Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken

Homemade Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken is an easy way to satisfy any fast food cravings with a home cooked meal. All the crispiness you crave without the mess of deep frying!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 346kcal

Author John Kanell

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small pieces (450g)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour (60g)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup buttermilk (120mL)
1 large egg
2 cups panko breadcrumbs (112g)
Olive oil spray

Instructions

Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper.
In a shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, and paprika. Beat buttermilk and egg together in another shallow dish. Place the panko in a medium bowl.
To dredge chicken pieces, toss a few at a time in the flour mixture. Shake off the excess, then coat in buttermilk mixture. Let the excess buttermilk drip off, then coat in panko. Place the breaded pieces on a baking sheet or plate.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
Place chicken pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket, making sure they don’t touch each other. (cook in batches if needed.) Spray lightly with oil.
Cook for 5 minutes. Flip each piece and spray again with oil. Continue cooking for 3 to 5 more minutes or until golden and crispy. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

Briefly freeze your chicken breasts (for about 10-15 minutes) before starting. Getting them extra cold will firm them up, making it much easier to dice them into cubes.
Have a “wet” hand and a “dry” hand when you’re breading the chicken pieces. This way, you’ll coat the meat instead of your fingers. I typically use my right hand to dredge them in flour, my left hand to dip them in the egg mixture and put them in the bread crumbs, and then my right hand again to toss the dry breadcrumbs over the wet chicken.
To keep batches of popcorn chicken warm, place a wire rack on a baking sheet and in a 250°F oven. When one batch of air-fried popcorn chicken is done, transfer them to the wire rack and continue cooking the rest so everyone’s portion is equally hot and delicious.

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