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KFC-style chicken bites, but made in your air fryer! We’ve got juicy little chunks of chicken breast coated in that crispy golden seasoned coating that packs a real flavour punch. A brilliant weeknight dinner that the kids will love!
Nicky’s Notes
I was so happy when I finally got the coating right for this popcorn chicken!
I think it’s really important to get the type of coating right for the type of recipe you’re making. Which is why you’ll see I use different coatings for different air fryer chicken recipes.
- Chicken karaage uses potato starch for plenty of crunch.
- Sweet and sour chicken uses a seasoned cornflour mixture for simplicity (because we’re also cooking vegetables and a sauce) and a light tasty coating.
- Chicken wings use a light dusting of seasoned baking powder to enhance the crispness of the chicken skin.
- This popcorn chicken uses cornflour to seal in the juiciness of the chicken and add crispness, PLUS egg and seasoned flour for that thicker flavourful coating.
Yes, that does mean we have a couple more steps for popcorn chicken, but the coating is the reason we all love popcorn chicken, so it has to be perfect!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
Chicken + buttermilk marinade
- I often use chicken thighs in the air fryer, but popcorn chicken from fast food restaurants use chicken breast – so that’s what I’m using.
- Because we want to keep the chicken pieces nice and juicy, we marinate it in buttermilk, plus a few seasonings before coating.
Coating
- Cornflour (cornstarch in USA) to seal in the juiciness of the chicken and add crispness. It also gives the chicken pieces a dry, even base, so the egg will adhere.
- Egg – to act as a glue and help the flour adhere
- Seasoned flour – for that golden flavourful exterior and perfect texture
Note on the spray oil I use
I get asked this question a lot. I use an avocado spray oil I get it from amazon its vilgain avocado oil https://geni.us/avospray (affiliate link)
Abbreviated Instructions
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
Marinate the chicken pieces in seasoned buttermilk for half an hour, then dredge in cornflour, followed by egg, followed be seasoned flour. Air fry in a preheated air fryer basket with a good squirt of oil at 200C/400F for 15-20 mins, shaking once.
Recipe Tips
- Preheat your air fryer basket and spray it with oil before adding the chicken. This will ensure the chicken doesn’t stick and will result in a crispier coating.
Serve it up with ketchup for dipping 🍅
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItHow to store and reheat popcorn chicken
I prefer popcorn chicken fresh out of the air fryer, but you can make it ahead or save leftovers to reheat.
Cook, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Reheat them in the air fryer for about 5-6 minutes at 200C/400F until they’re nice and crisp again.
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📺 Watch how to make it
Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Double Stack Air Fryer – you can of course use a regular single-basket air fryer, but you'll likely need to cook in two batches
- Spray Oil – I use avocado oil
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade:
- 500 g (1lb) skinless chicken breasts chopped into small bite-size pieces
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) buttermilk
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic salt (or use garlic powder + an extra 1/4 tsp regular salt)
Crispy Coating
- 100 g (2/3 cup) cornflour (cornstarch in USA))
- 1 large egg
- 120 g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- spray oil (I use approx 15ml or 1 tbsp across the whole recipe)
Serving Suggestions:
- Ketchup, BBQ sauce, Burger Sauce or Sweet Chilli Sauce
Instructions
- Add the chicken to a bowl.500 g (1lb) skinless chicken breasts
- Add the buttermilk, salt, white pepper and garlic salt. Give it a good mix together and let it marinade for 30-60 minutes (you can get away with 10 minutes if you're in a real rush).80 ml (1/3 cup) buttermilk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp white pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- Preheat your air fryer basket(s) to 200C/400F.
- Take three bowls, to the first add the cornflour. Break an egg into the second bowl and lightly whisk with a fork. To the third bowl add the flour, salt, pepper, garlic salt, celery salt, paprika and thyme and mix together.100 g (2/3 cup) cornflour, 1 large egg, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 120 g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Spray the preheated air fryer basket(s) with spray oil.spray oil
- Toss a piece of chicken in the cornflour, then dip in the egg (you want to fully coat it so the final layer sticks), then dredge in the seasoned flour mixture.
- Add the chicken in to the air fryer basket. Repeat with the rest of the chicken, adding to the basket in a single layer (you may need to work in two batches). Try to leave a little space around each piece for air flow.
- Spray liberally with spray oil and cook for 15-20 minutes at 200C/400F until golden and crispy. Turn the chicken (or shake the basket) twice during cooking and spray on a little more oil each time.spray oil
- Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.Ketchup, BBQ sauce, Burger Sauce or Sweet Chilli Sauce
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
I prefer popcorn chicken fresh out of the air fryer, but you can make it ahead to reheat.Cook, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Reheat them in the air fryer for about 5-6 minutes at 200C/400F until they’re nice and crisp again. Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipe serves 4)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This popcorn chicken recipe was first posted in Sept 2025. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
🍽️ What to serve it with
- Air fryer chips or oven baked chips
- Creamy coleslaw or potato salad
- Ketchup, sweet chilli sauce or BBQ sauce
Look at those little golden nuggets of joy!
🍲 More fantastic air fryer recipes
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