Popcorn Chicken

Let’s pop them popcorn chicken!

I am sure I have already got your attention! Do you know why? Let’s be honest! We all love fried chicken! There are tons of styles and preparations, but even then you’ll never get tired of trying new stuff!

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I like talking about food – recipes, delicacies, specialities, restaurants one should visit, their signature dishes, favourite celebrity chefs, the variety of food related topics is mouthwatering! During one such conversation over dinner, one of our friends asked me if I have tried frying chicken with cornflakes. It was something that I had not tried before. She didn’t have a precise recipe to share but that idea stuck in my head.

I held on to that idea for a long time, but I managed to revisit it only recently. A couple of attempts to get the right ingredient combination, and here we go!

About this easy recipe

Bite size pieces of fried chicken with a crispy coating and a flavourful crust. You can make this delicious popcorn chicken and a dipping sauce in no time!

Like most recipes on this blog, this one is easy too! The first part is to make a marinade by mixing butter milk, chopped rosemary, turmeric powder (yeah, why not!), chilli powder and salt. Small, bite sized cubes of chicken pieces are marinated in this base, and then dipped in crushed cornflakes to get a nice coating. The chicken pieces are then fried to perfection. A nice dipping sauce to go with it completes the ensemble.

Read on, and try out the popcorn chicken with the dipping sauce recipe below.

Print Recipe

Popcorn Chicken

Bite size pieces of fried chicken with a crispy coating and a flavourful crust. You can make this delicious popcorn chicken and a dipping sauce in no time!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, Global

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 500 grams boneless chicken
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon rosemary finely chopped
• to taste salt
• 1 cup cornflakes

For the dipping sauce

• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorn coarsely ground
• a pinch rosemary finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• to taste salt

Instructions

For the popcorn chicken

• Add butter milk, turmeric powder, chilli powder, finely chopped rosemary, salt to a large mixing bowl.
  
• Mix well. This is our marinade.
• Cut the chicken to small cubes and add to the marinade. Stir well to coat the pieces, and let it marinate for 10 minutes.
• Put the cornflakes in a plastic bag. Close the bag, and run a rolling pin on the bag to crush the cornflakes*.
  
• Transfer this crushed cornflakes to a plate.
  
• Heat some oil** in a deep-bottom pan.
• Take a chicken piece, roll it in the cornflakes, and slowly place it in the oil.
• Repeat for a few more pieces. Don't overcrowd the pan, or let the oil temperature drop.
• We want the chicken pieces to be cooked inside without burning the outer cornflakes coating. It should be crispy.
• Once the chicken pieces are uniformly fried, scoop them out using a slotted spoon and place on a kitchen towel to soak up the oil.
  
• Fry the remaining chicken pieces in batches.

Dipping Sauce

• Add 1/2 cup yogurt, lime juice, coarse black pepper, salt and some finely chopped rosemary to a small mixing bowl.
• Combine well to make our dipping sauce.

Notes

*You don't have to beat the bag with the pin, rolling itself is sufficient to reduce them to a coarse texture

**Test if the oil is hot enough by dropping a little marinade. If it bubbles and comes to the top your oil is hot