Delicious and Healthy Popcorn Chicken

A close up image of a bowl of popcorn chicken with some lemons and limes in the background

5 from 1 vote

Delicious and Healthy Popcorn Chicken

This popcorn chicken is great for adults and children alike. Perfectly crunchy on the outside with tender and juicy white meat bites on the inside, it's a perfect accompaniment to a meal or can even be enjoyed as a snack!

Prep Time1 20

Cook Time30

Marinating time8

Total Time50

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 276kcal

Author: Kitrusy

Ingredients

1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cubed)
1½ cups buttermilk
1½ cup stone ground whole wheat pastry flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
extra light olive oil (for brushing, spritzing, or frying)

Instructions

Preparation:

Place the buttermilk into a bowl. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own (like I did) by using 1½ cups of whole milk with the juice of a whole lime and half a lemon added to it. Stir the milk and set it aside to allow it to thicken for a few minutes.
Add the (raw) cubed chicken breast pieces into the buttermilk and stir to coat all pieces. Cover the bowl and allow to marinate in the refrigerator a minimum of one hour. (An overnight marinade is best as the the acid in the buttermilk helps to tenderize the chicken which ensures a juicy and tender end product.)

Coating the pieces:

In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and dried oregano and mix them all together.
Pick each piece of chicken out of the buttermilk marinade and roll it into the flour mixture to evenly coat. Allow each piece to rest for five to ten minutes before frying.
If the pieces absorb all the flour and appear pasty, simply roll it through the flour one more time (being sure to dust off the excess). Discard the leftover buttermilk once all chicken pieces are removed and coated.

Frying in oil on the stove-top:

Add enough oil to a pot or pan to cover the chicken pieces when submerged. Heat the oil until a test piece bubbles and fries the moment you drop it in.
Deep fry the chicken in small batches on medium heat until each piece is golden brown in color. Remove and set the pieces on layered kitchen paper towels to drain off any excess oil and cool before serving.

Frying in an air-fryer:

Pre-heat your air-fryer to 350°F.
Once pre-heated, spritz the inside of the basket with a light mist of oil (or use a heat-resistant pastry brush to coat the basket with oil) before placing a small batch of chicken pieces into the basket in a single layer, making sure that none of the pieces are touching.
Allow to cook, for a few minutes until the tops begin to form a crispy crust. Brush or spritz the tops lightly with oil and continue cooking. checking on them intermittently until they begin to develop a golden brown color.
Once all pieces are evenly browned, remove and set the pieces on layered kitchen paper towels to cool before serving.

Serving and storing:

Serve popcorn chicken as a snack, an appetizer or as a meat side with potatoes or even rolled up into a whole wheat tortilla as a wrap! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. For those with an air-fryer, you can pop leftovers into a pre-heated air-fryer for a few minutes to warm and crisp up again. A toaster oven also works great for reheating!

Notes

When using the air-fryer some pieces may still have flour showing. If you like, you can either spritz or brush some oil onto them and cook them a little longer or leave them as is.

Nutrition