Popcorn chicken recipe – Learn to make crunchy kfc style popcorn chicken at home with this simple and quick recipe. Popcorn chicken is much popular in every part of the world and makes its presence on the menus of KFC, fast food centres & even in restaurants. I am sure these delicious, flavorful & crisp fried tender popcorn chicken will be your new favorite. Enjoy them with any sauce or garlic mayo dip.
Popcorn chicken is made in many different flavors & is region specific. Most times KFC keeps changing their flavorings too. I have shared the most basic recipe here with some optional seasonings. So you can use your favorite herbs and spices to suit your taste buds.
This recipe of popcorn chicken has always been a winner & never fails to impress my family, especially my kids. Give this a try & you will say these popcorn chicken are not only crunchy, delicious & addictive but also the best!
You can prepare them ahead and freeze or refrigerate for later use. All you need to do is just defrost them in the refrigerator & bring down to room temperature. Then fry them or even bake them for a healthier option.
If you love them spicy then enjoy the crunchy popcorn chicken with this Schezwan sauce.
For more Chicken recipes check
Chicken nuggets
Chicken burger
KFC style fried chicken
Chilli chicken
Hot spicy szechuan chicken
Crunchy chicken cutlet
Preparation
1. Chop the chicken to bite sized pieces and add them to a bowl along with all the seasonings. Mix them well.
2. Add corn starch or all-purpose flour. Coat the chicken well with the flour. Then pour egg or buttermilk to a separate bowl. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg. I did the other way by adding the egg and mixing up all at one time.
3. Pick up each piece of egg coated chicken and roll in the bread crumbs. For extra crunch you can double coat the pieces again. Dip the once coated pieces in egg mixture and coat them again in bread crumbs.
4. Mix well and set aside for about 10 to 15 minutes. This helps the bread to stick well to the popcorn chicken. You can also refrigerate for further use.
How to make popcorn chicken
5. Heat oil on a medium flame. Check if the oil is hot by gently dropping a bread crumb. It has to rise without browning quickly.
6. Gently slide the chicken pieces one by one. Do not disturb or stir for a minute as the crumbs may mess up the oil. Keep stirring while frying for even browning. Fry in batches till you finish. Drain them on a kitchen tissue.
Popcorn chicken is ready
Serve hot with your favorite ketchup or sauce. You can also sprinkle your favorite seasoning on top.
Tips to make best popcorn chicken
1.Bread crumbs are one of the key ingredients that makes this popcorn chicken crunchy. Kfc does not use the crumbs but just go ahead and try these.
2.To make the best popcorn chicken, brining the chicken bites is the key.
As a substitute to brine, you can also use egg as a quick fix like the way I have shown in this post.
If you skip both the steps then chicken will not be tender & soft. Often fried chicken bites turn out fibrous & dry if they are not prepared well.
To brine just whisk 4 tbsps curd or yogurt with ¾ cup of water. Add pepper or other flavoring ingredients to it. Then rest chicken in this for 4 hours to overnight in the fridge. Drain it up & use.
This step not will yield the most delicious tender bites of popcorn chicken with bursting flavors
3.Frying chicken at the right temperature is also the key. More tips in the recipe card below.
Can these be baked?
Yes they can be baked at 400 F or 200 C in a preheated oven for 10 to 12 mins on each side. Grease a wire rack and place on a baking tray. Place the chicken bites on it.
Related Recipes
KFC style popcorn chicken recipe
Popcorn chicken recipe | How to make kfc style popcorn chicken
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 250 grams chicken (boneless)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or all-purpose flour
- 1 egg white (or 4 tbsp buttermilk or yogurt)
- 1 cup bread crumbs (or panko crumbs)
- Oil for deep frying
Seasoning (or use ¾ tablespoon cajun spice mix)
- ½ teaspoon Salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder (optional)
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 tsp ginger garlic paste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (pepper powder)
- ¾ teaspoon paprika (or cayenne pepper or red chilli powder)
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice or 1 tsp garam masala
optional for serving
- ½ to 1 teaspoon seasoning like wasabi or sriracha powder
Instructions
Preparation
- Cut chicken to tiny bite sized pieces. Make sure you cut them to uniform sizes as this helps to fry all of them uniformly.
- In a bowl, mix together seasoning and chicken. Sprinkle cornstarch and coat the chicken well.
- Pour the egg white to a small bowl and then the bread crumbs to another bowl. Place them side by side.
- Pick up each piece of chicken & dip in the egg or buttermilk. Remove and roll in the bread crumbs. Place them in a wide plate. Repeat the same step until all the chicken bites are breaded.
- For extra crunch you can also double coat the chicken pieces by dipping in egg mixture again and then rolling them in bread crumbs again.
- Rest for 10 to 15 mins for the bread crumbs to stick well to the pieces. If you have used buttermilk then it is good to rest them at least for an hour. You can also refrigerate up to 48 hours for further use.
How to make popcorn chicken
- Heat oil on a medium flame.
- When the oil is hot enough, check by dropping a small piece of bread crumb. It has to rise without browning a lot. 350 to 375 F is the right temperature if you are measuring.
- Gently slide the pieces one after the other to the oil. Do not stir or disturb them for about a minute otherwise the bread crumbs may disperse in oil.
- Do not crowd the pan with many chicken bites at one time. Fry popcorn chicken in batches.
- Deep fry evenly till golden on a medium flame. Keep stirring after a minute or two for even frying.
- Drain popcorn chicken on a kitchen tissue and serve hot with ketchup, sauce or any other dip.
Seasoning
- You can sprinkle your favorite seasoning over popcorn chicken before serving. Sriracha or wasabi go great on these.
Notes
- Chiptole powder
- Sriracha powder
- Seaweed seasoning
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Hi can you say any delicious dip that goes well with chicken popcorn??
Hi for extreme crisp can we coat the chicken pieces with breadcrumbs 2 times and can you say breadcrumbs recipe pls it sounds funny but how to do, do I toast bread and crumb it or sundry them pls say
Hi Adithya
Yes you can do it twice. On a low heat toast the bread on a pan. They must become dry but not brown. This takes sometime. Bread slices should become slightly crisp and not hard. Remove the edges and tear them. Pulse in intervals of 4 to 8 seconds depending on your mixer. Don’t grind you will get very fine powder. I think it is easier to use store bought. You can check online. Hope this helps.
Can you say a delicious dip that goes well with chicken popcorn
Hi Adithya,
You can try this schezwan sauce. Or make a quick yogurt garlic dip with ¼ cup greek yogurt / hung curd, 1 tbsp minced garlic, salt, 1 to 2 tbsp virgin olive oil and lemon juice (optional). Skip lemon if using sour yogurt. Mix everything well.
Love it, this is definitely a game changer for me!! Thank you!
Glad to know Messina
Thank you
this is the best popcorn chicken i’ve ever had. it shmacked.
Glad to know!
Excellent popcorn chicken receipt. Best popcorn chicken I ever tasted.
Glad to know it turned out good.
Thank you so much for the comment
Hi Swasthi!
Chanced upon this recipe while looking for a recipe for my kids cos they LOVE the KFC popcorn chicken! Love how your recipe is so clear and precise!
I saw some other recipes for air fryer popcorn chicken but I prefer yours over theirs, so I just want to ask if its possible to fry these using air fryer?
Hi Maer
Thank you! yes you may try in air fryer
Delicious! I made tonight and my picky 4 year old loved it! She said it was crispy, tasty and delicious. My husband said “this recipe is a keeper”. He loved it too. It was hard to get them to stop eating finished bites before all batches were done. Thank you for sharing!
You are welcome Corey
Glad your kid loved them. Thanks for leaving a comment.
🙂
Hi Madam
Can i add rice flour instead of corn starch? And another doubt, what should i do to retain the crisp for a longer time ?
Hi Celia
Yes you can use rice flour. It depends on the weather conditions. In cold weather they become softer quickly. So keep them in a warm place uncovered in a colander/ mesh basket. You can also reheat them.
Dear swasthi ji thank you so much for the recipe of popcorn chicken. Your most recipes give exact result. I wish your website ibecome no 1.
I tried popcorn chicken , it was very tasty But only problem is that the chicken pieces turned black in stead of brown or golden
Request can you kindly help
Hi Satya
Thank you so much!
I guess you fried the chicken on a high flame so they turned dark. Fry them on a medium heat. Hope this helps.
From Sushil
I tried your KFC style chicken popcorn. It was excellent,in fact better than KFC.
Except that it out a bit soggy and not as crunchy. I did do the egg white/bread crumb coating twice as recommended. Dried the pieces in paper kitchen towel and kept covered with paper kitchen towel before serving.
What can I do to make it more crunchy?
Hello Sushil,
Popcorn chicken is best served hot and tend to turn soft upon cooling. If they did not turn out crisp when they came out after frying, then it means they need to be fried a little longer. You can also try refrying them once you are done frying the first time. They remain cruchy for a good 20 to 25 mins at room temperature (without aircon or fans blowing at them).
Wondering if you can make the recipe the day before the event and reheat the next day? I want to get all the frying out of the way the day before and would want to just pop these in the oven to heat up. Anyone try that?
Hi Colin,
I suggest you prepare and refrigerate the chicken popcorn the previous day and just fry them the day you plan to serve. Yes I did try the way you said by reheating the left over popcorn the next day, I felt they tasted good but had some uneven brown spots on them after baking. Some amount of oil oozes out from the chicken. Not the best I feel.
Dear Swathi ma’am.. I am a biggest fan of your cooking. I just love your recipes and your way of explanation is very clear. And no doubt you will go a long long way. Please continue to share your recipes with us. To be honest I have learnt cooking by seeing your recipes. God bless you.. Best wishes to you ??
Elizabeth.
Hi Elizabeth
Thank you so much for the wishes. I am so happy to know the recipes are helpful. Surely I will continue to share them.
Thanks again.
🙂
Bery nice work. I like the style at the top with the solid red boxes for prep time, cook time etc.
You have a very good setup. Jeep up the Great work
Hi JP
Thank you very much
Delicious recepies.
Can’t stop appreciating you.?
You are the best.
Hi Shoba
Thank you so much. So happy to know you like the recipes.
🙂
helo it waz very god and yumy
from mahamed
go pakistan in world cup
Mam when we soak the chicken in buttermilk where to keep.Fridge or room temperature
Hi Ambika
Keep it in the fridge for at least 45 mins to 5 hours. The longer you keep the more tender chicken will be after frying.
good
Thank you
At what temp would you set oil for deep fryer and how many minutes would you fry?
Hi Sarah
360 degrees and can fry for 2 1/2 to 3 mins.
hi can you cook these in the oven instead of frying them thanks
Yes you can grill them in a oven, but they will not turn crunchy
Getting them crunchy in an oven is easy. Place ~2 tbsp of oil in a baking tray, add chicken and bake until cooked through and golden. Obviously, cooking times will vary depending on the size of the chicken pieces and volume of chicken in the tray, so start with 10 minutes and check to see. 200 degrees C should do it.
Very nice thank-you and what is this onion powder is that onion paste or what…?
Welcome Danny
Onion powder is made using dehydrated or fried onions. It is used to add flavor to the fried foods especially used in fast foods. If you do not have you can try replacing with smooth onion paste but you may find speckles of onions after chicken is fried.
Made it tonight and it’s a really easy chicken dish. i didn’t even worry with the buttermilk so i can only imagine i’ll get better at making this dish.. because i will.
,i was done and eating in under an hour.
one question though, i made too much! is it safe to refrigerate the uncooked but crumbed chicken overnight?
Hi Grant
Thanks for trying and sharing the outcome
Yes you can refrigerate it and use up with in 24 hours. You can also freeze for 3 to 4 days & use it.
thanks for that, i’ll have it again tomorrow