hese fried chicken bites are made with tender, buttermilk marinated chicken breast bites that are breaded and pan-fried until incredibly crispy. If you like KFC popcorn chicken then you will LOVE this recipe!
Ingredients
Buttermilk Marinade
1lbboneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1cupbuttermilk
1teaspoon sea salt
Fried Chicken Bites
¾ cupall-purpose flour, can gluten-free
1 ½ teaspoonsbaking powder
1teaspoonEACH: garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, salt, and pepper
2cupspanko or breadcrumbs, can be gluten-free
Cooking oil for frying
Instructions
Place the chicken pieces, buttermilk, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes on your counter or up to 24 hours in your fridge.
1 lb boneless chicken breast, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon sea salt
Mix the flour with the baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Place the panko in another shallow bowl.
¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, salt, and pepper, 2 cups panko or breadcrumbs
Use a slotted spoon to scoop some of the chicken pieces out of the buttermilk, letting the excess buttermilk drip back into the bowl. Put the pieces into the flour and toss to coat. Dip the pieces one at a time back into the buttermilk then put them in the panko bowl. Coat them in panko then put them on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining pieces. Put the breaded chicken into your fridge for 15 minutes - this helps the breading stick.
Pour 1 ½ inches of oil into a high-sided skillet and warm it over medium heat until it reaches 350 degrees - use an oil thermometer. Carefully place several chicken pieces into the hot oil, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry them for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden and crispy. Remove them from the skillet using a dry slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-lined plate. Let the oil rise to temperature again, then repeat until all the popcorn chicken is fried and crispy.
Notes
The nutritional information is calculated using ½ cup of oil. The exact amount in the finished recipe may be more or less depending on the temperature of the oil and how long the chicken is fried.