Popcorn chicken makes for an easy kid-friendly dinner. Bite sized fried chicken pieces, ready for dipping into your favorite dipping sauce! This bite-sized popcorn chicken recipe will be a hit with the whole family!
I was walking through the grocery store last weekend and they had this huge freezer with a special on popcorn chicken. I was a little intrigued. It would be a very quick and easy dinner for during the week.
And I almost picked up a bag. The key word there is almost. I ended up deciding against it because I thought, “you know what? I bet I can make that at home really easily.”
And, as you’ll see, it is easy to make!
What is popcorn chicken?
That is the first question that my husband asked when I told him that I was making popcorn chicken for dinner. Contrary to its name, popcorn chicken is not made with popcorn. “Popcorn” refers to it’s snack-ability because it is so small.
Popcorn chicken is just a bit smaller than your average chicken nugget.
I use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this dish because they are pretty inexpensive and I like the flavor more than boneless breasts. If you’re a white meat fan you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts to make popcorn chicken.
Should you brine chicken?
100% yes. When I originally posted this recipe back in 2010, I had not yet been introduced to the wonderful world that is brining chicken.
Now, whenever I make chicken, I brine it first. Brining chicken makes the chicken juicier because the chicken will absorb the liquid.
I have brined all sorts of chicken during the last few years like Summer Savory Fried Chicken and Grilled Rosemary Fried Chicken are a couple of our favorites.
A basic chicken brine is made with water, salt and sugar. You can also add different seasonings to it. However, when I read that Chick-Fil-A brines their chicken in pickle juice, and the wild success I had with Dill Pickle Chicken Wings, I knew it would be perfect for popcorn chicken too.
How do you make dill pickle popcorn chicken?
Step 1: Brine the chicken in pickle brine. I usually save extra pickle brine after I am done with a jar of pickles. Claussen pickles are a favorite around here.
Step 2: Dip the chicken pieces in an egg/milk bath.
Step: 3: Dredge the chicken in seasoned flour. I like season my flour with seasoned salt such as Johnny’s.
Step 4: Fry until golden brown.
Easy peasy done!
So guys, you need to get on this ASAP. Because they are amazeballs.
Take it from my husband, who is not huge fan of fried chicken who said, as he scarfed down about 20 pieces, that they were really good, light and not too heavy like other fried chicken. Give ’em a shot. Let me know what you think.
Holy moly, guys, it is SO good. And I love that you don’t have to make the brine yourself, which makes this even easier to make.
So the next time you get a craving for popcorn chicken, know that you don’t need to head to KFC or Popeye’s to get it. You can make it at home in a snap! And don’t forget the dip!
Check out these other Family Friendly Chicken Recipes:
baked honey mustard chicken tender recipe
BBQ Chip Crusted Chicken Tenders
Alabama BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Dips for Popcorn Chicken
Note: this recipe was originally posted in 2010. It was updated with photos, additional tips and nutrition facts in 2019.
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (diced into bite sized pieces)
- 1 cup pickle brine
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons seasoning salt (I like Johnny's)
- 1 cup canola oil
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces and pickle juice in a resealable plastic bag (or other non-reactive) container and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- In a bowl beat egg and milk together.
- In a large plastic bag combine flour, baking power and salt. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg and milk. Then place in the seasoned flour and shake until nicely coated. Let set in the flour for about 10 minutes while you heat the oil.
- In a large pot heat about 1/2 inch of oil to 350 degrees. Once hot, shake the excess flour off of the chicken pieces and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. You may need to do this in batches to avoid crowding the pan.
- Once chicken is cooked use a slotted spoon to transfer the pieces to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with a little more seasoning salt if desired. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
This chicken is just PERFECT!!!
You could totally cook them a little longer if you need to! You could temp a few after 3 minutes to see if they need to be cooked longer. If they are 165 degrees they are cooked through. Keep in mind they are small pieces and boneless so they are going to cook faster than other chicken.Hope this helps!
You only need to fry for 3 minutes?? And the chicken cooks through? I am making these for the grandkids this weekend, but I’m a little nervous about undercooked chicken.
GOOD RECIPES WEBSITE I LOVE IT WELL DONE.
I TRY LAST NIGHT MY KIDS SAY YUMMY.
My kids will definitely love this with honey mustard! I actually enjoy this type of food as well. Lol! Ill add some veggies on the side when I serve this for my kids.
I am so happy to hear that! You are so welcome!
My family gobbled this up! Seriously so good and I never write reviews! Thank you for the recipe!
Finally! An easy popcorn chicken recipe without those crazy spices! Thank you so much for this recipe!
My husband will surely love this!
This sounds so amazing, perfectly golden brown and crispy! Yum!
This is do family friendly! Who doesn’t love popcorn chicken?
This is great for the kids to enjoy at dinner!
These homemade popcorn chicken bites look so much better than anything from the freezer section of the grocery store! This is a dinner the whole family will love!
I want to try making this!
This looks like it’ll quickly become a family favorite!
My kids cannot get enough of this! They absolutely love it!
I use homemade honey mustard! Here is my recipe :) https://www.lifesambrosia.com/honey-mustard-dressing-recipe/
Recipe for sauce? The one in the video?
I love fried chicken so much and this looks amazing!
What a fun dish for a party!
My kids will love this!
Such a great party dish! On my to do list! Thank you for sharing!
Yes! It is so much better when you can make it at home!
What….!?…… 😵
Oh my goodness, you know me so well I love popcorn chicken ALOT and this will save me from having to go to KFC and getting their popcorn chicken, with this recipe I will have my own popcorn chicken at home! 😍😊
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[…] The original recipe for this popcorn chicken can be found here: https://www.lifesambrosia.com/2010/12/popcorn-chicken-recipe.html […]
Very tasty! I added some cayenne pepper to the honey/season salt mix and it added a nice kick. Bee stung popcorn chicken. :) Thank you!
[…] all changed when I saw this recipe on pinterest from Life’s Ambrosia. I decided to make my own and oh my stars. So […]
Awessssooooooome! Made this recipe last week ! It was polished so fast I don’t even know how much I actually made but I do know it was a lot !!!
yummy for my big tummy. :)
I wasn’t too sure about this recipe initially because there was very little breading and they didn’t look too crispy.. but i figured i’d try them out. They didn’t come out super crispy like normal fried chicken but for some reason IT WORKS. These are soooo good, so simple, and are my new favorite way to fry up chicken.
I tried these. They were good but turned ourt kinda mushy, what did I do wrong? So good recipe, but bad cook ;)
made these last night, they are phenomenal….just perfect! thanks for the post!
I really like the idea of using honey with these. I think I am going to make these on our next chicken night.
You’re welcome Zoe! I’m glad you liked it!
Jon- I think that is a great idea. Let me know if you try it. I’d like to know how it turns out :)
what about using thigh meat?
that should make it more tender right?
tnx
My husband and I made these together tonight and they are amazing. So much better than anything we could have gotten from a store or fast food. We had to stop ourselves from just eating them at the counter as the next batch cooked. :)
Thank you for this recipe! Everything I’ve made from your site is delicious.
KFC POPCORN SHICKEN IS DA BEST. CHINAMAN SAY SO..
YOU RECIPE OK. BUT NO THE CORNELS SIGNATURE SPICE. CHINAMAN LIKE SPICE. CHINA LIKE SPICE. I SAY SO..
WHY YOU WEAR NECKLACE OVER COOKING PROTECTION APRON. IN PHOTO. IT LOOK WEIRD. CHINA MAN SAY SO.
YOU RECIPES PRETTY GOOD FOR AMERICAN. CHINA MAN SAY SO. I SAY KEEP UP GOOD WOK. I MEAN WORK NOT WOK..
WHY WHY. THAT MEAN BYE BYE BY CHINA MAN.
Doesn’t like fried food?!?! I’m speechless.
I’ve bookmarked this recipe – it sounds really good, easy, and not a pain to fry. Is it bad that the pain-in-the-rear-end aspect of frying is what prevents me from doing it more often?
Yours look so much better than what you find in the freezer section. Loving this.
I would never have thought of this on my own. I love the idea. I might make it with chicken thighs – I love that part of the bird best of all. And, may I ask, who doesn’t love fried food? Sheesh!
Yum! I’m glad you made the popcorn chicken instead of purchasing it!