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–+ servings
A plate of crispy, breaded popcorn chicken thighs served with ketchup and brown dipping sauce on a white surface.

Fried Popcorn Chicken (with juicy chicken thighs)

Yield: 4 appetizer-sized servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Bite-sized chicken thighs dipped in a chipotle and soy egg wash, coated in panko, and fried until deeply golden. A two-ingredient honey mayo goes alongside, and the whole thing takes 30 minutes.

Ingredients

The Dip

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
    A top-down view of a black Staub pot filled with dark liquid, with a sous vide immersion circulator attached to the side—perfect for preparing tender popcorn chicken thighs before finishing them as crispy fried popcorn chicken.
  • 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
    Three white bowls on a marble surface: one with flour, one with a seasoned liquid mixture, and one with panko breadcrumbs—perfect for preparing tasty popcorn chicken thighs or your favorite fried popcorn chicken at home.
  • 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
    Breaded popcorn chicken pieces arranged on a metal baking sheet, ready to be cooked—perfect for making crispy fried popcorn chicken at home.
  • 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.
    Chicken pieces being deep-fried in hot oil inside a black pot, with bubbles rising and a thermometer clipped to the side, creating perfectly golden fried popcorn chicken.
  • To make the sauce, mix the mayonnaise and honey in a small bowl.
    ¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons liquid honey
    A clear glass bowl filled with golden honey and a metal spoon resting inside, placed on a white marble surface—perfect for drizzling over crispy fried popcorn chicken.
  • Serve with the honey mayo on the side for dipping.
    A white plate with breaded, fried popcorn chicken thighs sits alongside two sauce containers—one filled with ketchup, the other with brown sauce—and a light gray napkin on the side.

Notes

I like to puree the whole can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce because it makes it easy to use in many chipotle pepper recipes. Extras will keep for ages in a jar in your fridge. If you don't want to puree the whole can, you can finely mince one pepper with some of the adobo sauce. 
Serving: 1 = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 488kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 160mg, Sodium: 576mg, Potassium: 301mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 162IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 80mg, Iron: 3mg