Helps to make the chicken juicy and succulent after deep frying. You can aslo use buttermilk instead to achieve similar results
- Mixed Pepper Powder - I have used mixed pepper powder, which is a blend of white, black, red, and schiuan pepper. But feel free to use the pepper powder that is available to you
Flour Coating
- All Purpose Flour - helps to coat the marianted chciken
- Corn Starch - I have used ¼ cup for ½ cup flour which gives a perfect cruncy chicken bites
- Spices -Chili powder, garlic powder, and pepper powder gives nice flavor to this fried chicken. You can also add dried herbs like basil, oregano, and rosemary for more flavor and taste
How to make Popcorn Chicken?
This Popcorn Chicken is initially marinated with milk along with few seasoning ingredients. Then the chicken is allowed to rest for 10 minutes. After that, the chicken is coated with a seasoned flour coating and deep-fried to crispy and crunchy bites.
So let see how to make this dish with simple step-by-step instructions. To given a clear idea the recipe involves 3 steps.
- Marination of Chicken
- Coating the Chicken
- Frying the Chicken
1. Marinate Chicken
- Marinate Chicken - In a bowl add bite sized chicken pieces, and add in milk, lime juice, chili sauce, ginger garlic paste, pepper and salt
- Rest Chicken - Now allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes
2. Coat the Chicken
- Prepare Flour Mix - In a large tray add all purpose flour, corn startch and other spices as mentioned in the recipe card below. And mix them well to make a perfect coating mixture
- Coat the Chicken - Now add the marianted chicken one by one to the flour mix. Coat the chicken nicely with the flour and shake off excess flour before frying
3. Fry the Chicken
- Medium Heat Oil - Add the flour coated chicken one by one in medium heat oil. Make sure not to overcrowd the chicken pieces which delay the cooking process
- Stir and Fry - Stir and fry the chicken pieces until it turns golden brown in color
- Drain - Drain the fried Chicken and serve immediately hot or reserve for the optional spicy seasoning
- Optional Spicy Version - In a bowl, add olive oil or butter, chili sauce, and garlic powder and mix well to combine. Now add this sauce mix over the fried popcorn chicken and toss well. Now your spicy Popcorn Chicken is ready to serve.
How to make Popcorn Chicken in Airfryer?
In this section, I have shared a simple Airfryer Popcorn Chicken with simple step-by-step instructions. To make that,
- Set the Temperature - Set the temperature of the air fryer to 400 degree Farenheit
- Spray Oil - Now spray the cooking oil to the wired basket
- Place the Chicken - Place the flour coated chicken pieces one by one in sinagle layer without touching each other (refer to above section for mariantion and flour coating of the chicken)
- Fry - Now fry the chicken for about 7 to 10 minutes. Make sure to flip halfway through to cook the other side
- Serve -Now crispy KFC style Popcorn Chicken is ready to enjoy
Tips
- For Crunchiness - Making the perfect flour mix and frying the chicken pieces immediately once after its coated gives a perfect crispy and crunchy Popcorn Chicken
- For Succulent Chicken - Marinating the chicken with milk marinade as mentioned in the process for at least 10 to 15 minutes gives succulent chicken pieces after frying
- Oil Temperature - Always make sure to fry the chicken in medium heat to achieve a golden color crunchy Chicken pieces
- Spicy Version - I have made an optional spicy marinade using chili sauce to toss the fried chicken pieces and you can also use sriracha sauce or other hot sauces to flavor them. You can also use Szechuan Sauce for this spice version
Storage Suggestions
You can also store the flour-coated chicken in the refrigerator or freeze it ahead for future use. But make sure to thaw them to room temperature and make a final flour coating before frying. This helps to achieve a perfectly crunchy and crispy Popcorn Chicken.
Serving Suggestions
This Popcorn Chicken tastes great when served hot with chili sauce, ketchup, mayo, bbq sauce, ranch, or other similar dips. You can serve this dish as a snack or starter for a party, kids' lunch box, or any time you love.
Related Recipes
You can find similar recipes below and more at Chicken Recipes and Snack Recipes
- Chicken Nuggets
- Fried Chicken
- Chicken Lollipop
- Chicken Drumsticks
- Chicken Pakora
- Chicken 65
- Garlic Parmesan Wings
- Oven-Baked Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Fried Chicken Wings
- Dragon Chicken
- Chicken Manchurian
Looking for different chicken recipes to cook for your next meal or a party? Then you could also check this collection of Indian Chicken Dry and Semi Gravy Recipes to enjoy with your family and loved ones.
Popcorn Chicken Recipe video
I have also shared a detailed video of this Popcorn Chicken recipe below that I hope will help you to make a perfect KFC-style chicken at home. For a quick reference, you could also find this chicken pop recipe in story format.
📖 Recipe
Popcorn Chicken KFC Style (Chicken Pop)
Ingredients
- 1¼ lb Chicken, boneless (bite-size)
- ¼ cup Milk
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice
- ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Cornstarch
- Salt, as needed
- 3 tsp Chili Sauce
- 1 tsp Pepper, crushed
- 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- Oil, for frying
Instructions
To Marinate the Chicken
- In a bowl, add boneless chicken pieces, milk, salt, chili sauce, ginger garlic paste, lime juice, and Pepper powder
- Mix well and all the chicken to rest for 10 minutes
To Coat the Chicken
- In a large tray, add all-purpose flour, corn starch, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt
- Mix everything thoroughly to make a perfect coating mix
- Now coat the marinated chicken pieces with a flour mixture. Make sure to coat the chicken nicely and shake off the excess flour before frying. Now our chicken is ready to be fried
Frying the Chicken
- Now add the flour-coated chicken pieces into the medium heat oil one by one without overcrowding them
- Fry the chicken pieces by stirring on and off until it turns golden brown in color
- Drain the Popcorn Chicken from the oil and serve immediately hot or reserve for final seasoning
For Spicy Popcorn Chicken
- In a bowl, add olive oil, chili sauce, and garlic powder. Mix everything well
- Now pour this spicy marinade over the Fried Popcorn Chicken and give a nice toss. Now the spicy version is ready for you to taste and enjoy
To Serve
- Serve this crispy and crunchy KFC style Popcorn Chicken with ketchup, mayo, or any of your favorite dips
Video
Notes
- For Crunchiness - Making the perfect flour mix and frying the chicken pieces immediately once after its coated gives a perfect crispy and crunchy Popcorn Chicken
- For Succulent Chicken - Marinating the chicken with milk marinade as mentioned in the process for at least 10 to 5 minutes gives succulent chicken pieces after frying
- Oil Temperature - Always make sure to fry the chicken in medium heat to achieve a golden color crunchy Chicken pieces
- Spicy Version - I have made an optional spicy marinade using chili sauce to toss the fried chicken pieces and you can also use sriracha sauce or other hot sauces to flavor them
Nutrition
FAQ
Popcorn Chicken is a crispy and crunchy fried snack dish. It was introduced by popular fast food restaurant KFC chain and it is one of their signature dishes in the menu card as well. This Popcorn Chicken is made with boneless nugget white meat and flour coated before frying. The fried chicken resembles the shape of Popcorn and hence so is the name.
Chicken Nuggets are usually prepared with minced meat and made into small bite-size pieces. On the other hand, Popcorn Chicken is made with boneless chicken pieces and flour-coated and fried into smaller shapes compared to nuggets.
Yes, you can feel free to use bread crumbs to make Popcorn Chicken. But the real KFC Chicken does not use breadcrumbs in their recipe and all the crispiness comes from the special flour coating.
Yes, you can make the popcorn chicken in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 to 15 minutes on each side until crisp. For more crisper Popcorn Chicken, broiler the pieces on low for 3 to 5 minutes.
I really hope you enjoyed the recipe that I have shared here and I would love to hear from you on how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
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