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These easy kid and adult-friendly air fryer popcorn chicken bites are so deliciously crispy. They use a baked breading method and are not deep-fried. No air fryer? You’ll also find stovetop methods in the post.
When you’re on the hunt for a quick dinner, appetizer, or snack, set your sights on this popcorn chicken in the air fryer.
It’s fast, delicious, and so poppable and good! Even better, you can freeze these tasty bites for a quick, ready-made meal.
Reader Review
“Ok, so my intention was to make Sarah’s Orange Chicken. Ummm…that didn’t happen. Instead I made the base recipe of popcorn chicken, and well…my kiddos went nuts for the chicken. I mean, I’d even started doing the zesting of the oranges!! That was the next step! But well, it didn’t happen and I just said well, go for it kids. And sure enough they vacuumed almost all of it up, and I managed to save enough to heat up in the oven for leftovers for their school lunches the next day. And for reals, they actually ATE their entire lunches from home the next day. Definitely an A+ meal!”
Danielle
The popcorn chicken pieces are done when the internal temperature is 165˚F. When in doubt, test the temp with an instant-read food thermometer.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Add more or less hot sauce to the buttermilk mixture depending on your family’s preferences.
- Try to cut the chicken into somewhat uniform sizes so that it will cook evenly.
- You can make this recipe with less olive oil, but your chicken will not be as crispy. Still delicious though!
- If you don’t have buttermilk you can use any milk that you have on hand. Or stir in 1 tsp of white vinegar or lemon juice to your milk and let stand for 10 minutes. This makes a homemade version of buttermilk that works great.
Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken From Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tsp kosher salt {divided}
- 1/4 tsp black pepper {divided}
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour {divided}
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp hot sauce {I used Frank's original}
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup panko
- 3 tbsp olive oil spray
Instructions
- Place a piece of parchment or waxed paper on a baking sheet.
- Cut chicken into small pieces, about ½-1 inches.1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- In a bowl, sprinkle cubed chicken with ¼ tsp kosher salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, and ¼ cup of flour. Toss to coat.1/4 tsp black pepper, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp kosher salt
- In a separate bowl, mix buttermilk and hot sauce.3/4 cup buttermilk, 1 tsp hot sauce
- In another bowl, mix the rest of the flour, salt, pepper, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and panko.1 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1 cup panko
- Working with 5-6 pieces at a time, drop chicken into the buttermilk. If pieces are sticking together, separate them, making sure every side of the chicken is coated in the buttermilk mixture.
- Shake off excess buttermilk and drop the pieces of chicken into the flour/panko mixture. Roll pieces in the dry mixture to make sure every side is coated.
- Transfer chicken to the lined baking sheet, and repeat until all the chicken has been breaded.
- Allow the chicken to sit at room temperature on the baking sheet for 15 minutes. This will help the breading adhere while in the air fryer, giving you the crispiest crust ever!
- Preheat air fryer to 400˚F for 2 minutes.
- While the air fryer is preheating, liberally spray the tops of the chicken with olive oil spray. Allow it to sit for 1 minute, and then flip the pieces over and spray the other sides.3 tbsp olive oil spray
- Brush olive oil on the basket of the air fryer or line it with a piece of air fryer parchment.
- Place pieces of chicken in the basket in a single layer, without allowing them to touch each other. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook it over two batches.
- Bake for 6 minutes at 390˚F, shaking the basket at minute 4. Chicken is done when the internal temp of the chicken is 165˚F.
Notes
- Try to cut the chicken to somewhat uniform sizes so that it will cook evenly.
- If you need gluten-free options, try a gluten-free brand of cornflakes in lieu of panko and flour. They make a great crunchy breading alternative when pulsed in a food processor or blender!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fab
One of my boy’s favorites! So glad you enjoyed it too.
Ok, so my intention was to make Sarah’s Orange Chicken. Ummm…that didn’t happen. Instead I made the base recipe of popcorn chicken, and well…my kiddos went nuts for the chicken. I mean, I’d even started doing the zesting of the oranges!! That was the next step! But well, it didn’t happen and I just said well, go for it kids. And sure enough they vacuumed almost all of it up, and I managed to save enough to heat up in the oven for leftovers for their school lunches the next day. And for reals, they actually ATE their entire lunches from home the next day. Definitely an A+ meal!
Danielle, I’m glad you were able to roll with the punches (and escape with fingers intact)! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to leave a review.