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Popcorn chickenmakes 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 andGrilled Rosemary Fried Chickenare 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 readthat Chick-Fil-Abrines 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 chickenwho 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 tenderrecipe
BBQ Chip Crusted Chicken Tenders
Alabama BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Dips for Popcorn Chicken
Creamy Ranch Dip
Honey Mustard Dressing
Note: this recipe was originally posted in 2010. It was updated with photos, additional tips and nutrition facts in 2019.
Dill Pickle Popcorn Chicken
Crispy bite-size popcorn chicken will be a hit with the whole family! An easy kid-friendly fried chicken recipe. The chicken is marinated for extra flavor!
5 from 15 votes
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Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 637 kcal
Ingredients
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.
Notes
Nutrition facts not guaranteed to be accurate.
Nutrition
Calories: 637kcalCarbohydrates: 17.9gProtein: 36.6gFat: 46.1gSaturated Fat: 5.5gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 1206mgFiber: 0.9gSugar: 1.3g
Tried this recipe?Mention @lifesambrosia or tag #lifesambrosia!
Keywords: chick fil a, chicken, chicken bites, chicken breast, dinner, entree, Food, fried chicken, popcorn chicken, Recipe
Leave a Comment
Reply
Allyson Zea
June 6, 2019 at 10:01 am
This chicken is just PERFECT!!!
Reply
LolaS
June 3, 2019 at 9:23 am
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.
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Deseree
June 3, 2019 at 1:55 pm
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!
Reply
banazer noor
April 13, 2019 at 4:39 pm
GOOD RECIPES WEBSITE I LOVE IT WELL DONE.
I TRY LAST NIGHT MY KIDS SAY YUMMY.
Reply
Kit
March 7, 2019 at 5:48 pm
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.
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Mollie
February 27, 2019 at 11:39 am
My family gobbled this up! Seriously so good and I never write reviews! Thank you for the recipe!
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Deseree
February 27, 2019 at 3:57 pm
I am so happy to hear that! You are so welcome!
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Yang
February 25, 2019 at 4:53 pm
Finally! An easy popcorn chicken recipe without those crazy spices! Thank you so much for this recipe!
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Sandra | A Dash of Sanity
August 18, 2018 at 7:53 am
My husband will surely love this!
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Carolyn
August 17, 2018 at 8:53 am
This sounds so amazing, perfectly golden brown and crispy! Yum!
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Jersey Girl Cooks
August 17, 2018 at 8:12 am
This is do family friendly! Who doesn’t love popcorn chicken?
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Krista
August 15, 2018 at 7:06 am
This is great for the kids to enjoy at dinner!
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Erin Dee
August 14, 2018 at 8:51 pm
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!
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Delaney | Melanie Makes
August 13, 2018 at 6:24 pm
I want to try making this!
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Sabrina
August 13, 2018 at 2:28 pm
This looks like it’ll quickly become a family favorite!
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Amanda
August 13, 2018 at 2:07 pm
My kids cannot get enough of this! They absolutely love it!
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Bre
May 31, 2018 at 4:02 am
Recipe for sauce? The one in the video?
Reply
Deseree
May 31, 2018 at 8:29 am
I use homemade honey mustard! Here is my recipe :) https://www.lifesambrosia.com/honey-mustard-dressing-recipe/
Reply
Richa Gupta
March 2, 2018 at 5:34 pm
I love fried chicken so much and this looks amazing!
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Kelly
March 2, 2018 at 8:21 am
What a fun dish for a party!
Reply
Jersey Girl Cooks
February 28, 2018 at 7:18 am
My kids will love this!
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Hadia
February 28, 2018 at 3:43 am
Such a great party dish! On my to do list! Thank you for sharing!
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Michael Garcia
February 11, 2018 at 6:17 pm
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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Deseree
February 12, 2018 at 1:32 pm
Yes! It is so much better when you can make it at home!
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Diana
April 16, 2013 at 6:53 pm
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!
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Leah
December 20, 2011 at 4:31 pm
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 !!!
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Darzalliela.
March 10, 2011 at 10:04 pm
yummy for my big tummy. :)
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Tiny
January 6, 2011 at 7:28 pm
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.
Reply
jack
December 17, 2010 at 10:42 am
I tried these. They were good but turned ourt kinda mushy, what did I do wrong? So good recipe, but bad cook ;)
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jasmine
December 17, 2010 at 8:49 am
made these last night, they are phenomenal….just perfect! thanks for the post!
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Samantha
December 14, 2010 at 11:44 am
I really like the idea of using honey with these. I think I am going to make these on our next chicken night.
Reply
Deseree
December 14, 2010 at 11:26 am
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 :)
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Jon
December 14, 2010 at 11:01 am
what about using thigh meat?
that should make it more tender right?
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abdo
December 13, 2010 at 4:49 pm
tnx
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Zoe
December 12, 2010 at 5:44 pm
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.
Reply
mike moodlao
December 11, 2010 at 3:59 pm
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.
Reply
Michael Garcia
February 11, 2018 at 6:19 pm
What….!?…… 😵
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Sara
December 11, 2010 at 6:29 am
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?
Reply
Michelle
December 10, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Yours look so much better than what you find in the freezer section. Loving this.
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StephenC
December 10, 2010 at 10:27 am
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!
Reply
Fun and Fearless in Beantown
December 10, 2010 at 10:09 am
Yum! I’m glad you made the popcorn chicken instead of purchasing it!
