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Easy Popcorn Chicken

This crispy Easy Popcorn Chicken recipe is ideal served as a dinner entrée, on salads, as a finger food for parties or paired with your favorite toppings and stuffed in slider rolls and wraps. It’s one of those Southern inspired dishes that appeals to kids of all ages. The crispy flavorful breading takes boneless fried chicken to another level.

Easy Popcorn Chicken

Easy Popcorn Chicken Recipe

I think both of my boys lived on chicken as toddlers. Whether it was chicken tenders, chicken nuggets or chicken sandwiches they always seemed to gravitate to some sort of chicken as their entrée of choice. I often wondered if it was the chicken or the dipping sauce that they loved, none-the-less it’s a fact. Now that they are teenagers, it hasn’t changed all that much. They still love these bite-size popcorn chicken bites any day of the week for dinner or snacking.

step-by-step images how to prepare fried chicken

Best Breading for Popcorn Chicken

Unbeknownst to many, a fair amount of tried and true Southern cooks use pancake mix as part of the breading for frying chicken. It lends a tasty flavor to the coating and the addition of cornstarch for this chicken takes it over-the-top. The seasonings added to the mix are imperative to ensure you enjoy a flavorful bite every single time. How to make simple Popcorn Chicken Bites: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Marinate – Place chicken pieces into a plastic storage bag and cover with buttermilk. Marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • Drain Chicken – Remove chicken pieces from buttermilk to a colander to drain. Discard marinade.
  • Set-up Dredging Station:
  • 1st – Mix together pancake mix, cornstarch, seasoned salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper in a shallow dish.
  • 2nd – Whisk together eggs and milk in a separate shallow dish. Have nearby a pan to place breaded pieces.
  • Dredge the Chicken – Dredge each chicken piece in dry ingredients then dip in egg wash and into dry mixture a second time. Repeat until all chicken pieces are breaded.
  • Heat Oil – Heat vegetable oil in a deep pot to 350-360°F.
  • Cook – Fry chicken in batches until golden on both sides and cooked through. Turn as needed for even browning. Maintain cooking temperature while frying.
  • Use a slotted spoon and remove to a paper towel lined pan or platter. Season lightly with additional seasoned salt immediately. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces.
fried popcorn chicken on a pan

How to Make this Southern Style Easy Popcorn Chicken Recipe

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Popcorn Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts, buttermilk, pancake mix, cornstarch, seasoned salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, large eggs, whole milk, peanut or vegetable oil for frying.
  • Kitchen tools you’ll need: Dutch oven, frying thermometer, measuring cups and spoons, shallow bowls, whisk, stainless steel spider or slotted spoon and a sheet pan.
  • What is popcorn chicken? It’s basically bite size pieces of chicken breasts that are seasoned, breaded and deep fried. You can pop them like popcorn, hence the name.
  • Can I use chicken thighs for popcorn chicken? You could use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. Thighs may take slightly longer to cook but otherwise no other adjustments are needed.
  • What’s the best breading for popcorn chicken? This recipe utilizes a combination of pancake mix and cornstarch to give the coating that crunch we all love.
  • If you’d like to make spicy popcorn chicken, add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the seasonings for the breading.
  • Best Dipping Sauces for Popcorn Chicken: I love serving this popcorn chicken with my homemade Copycat Chick fil Sauce or Southern Comeback Sauce.  My homemade Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce goes well with it, too. Sometimes, you can elevate a meal and make things more interesting simply by adding a variety of sauces for the family to try with their meal. Other fun dipping sauces you may like to try is, my homemade Avocado Lime Ranch recipe or this Honey Mustard from Diethood.
  • Serving suggestions: You can serve this pop corn chicken as an appetizer with a dipping sauce, as an entrée, on salads, wraps or piled onto a toasted hoagie as a chicken po’boy sandwich.
Easy Popcorn Chicken

How to Make Popcorn Chicken in an Air Fryer

This recipe is designed to be deep fried. That said, you could adapt it for an air fryer. Adjust the cook time according to how your appliance performs and the size of the popcorn chicken. To do so:

  • After breading the chicken pieces place them onto a baking pan and into the fridge uncovered for at least one hour or up to 4 hours for the breading to dry and set.
  • Spray the basket of an air fryer with cooking spray.
  • Spray popcorn chicken with cooking spray or an oil mister.
  • Cook at 375°F in batches in a single layer for 10 minutes stopping to shake the basket halfway through.
  • After 10 minutes, spray chicken again with cooking spray or an oil mister on all sides.
  • Continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or just until cooked through, juices run clear and golden. Keep warm until serving.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

Easy Popcorn Chicken

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Marinade time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: easy-chicken-recipes, easy-popcorn-chicken
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 330kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

    cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 1/2 cups pancake mix
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tsp seasoned salt
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • peanut or vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

  • Place chicken pieces into a plastic storage bag and cover with buttermilk. Marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

  • Prepare: Remove chicken pieces from buttermilk to a colander to drain. Discard marinade.
  • Set-up Dredging Station:
    1st – Mix together pancake mix, cornstarch, seasoned salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper in a shallow dish.
    2nd – Whisk together eggs and milk in a separate shallow dish. Have nearby a pan to place breaded pieces.
  • Dredge each chicken piece in dry mixture, dip in egg wash and into dry mixture a second time. Place onto the pan in a single layer. Repeat until all chicken pieces are breaded. (This can be done up to an hour in advance then placed into the fridge until ready to fry)

  • Heat vegetable oil in a deep pot to 350-360°F. Fry chicken in batches for about 3 minutes total or until golden on both sides and cooked through. Turn as needed for even browning. Maintain cooking temperature while frying. (Cooking time may vary slightly depending on size of chicken pieces.)
  • Use a slotted spoon and remove to a paper towel lined pan or platter. Season lightly with additional seasoned salt immediately.
  • Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces.

Notes

This recipe is designed to be deep fried. That said, you could adapt it for an air fryer. Adjust the cook time according to how your appliance performs and the size of the popcorn chicken.
To air fry:
  • After breading the chicken pieces, place them onto a baking pan and into the fridge uncovered for at least one hour or up to 4 hours for the breading to dry and set.
  • Spray the basket of an air fryer with cooking spray.
  • Spray popcorn chicken with cooking spray or an oil mister.
  • Cook at 375°F in batches in a single layer for 10 minutes stopping to shake the basket halfway through.
  • After 10 minutes, spray chicken again with cooking spray or an oil mister on all sides.
  • Continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or just until cooked through, juices run clear and golden. Keep warm until serving. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 1008mg | Potassium: 700mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 410IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 157mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

 

12 Comments

  1. Super excited to try this recipe! I love the idea of pancake mix — a number of recipes I’ve compared for chicken nuggets call for flour, baking powder or soda, powdered sugar, and cornstarch. The pancake mix just makes sense! I am curious, however — would an all-purpose baking mix (like Jiffy or Bisquick) work, or does it definitely have to be a pancake mix.

    1. Hi Valerie, for this recipe yes, please use pancake mix. To answer your question in a more broad manner, you can use biscuit mix as a coating for chicken, but other adjustments may need to be made.

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