Popcorn Coated Popcorn Chicken
Do you know what is better than popcorn chicken, popcorn crusted popcorn chicken. This take a fast food favourite is full of flavour, full of fun and gluten-free.
Your kids will loves these gluten free chicken nuggets, they are perfect with carrot fries or loaded sweet potato fries.
Why This Recipe Works
- Popcorn works as a brilliant gluten free crumb, its crisp and delicious like panko bread crumbs but wheat-free
- I share a breading technique that uses mayonnaise, it makes for a very easy 2 step breading process.
- The popcorn chicken is baked in the oven, no shallow frying or deep frying required.
Ingredients you will need
- Boneless chicken breast or tenderloin
- mayonnaise
- popcorn (popped)
- paprika
- thyme
- garlic powder
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Chicken boneless breast or tenderloin: This recipe will also work with a firm white fish.
- Mayonnaise: Your favourite store bought or homemade mayonnaise.
- Popcorn (popped): Plain popped popcorn is best, you can do this on the stove top or use microwave popcorn
- Flavourings: A mixture of paprika, thyme and garlic powder is my favourite flavor for this recipe, but you can mix this up with your favourite flavours. Add some chilli if you like spice, add some parmesan cheese if cheese is your thing, onion powder is nice as well!
Step-by-step instructions
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my popcorn coated popcorn chicken recipe, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius (400 F)
Step one: Dice your chicken into bite sized pieces. Place in a mixing bowl.
Step two: Add the mayonnaise to the chicken, and mix until the chicken is well covered in the mayonnaise. Set aside while you make the popcorn crumb.
Step three: Place the popcorn, paprika, thyme and garlic powder in a food processor. Blitz until the popcorn quite broken down. The finer the better, think breadcrumb or panko bread crumb size.
Step four: Place the blitzed popcorn into a large bowl.
Step five: Add the chicken. Mix with your hands until the popcorn chicken bites are well covered in the crispy coating.
Step six: Place the popcorn coated chicken on a baking paper lined tray or baking sheet.
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Step seven: Bake at 200 degrees celsius for 10 mins until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
Enjoy!
Top Tips
Here is how you can make this popcorn coated popcorn chicken recipe perfectly every time!
- If you want to reduce additives and preservatives in this recipe you can use my sixty second homemade mayonnaise as an alternative to sore bought.
- Popcorn is typically not recommended for young children due to choking risk. In this recipe because these popcorn is broken down into bread crumb sized pieces the chocking risk associated with popcorn is removed.
- Serve your popcorn chicken with your favourite sauce or dip, it's nice with tomato sauce, bbq sauce, ranch, honey mustard, or avocado aioli.
- This recipe also works well in an air fryer. In my air fryer cook time reduces to 8 minutes but this will depend on the temperature of your air fryer basket and the size you have cut the chicken breast meat to.
Popcorn Chicken
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Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken boneless breast or tenderloin
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 5 cups popcorn (popped)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius (400 F)
- Dice your chicken into bite sized pieces. Place in a mixing bowl.
- Add the mayonnaise to the chicken, and mix until the chicken is well covered in the mayonnaise. Set aside while you make the popcorn crumb.
- Place the popcorn, paprika, thyme and garlic powder in a food processor. Blitz until the popcorn quite broken down. The finer the better, although it won't break down completely. As long as the pieces are no bigger than 1cm diameter you should be fine.
- Place the blitzed popcorn into a large bowl.
- Add the chicken. Mix with your hands until the pieces are well covered in popcorn.
- Place the popcorn coated chicken on a baking paper lined tray,
- Bake at 200 degrees celsius for 10 mins until golden and the chicken is cooked through.
- Enjoy
Notes
- If you want to reduce additives and preservatives in this recipe you can use my sixty second homemade mayonnaise as an alternative to sore bought.
- Popcorn is typically not recommended for young children due to choking risk. In this recipe because these popcorn is broken down into bread crumb sized pieces the chocking risk associated with popcorn is removed.
- Serve your popcorn chicken with your favourite sauce or dip, it's nice with tomato sauce, bbq sauce, ranch, honey mustard, or avocado aioli.
- This recipe also works well in an air fryer. In my air fryer cook time reduces to 8 minutes but this will depend on the temperature of your air fryer basket and the size you have cut the chicken breast meat to.
- Chicken boneless breast or tenderloin: This recipe will also work with a firm white fish.
- Mayonnaise: Your favourite store bought or homemade mayonnaise.
- Popcorn (popped): Plain popped popcorn is best
- Flavourings: A mixture of paprika, thyme and garlic powder is my favourite flavor for this recipe, but you can mix this up with your favourite flavours. Add some chilli if you like spice, add some parmesan cheese if cheese is your thing, onion powder is nice as well!
Nutrition
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Great idea! Pop corn and chicken tenders - a kid's heaven!
What a great idea. I never would have thought to use popcorn as a breading-alternative for chicken. Can't wait to try it out!
I hope you like them
Hope you enjoy it