Popcorn Chicken

5 from 2 votes

This popcorn chicken is juicy pieces of chicken fried to perfection. It's crispy, flavorful, and super easy to make. Feel free to serve it as an appetizer or main course!

Prep Time15

Cook Time2

Total Time17

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 66kcal

Author: Julie Maestre

Equipment

Candy Thermometer to measure oil
large pot for frying chicken

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 egg
1 cup whole milk
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
canola or vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

In a small bowl combine the paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Set it aside.
Combine the egg and milk and mix until well combined.
Cut the chicken breasts into 1/2-inch pieces and season with 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt and half of the spice mixture.
In a shallow dish, combine the all-purpose flour and remaining spice blend, don't add any salt to the flour.
Heat your oil to 350 degrees F.
Dip the chicken pieces in the egg mixture and remove any extra liquid. Place the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess flour. You can use a strainer to coat multiple pieces at once.
Make sure to coat the chicken well with flour. It should be completely coated, without any visible chicken. If you can still see the chicken through the flour, apply another coat.
Deep fry the chicken for 2 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Once the chicken is done cooking, place it on a wire rack or a plate lined with a paper towel. Allow the chicken to cool for a couple of minutes before serving, and enjoy!

Notes

To make sure your chicken is seasoned just right every time, use 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt for each pound of chicken. So if you have 3 pounds of chicken, you'll need 3 teaspoons of salt, and so on and so forth.
I recommend coating your chicken chunks in flour once your oil reaches 350 degrees otherwise, the chicken will absorb most of the flour and you don't want that. For the best results, you want the chicken to be freshly coated with flour right before frying.
Use a candy thermometer to measure the oil. If your oil is too hot the outside of the chicken will burn and the inside will remain raw. If the oil is too cold, the chicken will absorb too much oil and will turn out greasy. The perfect oil temperature for deep frying popcorn chicken is 350 degrees.

Nutrition