Homemade Popcorn Chicken

Popcorn Chicken in metal tub wrapped in tartan cloth with BBQ sauce in the background

4.95 from 17 votes

Homemade Popcorn Chicken couldn't be easier to make! The key is marinating in buttermilk for that crispy, flaky finish. But warning, these are incredibly moreish!!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

marinating time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Appetizer, Finger Food

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £2 / $2.50

Equipment

Large Pot & Slotted Spoon (for deep frying)
Medium Sized Bowl (for dredging)
Small-Medium Sized Mixing Bowl (for marinating)
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Kitchen Thermometer
Wire Rack & Paper Towels

Ingredients

2x 7oz/200g Chicken Breasts
4 cups / 1litre Oil, suitable for deep frying (vegetable, canola, sunflower)
1 cup / 250ml Buttermilk
1 packed cup / 200g Plain Flour (scoop & level method)
2 tsp Salt
1.5 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper (see notes)
1 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Onion Powder
3/4 tsp Garlic Powder
3/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

Instructions

Slice your chicken breasts into mini even-sized bite-size pieces. You should get around 40-50 pieces in total.
Combine in a bowl with your Buttermilk, 1 tsp of Salt and 1/2 tsp Black Pepper. Pop cling film over and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Preferably overnight. This will help tenderize the chicken pieces.
In a bowl, combine your Flour, Baking Powder, 2nd tsp of Salt, Smoked Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Oregano and 1/4 tsp Black Pepper.
Take a piece of Chicken and coat it the flour mixture. Really try and get as much flour in the cracks of the chicken. You want the chicken to be nice and flakey. This is important. Although it sounds tedious to do it one by one, by this is the best way to get the best coating on the chicken. No more than 3-4 at a time max.
Heat up 4 cups of oil, depending on depth of pan. You want the temp at around 180C/356F. Grab a tiny piece of leftover flour mixture and drop it in. If it sizzles and slowly rises to the top, you're good to go.
In batches, add the chicken and fry for around 3-5mins until golden brown. Place on wire rack over paper towels to drain away excess fat. To test if they're cooked, just take one piece out and slice it through the centre. It should be white and piping hot. If you're not confident with deep frying just test with one piece at the start.
Repeat with the rest of your batches, bringing the oil back up to temp between each batch, then serve with your favourite dip!

Video

Notes

a) Spice - 1 tsp of Cayenne Pepper gives a nice gentle kick of spice. If you're not good with spice at all, consider lowering to 1/2 or 1/4 tsp. Just don't leave it out, it offers beautiful flavour!

b) Batches - it's important to fry the chicken in batches for two reasons. The first is so it's not overcrowded, which can increase the chances of your chicken sticking together. The second is that if there's a large amount of chicken plonked in the pan at once, it lowers the temperature of the oil. Because the chicken pieces are small, they don't take long to cook, meaning you don't want them sat in oil for longer than they have to be. If they soak up too much oil over a long period of time they won't be crispy. I find that two batches is usually fine, but no more than 3 for this recipe. You don't want the first batch to be cold.

c) Buttermilk - Buttermilk is important as its slight acidity will help tenderize and soften the chicken breast. It also has the perfect consistency to dredge through the flour. To substitute you can either mix 3/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup of milk (to thin it out). Or, mix 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice, let it sit for 10mins then stir in the chicken.

d) Can I use Chicken Thigh instead? - Traditionally chicken breast is used for popcorn chicken, but you can use chicken thigh if you'd prefer. Just make sure it's boneless and skinless meat you're using.

e) Can you make popcorn chicken ahead of time? - Popcorn chicken is at it's crispiest/juiciest when served fresh, so I don't recommend making it ahead of time. If you want to get ahead of the game just ensure the chicken is marinating away and have the flour & spices premixed and ready to go.

Nutrition