Better Than Takeout Chicken Popcorn: Easy, Fast And Cheap
Crispy chicken popcorn is the best snack to enjoy. They’re coated with spicy and crunchy crumbs and succulent chicken pieces inside.

- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 21.16 ounces boneless chicken thighs.
- ½ teaspoon onion powder.
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder.
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper.
- ¼ teaspoon paprika powder.
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder.
- ½ teaspoon mixed herbs (see the note.)
- ½ teaspoon salt.
- 2 tablespoons yoghurt.
- 2 tablespoons milk.
- ½ cup plain flour/ all-purpose flour.
- ¾ cup cornflour/ cornstarch.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- ½ teaspoon paprika powder.
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder.
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper.
- 1 teaspoon salt.
- Oil for frying.
Instructions
- 1
Clean and cut the chicken into small pieces, about 2 cm/0.78-inch cubes.
- 2
Place the chicken pieces in a mixing bowl and add the rest of the marinade ingredients. Stir and mix well until all chicken pieces are coated with spices and dairy. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes. You can also keep it in the fridge/ refrigerator overnight to get a more developed flavour.
- 3
Sieve the plain flour and cornflour into a deep plate or a mixing bowl.
- 4
Add the garlic powder, paprika powder, red chilli powder, ground black pepper, and salt to the flour mixture. Stir well until all is combined.
- 5
Heat the oil in a wok or a deep frying pan.
- 6
At the same time, pick the chicken pieces and put them in the flour mixture. Do it one by one to make sure each piece is well coated with the flour. I use chopsticks to do the job as I find it easy to pick the pieces up.
- 7
Check the oil if it’s hot enough by putting a pinch of flour into the oil. If it’s frying fast, it means the oil is ready. Then carefully slide the chicken pieces into the hot oil. Deep-fry your chicken popcorn for about 7 minutes until they look golden and crispy. Turn them around in between.
- 8
When they’re fully cooked, pick them up with a slotted spoon.