Popcorn chicken
Ingredients
Chicken and marinade
- 500g / 1lb chicken breast, skinless boneless, tenderloin or boneless thighs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1 large egg (~50 – 55g, 2 oz in shell)
Popcorn Chicken Breading
- 1 1/2 cups flour, plain / all purpose
- 1/2 cup corn flour / cornstarch
KFC 11 Secret Herbs and Spices
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp celery salt (sub 1/4 tsp extra salt)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp regular paprika (aka sweet paprika, not hot or smoked)
- 1 tsp dried thyme, crushed with fingers to make it finer
- 1 tsp dried oregano, crushed with fingers to make it finer
- 3/4 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
To fry
- 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 cups canola oil (2.5 cm / 1" depth), or vegetable or peanut oil
Dipping sauce suggestions
- 1/2 batch Honey mustard dipping sauce
- Ketchup, tomato sauce, sweet and sour sauce, pink sauce, BBQ, any other dipping sauce you love!
Instructions
- 1
Marinade chicken - Cut chicken into small 1.25 cm / 1/2" cubes.
- 2
Marinade chicken - Whisk marinade in a bowl. Add chicken, stir to coat, then refrigerate for 1 hour (no longer than 24 hours).
- 3
Prepare breading - Mix together Breading and all KFC Secret Herbs & Spices in a large bowl (larger surface area = coat more chicken in one go).
- 4
Prepare breading - Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the Marinade into the flour mixture. Use your fingers to rub in so you get lots of small lumpy bits all throughout (this fries up into extra crunchy bits, secret trick!).
- 5
Prepare to cook - Line a tray with paper towels (for draining cooked chicken). Preheat oven to 50°C/125°F to keep cooked chicken warm.
- 6
Prepare to cook - Add oil to your pot to a depth of 2.5 cm / 1". Heat it over medium high to 180°C/350°F.
- 7
Breading - Pick up a handful of chicken from the marinade with your left hand, then scatter across surface of the flour mixture. Spoon flour over chicken then toss with the spoon to coat.
- 8
Breading - Separate the chicken pieces and press the clumpy flour onto the chicken pieces. Pick up a handful, shake excess flour off through fingers (no need to be thorough). Spread chicken on tray. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- 9
Breading - Just before frying, use your fingers to briefly re-toss the chicken you're about to cook in the residual flour on the tray (to freshen up the flour coating, as it sits around it sweats/gets wet), and make sure the chicken pieces are not stuck together.
- 10
Frying - Pick up some chicken and put it in a spider with large holes and shake so excess flour falls through (or use hands to shake off excess flour then then transfer into a scoop to lower into oil). Carefully lower chicken into the oil.
- 11
Frying - Fry for 2 – 2.5 minutes until golden, separating any that get stuck together around halfway through.
- 12
Frying - Scoop out with a spider and spread on a paper towel lined tray. Keep cooked chicken warm in the oven and cook remaining chicken.
- 13
Frying - Serve chicken – in popcorn boxes, for extra fun factor! – with dipping sauce of choice (pictured, Honey Mustard).
