Easy Popcorn Chicken

Name: Popcorn Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks); 3/4 cup milk; dash of hot sauce; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; pinch of salt; pinch of pepper; neutral oil ((for frying)); season salt

3.86 from 7 votes

This Homemade Popcorn Chicken requires minimal prep and cooks in under 10 minutes. Perfect with steamed veggies, a side salad, or mashed potatoes!

Homemade Popcorn Chicken

Do you remember the whole “popcorn chicken” phenomenon? It was years and years ago and I don’t even remember who brought it up first, was it Arby’s? Either way, suddenly people were so excited to get these little “nuggets” of chicken that were actual white meat, super crispy, and totally easy to eat. In fact, I think a lot of them came in cups. And as I’m saying this I’m realizing that they are probably still out there and because we don’t ever eat fast food (except JCW’s because bless those hot, salty fries and special sauce) I’m just plain clueless.

Which brings me to something else I’m clueless about…

Age. Dudes, apparently I am THE WORST judge of a person’s age. Like really. I am always blown away by people when they tell me their age. I think I just assume everyone is my age or younger and I don’t think twice about it. I won’t throw out any names here, but let’s just say there are a few bloggers that I literally still cannot believe are older than me. You know who you are. I’m looking at you, girls.

So what are you a bad judge of? Chicken being done? Boyfriends? Clothes? I’d love to hear!!

What’s in Popcorn Chicken?

This easy popcorn chicken recipe requires minimal ingredients. Here’s all you’ll need to make it:

Chicken breasts
Milk
Hot sauce
All-purpose flour
Spices (paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper)
Oil (for frying)

How to Make Popcorn Chicken

These crispy fried chicken bites are a cinch to make. Here are the basic steps to making homemade popcorn chicken:

Whisk together milk and hot sauce in one bowl, and the flour and spices in another bowl.
Marinate the chicken bites in the milk mixture for 1 hour.
Once marinated, dunk each piece of chicken into the flour mixture.
Immediately fry the chicken in oil until golden and cooked through.

Can I Make Baked Popcorn Chicken?

Oven baked popcorn chicken is easy to make and tastes just as good as fried popcorn chicken. Marinate the chicken as directed, coat in flour, then place on a baking tray. Drizzle with a little oil, then bake at 425F for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

What to Serve with Popcorn Chicken

This popcorn chicken recipe is so easy to prepare on a busy weeknight, so it’s best to pair it with a simple side dish as well. Here are a few dishes we like serving alongside this popcorn chicken:

Tips for Making Homemade Popcorn Chicken

Be sure to use skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. The coating on the chicken gets nice and crispy in the oil, so there’s no need to have skin on the chicken too.

Note that you need to use a neutral-flavored oil for frying the chicken. Something like canola or vegetable oil will work well.

Try dipping this popcorn chicken into homemade Garlicky Avocado Sauce, BBQ sauce, or Special Sauce. Or keep things simple and dunk it in ketchup!

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