Fried Popcorn Chicken (with juicy chicken thighs)
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My popcorn chicken is made with chicken thighs, so the bites stay juicy instead of drying out mid-fry. Chipotle and soy sauce go into the egg wash, and panko handles the crunch.
Almost every popcorn chicken recipe online is trying to be KFC. Mine isn’t, and the difference starts with the cut of chicken.
Most recipes use breast, and at this size that’s a problem. Pieces this small go from raw to dry in about the time it takes the crust to brown, which is why so many versions start with a buttermilk marinade. Thighs skip that step. In recipe testing, I found that there’s enough fat in them to stay juicy right through the fry, no marinating and no extra hour of waiting.
The seasoning works differently here too. Instead of a spiced flour dredge, the flavor goes into the egg wash: pureed chipotle in adobo for smoky heat, soy sauce for savory depth. It lands directly on the chicken rather than sitting in the outer crust, where it tends to scorch in the oil or flake off in the pan.
Panko handles the crunch, and a two-ingredient honey mayo handles the dipping. If the KFC-style version is what you’re after, my fried chicken bites go that route instead, with breast, a buttermilk soak, and seasoned flour.
Tips for the best popcorn chicken
A few things I’ve learned making these:
- Use a neutral oil. Whatever you fry in, you taste. Grapeseed is my usual pick, and canola or peanut oil both work.
- Watch the thermometer, not the clock. You want 350°F, and the oil drops a few degrees the moment the chicken goes in. I heat it slightly past 350°F before the first batch, then let it climb back between batches.
- Don’t crowd the pan. Too many pieces at once pulls the temperature down, and cool oil soaks into the coating instead of crisping it. That’s what makes fried food taste greasy.
- Scoop out the stray bits. Loose panko burns, darkens the oil, and starts flavoring the next batch. A small mesh skimmer between rounds keeps the last batch tasting like the first.
- Know when the oil is done. You can strain and reuse it once it cools, but once it looks dark, pour it out.
Dips for popcorn chicken
The honey mayo in the recipe card is the one I make most often, mostly because it’s two ingredients that I always have in my kitchen, and it’s nostalgic as I grew up eating it. When I want something with more going on, these are where I go:
- Honey Garlic Sauce takes the sweet-and-savory vibe of the honey mayo and kicks it up a notch.
- Chipotle Mayo doubles down on the chipotle already in the coating. Smoky on smoky, and it’s the one to make if you like heat.
- Bang Bang Sauce is creamy, sweet, and a little spicy all at once, which makes it the crowd-pleaser of the three. This is what I put out when I’m serving these at a party.
Fried Popcorn Chicken (with juicy chicken thighs)
Ingredients
- Cooking oil (for frying)
- ½ cup flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (pureed)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups panko
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces)
The Dip
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons liquid honey
Instructions
- Attach an oil/candy thermometer to the side of a medium-sized pot. Pour in 2 inches of oil and heat it to 300 degrees Fahrenheit over medium-high heat. Once the temperature reaches 300 degrees, turn the heat down to medium and continue heating the oil until it reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Cooking oil
- While the oil is heating, prep the breading – make sure to keep a close eye on the temperature of the oil. Set up 3 bowls. Add the flour to the first bowl. In the second bowl, whisk the eggs, pureed chipotle peppers, soy sauce, and water. Put the panko in the third bowl.2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon water, ½ cup flour, 2 cups panko
- Working with 3-4 pieces at a time, dredge the chicken first in flour, second in egg, and third in panko. Keeping one hand for the egg and the other for the flour and panko makes this process far less messy. Once the chicken pieces are coated, place them on a baking tray.1 lb boneless chicken thighs
- Once the oil reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit, carefully drop in 7-8 pieces and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Test the thickest piece for doneness by cutting it in half. No pink means it's cooked through. Place the cooked chicken bites onto a clean baking sheet lined with paper towels while you cook the rest. Make sure the oil returns to 350 degrees Fahrenheit between batches.
- To make the sauce, mix the mayonnaise and honey in a small bowl.¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons liquid honey
- Serve with the honey mayo on the side for dipping.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I love the Honey May sauce! I wonder what else I could put it on…. I would dip fries in that! The panko on the chicken bites is a great idea! Thanks for sharing on yumgoggle.com
Fries for sure! I like it on coconut prawns too. 🙂