Popcorn Chicken is one of those comfort foods that never gets old. While these crispy, juicy morsels of chicken are 100% kid-friendly, the adults in your life will enjoy them just as much.
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If you love the taste of our Crispy Chicken Sandwiches or Baked Chicken Nuggets, this Popcorn Chicken recipe is going to become a regular part of your dinner rotation.
What is Popcorn Chicken?
It’s likely that you first fell in love with popcorn chicken at KFC. If you’ve never tried it before, it features tender chunks of chicken breast that have been breaded and deep-fried to golden brown perfection. Unlike traditional fried chicken, Chicken Strips or Chicken Tenders, this copycat recipe comes in bite-sized pieces (hence the “popcorn” reference in the name).
It can be served as a snack or appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce, over salad, or with your favorite side for a complete meal.
Ingredients for Popcorn Chicken
- Chicken Breast – Use fresh or thawed chicken, cut it into even, bite-sized pieces
- Flour – all-purpose flour works best for this recipe
- Salt – fine sea salt or table salt will do
- Garlic powder – adds extra flavor to the breading
- Buttermilk – makes the chicken juicy and the breading nice and crispy
- Panko Crumbs – add a nice, crunchy texture to the chicken
- Oil – use any high-heat cooking oil such as canola oil, vegetable oil, or light olive oil
How to Make Popcorn Chicken
- Slice chicken breast – cut into even, bite-sized pieces.
- Make the flour mixture – Whisk the flour, salt, and garlic powder together in a medium bowl.
- Measure buttermilk & panko – Pour buttermilk into a separate bowl and the panko bread crumbs onto a plate.
- Dredge the chicken – Dip the chicken bites into the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk then panko.
- Fry the chicken – Preheat about 1-inch of oil in a deep frying pan to 350˚F and pop the coated chicken pieces inside. Fry in small batches until golden brown.
- Allow the chicken to rest – Remove the popcorn chicken from oil with a slotted spoon and let it rest on a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up the excess grease or a wire rack with paper towels underneath.
- Sprinkle with salt while the chicken is warm and serve with your favorite sauce!
Tips for the Tastiest Popcorn Chicken
- Cut the chicken into even-sized pieces – To ensure even cooking, slice the chicken into similar-sized pieces.
- Avoid overcooking the chicken – Once the chicken turns golden brown, remove it immediately from the oil. The longer it cooks, the drier it will get. Chicken breast should reach 165˚F on an instant read thermometer when done.
- Check the oil temperature with a clip-on pot thermometer to make sure your oil has reached 350°F before adding the chicken. If the oil is too cool, the breading will soak up oil and seem greasy.
- Don’t overcrowd the chicken – if you add too much chicken, it will cool down the oil. Cook in batches.
- Season the batter – If you’re feeling adventurous, add in a couple teaspoons of different spices into the flour mixture. Cayenne pepper, freshly cracked black pepper, and paprika are all great flavorings.
- Add baking powder for extra crispy popcorn chicken – If you like your chicken extra crispy, add in a couple of tablespoons of baking powder to the flour mixture.
- Salt at the end – sprinkling fried foods with salt really amps up the flavor. We recommend the same when making Pork Schnitzel and Fried Zucchini.
How to Serve
- Dipping sauce – Homemade Ranch, spicy Jalapeno ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, Avocado Ranch, hot sauce, and ketchup are all great options.
- Appetizer – Serve alongside other small bites like Jalapeno Poppers, Egg Rolls, or Air Fryer French Fries.
- Salad Topper – Sprinkle the popcorn chicken onto a Caesar Salad or Garden Salad or even over pasta like we did with Lemon Chicken Pasta.
Is popcorn chicken the same as chicken nuggets?
They are very similar. Popcorn chicken is smaller and made with whole pieces of chicken breast meat, while our baked chicken nuggets use ground chicken and can be made with both chicken breasts and thighs.
Can you make gluten-free popcorn chicken?
Yes – substitute in your favorite gluten-free flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs and prepare as directed.
Make-Ahead
- To Refrigerate: Store cooked and cooled popcorn chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing Popcorn Chicken: Assemble the raw, breaded chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze uncovered for 1 hour or until frozen, then transfer to freezer-safe zip bags and store up to 3 months. Bake frozen nuggets at 400˚F for 15-18 minutes or just until cooked through with an internal temperature of 165˚F.
- To Reheat: The best way to reheat leftover popcorn chicken in the oven or air fryer at 350°F until crispy and warmed through.
More Tasty Chicken Recipes
We love chicken recipes like this Popcorn Chicken because they are inexpensive, easy to make, and well-loved by everyone. P.S. If you love chicken, check out our 40+ Best Chicken Breast Recipes.
- Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Cheesy Chicken Fritters
- Baked Chicken Legs
- Chicken Schnitzel
- Chicken Parmesan
- Popeyes Chicken Sandwich
- Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
Easy Popcorn Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to serve
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups panko crumbs
- 1 cup oil, vegetable or canola
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and garlic powder.
- Pour the buttermilk into a separate bowl and the panko crumbs onto a plate.
- Dredge a piece of chicken into the flour mixture until evenly coated then dip in buttermilk, letting excess drip off. Lastly, roll in panko bread crumbs until evenly coated. Transfer to a platter.
- Preheat 1-inch of oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Adjust the heat to keep the oil at 350˚F. Fry the popcorn chicken in small batches, leaving space between each piece and flipping as needed. Fry until golden brown and 165˚F at the deepest part of the chicken on a thermometer.
- Remove the popcorn chicken from the oil and let it rest on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Sprinkle hot chicken lightly with salt and serve with your favorite dipping sauce!
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Natalya Drozhzhin
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Can coconut milk or cream substitute for buttermilk? Would you add 1 T vinegar or lemon juice per cup to “sour” it?
One of our readers shared this comment “I made it with coconut milk. Used a candy thermometer to get the vegetable oil to the right temperature. It was awesome. Appreciate your teaching.” Hope that helps!
yummy yummy,im going try this recipe now.NATASHA NEVER DISAPPOINT
This looks delicious but I’ve sworn off canola/vegetable oils and use only olive or avocado oil. Can I substitute I hope? Thank you!
Hi Deni, avocado oil may work as long as it has a high smoke point. I hope you love this recipe.
I made it with coconut milk. Used a candy thermometer to get the vegetable oil to the right temperature. It was awesome. Appreciate your teaching.
Quick question- My oven has 425F air fryer setting. I was thinking of air frying the recipe instead. Your advice?
Hi Lians! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! I haven’t tested this on air fryer mode. I looked through the comments to see if any of my readers have left any feedback on this but I did not see any comments. I assume it could work please let us know how it turns out if you experiment.
I just made this recipe tonight & was wondering if you could confirm the amount of salt. I loved everything about it, but they were way too salty. Was the 1.5T in your recipe correct?
Hi Kristi, I apologize for not catching that – I’m certain it should have been 1.5 tsp rather than Tablespoons. Thank you for letting me know and I’m sorry we didn’t catch that sooner.
it didnt turn out well… it wasnt like crispy at all.. probably wont do it some other time
Hi Kiara! This can happen if your oil is not hot enough. Check the oil with a thermometer (affiliate link) to make sure your oil has reached 350°F before adding the chicken. Also, I mentioned in the notes if you like your chicken extra crispy, add a couple of tablespoons of baking powder to the flour mixture.
Hi Natasha, can I refry before serving instead of reheating in the oven?
Thanks
Hi Tulika! I think that could work but I haven’t tested that.I worry they might dry out. We like to reheat these in the air fryer or the oven.
Can I substitute chicken thighs?
Thanks!
Yes that works!
Hi Natasha, can we substitute the butter milk with something else
Like yogurt or something else?
Thx😊
You can try to make your own buttermilk at a ratio of 1 cup whole milk to 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Combine and let it sit 10 minutes to curdle then stir and use.
Thx, will try making the buttermilk as suggested by you
Thx 😊
I hope you love it!
Hi Natasha, thx for sharing such wonderful recipes 😊
Can we use chicken thigh meat( bite size) for the popcorn
Since chicken thighs are juicy and won’t dry out
Thx
Tulika
Hi Tulika, yes, chicken nuggets can be made with both chicken breasts and thighs. I hope that helps!
Thx Natasha for the quick response 😊 Your videos are so helpful and entertaining as well!
You’re welcome, Tulika! Thank you.
Can the buttermilk and panko be substituted with regular milk and breadcrumbs? Just trying to stick with what’s in my cupboard. Thanks!
Hi Mariah, I haven’t tested using just milk. Panko breadcrumbs work well for frying chicken because they crisp up so beautifully. Regular breadcrumbs can be used interchangeably in most recipes. It won’t be quite the same but I assume it would work just fine for this recipce.