Popcorn Chicken
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 428cal
Equipment
- Deep fryer or Dutch oven/deep sided skillet
Ingredients
- 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup all purpose flour divided
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons water
- Oil for frying. such as vegetable or canola
Instructions
- Preheat the deep fryer to 345 F.
- Trim excess fat from chicken and cut into 2-inch cubes.1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Put 1/2 cup of the flour into the first breading tray and 1/2 cup of flour into the second breading tray.
- To the second breading tray, add the garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt. Whisk together until completely combined.1 Tablespoon onion powder, 1 Tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together.1 large egg, 2 Tablespoons water
- Dredge chicken cubes in flour (first breading tray), then coat in egg mixture.
- Dredge the egg coated chicken cube in the seasoned flour (second breading tray).
- Add chicken to the fryer basket, being careful not to crowd the pieces, and carefully lower into the hot oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes, shaking the basket after the first dunk so they don’t stick together.
- Remove and drain on paper towels.
Notes
- Make sure the temperature is high enough, otherwise you will oil-log your food. The oil temperature should be at least 335 F, use a food thermometer to check it. When the temp is high enough, the hot oil will work quickly and create a shell around the food preventing oil from getting in. Also, be sure when you remove cooked food from the oil to place it on a wire rack. We line a baking sheet with paper towels then place a wire rack over the top. This allows ALL sides of the food to drain and not sit in oil.
- You can purchase already trimmed chicken breasts (which are a little more pricey) or the bulk family packs that you will need to trim. Whatever works best for you. We usually purchase packages that say “up to 1%-4% water retained”, but stay away from packages with a higher water percentage. Chicken can often be injected with water to plump them up. However, in our experience, we’ve found that excess water will evaporate when cooked causing the chicken to shrink considerably.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 428cal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 604mg | Potassium: 489mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 52IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 2mg
