Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, this insanely delish popcorn chicken is a perfect crowd pleaser with both kids and adults alike! Make this restaurant style popcorn chicken at home and you won’t ever buy it from outside again!
Popcorn chicken needs no introduction! If you are a chicken lover, I am sure you have had your fair share of popcorn chicken from your favorite takeaways!
But do you know that you can easily make this tempting snack at home? And with a much better quality instead of having just empty crumbs at the bottom of the pack!
Yeah you heard it right! That crispy, crunchy, juicy delicacy can be easily recreated at home with a handful of ingredients that are just pantry staples.
No fussy ingredients, no lengthy procedure! Just half an hour of your time and you get a superior quality popcorn chicken that is way more tastier than what you get in any renowned food chain!
What is popcorn chicken?
How to define popcorn chicken! Well, it is a bite-size piece of boneless chicken with a super-crispy outer coating that creates a mind-blowing combination of crunchiness and juiciness at the same time when you pop them into your mouth!
The outer coating of the popcorn chicken has a nice dusting of a well-seasoned spicy mix making the apparently bland chicken explode as a pleasure bomb in your mouth giving you an unforgettable experience!
Best thing about these cute little popcorn chicken is that it requires minimal ingredients and very little prep time! The spicy peri peri mix can be premade and kept in an air-tight jar for a good month and use it as required.
Just a word of caution! Make sure you make a large batch as I can guarantee that it won’t even take minutes before getting vanished!
Ingredients for popcorn chicken
Chicken: Crunchy and juicy popcorn chicken requires boneless & skinless chicken cubes; so you have all the liberty to use either chicken breast or chicken thighs. Even though chicken breasts are leaner than thighs (and bland at times), they will still work perfectly here thanks to the technique used!
Peri peri spice mix: This is the star of the show and requires all the attention it deserves! This is a fantastic spice mix to flavor your popcorn chicken just like the way your favorite take-away does!
Good news is, you can make this peri peri spice mix very easily at home! Just whiz Kashmiri red chilli powder for color, spicy red chilli powder for that kick, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper powder, dry mango powder (aka amchur), oregano, salt and granulated sugar together in a dry grinder and you have the beautiful homemade peri peri spice mix ready in a jiffy!
Aromatics: The usual suspects i.e. ginger and garlic paste are must-have aromatics to flavor your chicken cubes.
Vinegar: A splash of vinegar will soften the chicken breast keeping it tender and juicy even after being deep fried.
Maida/All-purpose flour: This is that magic ingredient which will create the ultimate crispy outer coating that makes popcorn chicken so crave-worthy!
Ice cold water: A must have item for applying the right technique of making restaurant style crispy & crunchy popcorn chicken. Make sure your freezer has a good amount of ice cubes before you start.
Seasoning: Add seasoning i.e. salt and pepper as per your liking. But do keep in mind that your peri peri spice mix also contains salt.
How to make popcorn chicken?
First we will make peri peri spice mix which will give your homemade popcorn chicken that chef’s touch!
Step 1: To make this mix, add all the ingredients listed under peri peri spice mix to a dry grinder. Grind them well to make a fine powder making sure all the spices & aromatics are mixed evenly and sugar is ground well to a powder & mixed in. Your peri peri spice mix is ready.
Step 2: Next let’s prep the chicken breast for making popcorn chicken. Wash and pat dry both the chicken breasts.
Step 3: Cut each chicken breast first into long strips of about 1-inch width. Then cut each strip into bite-sized cubes of about 1-inch length.
Step 4: Now transfer the chicken cubes to a large mixing bowl and add salt, vinegar, ginger & garlic paste and a teaspoon of peri peri spice mix. Give the chicken a good mix using your hands so that each cube is coated evenly with all the spices & aromatics. Set it aside for 10 minutes.
Now to create the crispy outer coating of the popcorn chicken, you need to make one set up on your kitchen counter.
Step 5: Take the refined flour in a large bowl or plate and season it with salt; mix well. Also take ice cold water in another large bowl. Place both side by side.
Step 6: Now take a couple of marinated chicken cubes at a time and drop them into the seasoned flour; coat them well by tossing them around in the flour; also press gently while mixing so that flour sticks to the chicken.
Step 7: Then lift the chicken cubes up and shake off the excess flour. Place them on a slotted spoon or spider and dip it with the chicken in ice cold water for just a couple of seconds.
Step 8: Lift the slotted spoon and let all the excess water drip off. Then drop the wet chicken cubes back into the flour and coat them again by mixing & tossing them in the flour. Coat all the chicken cubes similarly.
Pro tip: This above step is very crucial to create that perfect restaurant style crispy outer crumbs on your homemade popcorn chicken.
Step 9: Now heat oil in a deep frying pan or wok until the oil is moderately hot; do not let the oil smoke, then it will burn your popcorn chicken.
Step 10: Deep fry the coated popcorn chicken in batches without overcrowding the pan; then it will not turn out crispy as too many chicken will not have enough space in the oil to float around and will ooze out too much water making them soggy once cooked.
Step 11: Cook the popcorn chicken on medium-high flame until golden brown & crispy; it will take about 10 to 12 minutes per batch.
Step 12: Once fried, take the popcorn chicken out from the hot oil using a spider or slotted spoon allowing all the excess oil to drip off.
Step 13: Transfer them into a bowl lined with an absorbent kitchen towel to soak up any excess oil.
Step 14: Sprinkle peri peri spice mix over the hot popcorn chicken & toss well. Your hot & crispy popcorn chicken is ready.
More delicious snacks recipe from Flavor Quotient
- Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
- Spicy red chilli powder - 1 tsp
- Onion powder - 1 tsp
- Garlic powder - 1 tsp
- Black pepper powder - ½ tsp
- Dry mango powder / Amchur - 1 tsp
- Oregano - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Sugar - 1 tsp
- Chicken breast - 2 (about 400 gms), skinless & boneless
- Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
- Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
- White vinegar - 1 tsp
- Peri peri spice mix - 1 tsp
- Maida / All-purpose flour - 1 cup (approximately)
- Ice cold water - 1 large bowl
- Salt to taste
- To make this mix, add all the ingredients listed under peri peri spice mix to a dry grinder. Grind them well to make a fine powder making sure all the spices & aromatics are mixed evenly. Your peri peri spice mix is ready.
- Next let’s prep the chicken breast for making popcorn chicken. Wash and pat dry both the chicken breasts.
- Cut each chicken breast first into long strips of about 1-inch width. Then cut each strip into bite-sized cubes of about 1-inch length.
- Now transfer the chicken cubes to a large mixing bowl and add salt, vinegar, ginger & garlic paste and a teaspoon of peri peri spice mix. Give the chicken a good mix using your hands so that each cube is coated evenly with all the spices & aromatics. Set it aside for 10 minutes.
- Take the refined flour in a large bowl or plate and season it with salt; mix well. Also take ice cold water in another large bowl. Place both side by side.
- Now take a couple of marinated chicken cubes at a time and drop them into the seasoned flour; coat them well by tossing them around in the flour; also press gently while mixing so that flour sticks to the chicken.
- Then lift the chicken cubes up and shake off the excess flour. Place them on a slotted spoon or spider and dip it with the chicken in ice cold water for just a couple of seconds.
- Lift the slotted spoon and let all the excess water drip off. Then drop the wet chicken cubes back into the flour and coat them again by mixing & tossing them in the flour. Coat all the chicken cubes similarly.
- Now heat oil in a deep frying pan or wok until the oil is moderately hot; do not let the oil smoke, then it will burn your popcorn chicken.
- Deep fry the coated popcorn chicken in batches without overcrowding the pan; then it will not turn out crispy as too many chicken will not have enough space in the oil to float around and will ooze out too much water making them soggy once cooked.
- Cook the popcorn chicken on medium-high flame until golden brown & crispy; it will take about 10 to 12 minutes per batch.
- Once fried, take the popcorn chicken out from the hot oil using a spider or slotted spoon allowing all the excess oil to drip off.
- Transfer them into a bowl lined with an absorbent kitchen towel to soak up any excess oil.
- Sprinkle peri peri spice mix over the hot popcorn chicken & toss well. Your hot & crispy popcorn chicken is ready. Enjoy!
Amazing 🤩
Thank you so much dear!! ❤