Popcorn chicken recipe is an easy snack that you can delight your guests with. Learn how to make KFC style popcorn chicken at home.
If you are a foodie like me and love KFC, I can bet you have never missed out on the popcorn chicken when you visit KFC. These chicken popcorns are tiny little balls of crunchy goodness. This popcorn chicken recipe is super easy and quick to make.
My two-year-old Bluey is going through a phase when he says “ohhh nooo” the moment he sees food. The only thing he likes is crunchy crispy stuff – chips, French fries, biscuits etc. SO I have to constantly figure out what crunchy food I can offer him. I am done with carrot sticks, cheese sticks etc. One day I thought why not the popcorn chicken! At least I’ll be able to put some protein inside him! This popcorn chicken recipe is extremely easy and perfect for bachelors or anyone who wants a crispy snack. It, however, isn’t for someone who is highly calorie conscious!
KFC Style Popcorn Chicken recipe – Does it have preservatives?
Absolutely not! There is no MSG (Ajinomoto) or any preservative to extra crunchiness. It’s made with ingredients easily found in homes.
Read – Crispy Baked Basa Fillet
What do you need for Popcorn Chicken Recipe?
I am using boneless chicken (chicken breast) for this but you can make this popcorn chicken recipe with minced chicken too. I find using the breast very easy. You can chop them up into sizes according to your liking. Apart from the chicken, you will need garlic powder, onion powder, salt, chili flakes and lemon juice for marinating.
I am a big fan of marination. There is no shortcut to it. A well-marinated chicken will have better taste and will be softer. Period. I have marinated for an hour, but if you are in a hurry then marinate the chicken pieces for at least 15-20 minutes.
What about the crumb for this popcorn chicken recipe?
The ingredients in the crumb make a lot of difference. If you simply bread the chicken pieces in bread crumb and fry it won’t taste as good. This KFC style popcorn chicken recipe calls for a flavorful crumb to the added taste and crispiness.
Pro Tip: This turns out best if you use panko crumbs because they are so light.
But in case you don’t have panko use normal breadcrumb. I have used a combination of store bought bread crumb and a coarser breadcrumb that I have made myself. Add flour, garlic powder, salt, oregano and dried basil to it and mix. Your flavorful bread crumb mix is ready.
How to make Chicken Popcorn?
The process used for this popcorn chicken recipe is very easy. Make an assembly line of marinated chicken, beaten egg and the bread crumb mix. Dip the chicken pieces in egg and roll them in the breadcrumb mix. You can start frying them right away. But I double bread them I.e. dip them again in the egg and roll them in the breadcrumb for the second time. This makes the crust very crispy.
Deep fry the popcorns in vegetable oil for 4-5 minutes on medium heat and soak excess oil on a paper towel. I have tried frying them in the air fryer as well. But very frankly I like the taste of the deep fried one. Some days you can indulge, right?
And that’s it your little bowl of crunchy heaven is ready. They are super crunchy from the outside and juicy tender chicken inside. Aren’t they cute?
- For Marination
- Chicken Breast – 2, chopped in bite sized pieces
- Lemon juice – 2 tablespoon
- Salt – 1 teaspoon
- Onion powder – 1/2 teaspoon
- Garlic powder – 1/2 teaspoon
- Chili Flakes – 1/2 teaspoon
- For Crumb
- Breadcrumb – 1 cup
- All purpose Flour – 1 tablespoon
- Salt – 1 teaspoon
- Garlic Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
- Dried Oregano – 1 teaspoon
- Dried Basil – 1 teaspoon
- Egg COating
- Egg – 2 whole eggs
- For Frying
- Vegetable oil
- Chop chicken breast into bite sized pieces
- Marinate with lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes
- Keep in fridge for 1 hour
- In a bowl mix breadcrumb, APFflour, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt
- Break two eggs in a bowl and beat with a fork
- Make an assembly line with chicken, egg and crumb
- Dip chicken pieces in egg and coat in crumb mix
- Repeat the above step
- Deep fry in vegetable oil for 4-5 minutes on medium flame
- Drain excess oil and spread on a paper towel
- Serve hot with tomato ketchup or cheese dip
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10 comments
Awesome recipe! Can we try this with paneer or potato? Veg twist ?
hey absolutely you can do with paneer or mix veg! Thanks Neha for dropping by.
My kids love this, but I’m going to ask you to courier it to me:P
Hahaha, why not, let’s plan a meet at some location
Love chicken, and yes, I do try the popcorn chicken at KFC too. 🙂 with 2 vegetarians at home, we don’t make chicken at home much, but will keep the recipe should that change sometime! 😀
Even though we are vegetarians, I couldn’t help drool over the pictures of these Crunchy chicken pop ups. Hope you have a great time eating them with your kids.
I hope the KFC guys are not seeing this. Looks much better. I am a veg but it looks great
Thank you so much for the recipe. KFC popcorn chicken is one of my favourites. Will surely try these at home.
Never knew this could be soo simple. For sure trying it out. Experiementing with cooking recently and loving it. Thanks Tina for putting it in such simple way. 🙂
Looks great. I will surely try it once.