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These easy 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.
Make a double batch of this air fryer popcorn chicken and turn the extras into this Air Fryer Orange Chicken and you’ll love your life forever.
How to Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, about 1/2 to 1 inch big. Pro tip: if you don’t love handling raw chicken, a sharp pair of kitchen scissors can make this process fairly hands-off.
Next up, set up three bowls. In the first bowl, sprinkle chicken with ¼ tsp kosher salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, and ¼ cup of flour. Toss to coat.
In the second bowl, mix buttermilk and hot sauce. In the third bowl mix the rest of the flour, salt, pepper, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and panko.
Working with 5-6 pieces at a time, drop the 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 the 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 the 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 (I used my Misto). Really get into all the nooks and crannies. Allow it to sit for 1 minute, and then flip the pieces over and spray the other sides.
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 a single layer in the air fryer basket without allowing them to touch each other. You can pack the basket pretty full but will likely need to cook it over two batches.
Bake for 6 minutes at 390˚F, shaking at minute 4. The popcorn chicken pieces are done when the internal temp is 165˚F. When in doubt, test the temp with an instant-read food thermometer.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT
Storing Leftovers: Store cooled leftover popcorn chicken in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Allow the chicken to fully cool before placing the lid on the container. This will reduce condensation in the container which can cause the breading to get soggy.
Reheating Leftovers: Air fry leftovers at 340˚F for 2-3 minutes, or until heated through.
Freezing popcorn chicken
These tasty bites cook really well baked straight from the freezer, so double your batch, and freeze half.
To freeze, finish breading the chicken (through step 8 in the printable recipe card below) and place the pieces on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper.
Place in the freezer and freeze for 3 hours. Remove from the freezer and break apart any pieces that might have stuck together, and place in freezer-safe storage (these are our favorites).
You can store them in the freezer for up to three months. To bake: spray with olive oil spray (I use our Misto) while still frozen, and bake according to the directions in the recipe card below. You’ll need to add 1-2 minutes of cook time.
frequently asked questions
Yes, absolutely! Replace the all-purpose flour with your favorite cup-for-cup flour, or use all almond flour. You’ll also want to use gluten-free panko. Crushed-up gluten-free cornflakes also work in this recipe.
Yep! I love the texture that the buttermilk gives the chicken in this recipe, but you can also use your favorite non-dairy milk in its place.
Absolutely! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post has stovetop directions in the “notes” section.
While this recipe is for homemade popcorn chicken in the air fryer, you can air fryer storebought brands as well.
Preheat the air fryer for 2 minutes at 400˚F. Add the frozen popcorn chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes. Shake, test for doneness, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
what to serve with air fried popcorn chicken
If you’re a fan of dipping your chicken, check out yogurt ranch dressing, sugar-free BBQ sauce, chipotle southwest sauce, pesto mayo, gluten-free cheese sauce, or homemade pizza sauce.
Serve the chicken and dips alongside some Garlic Butter Rice or Smashed Fingerling Potatoes with some Roasted Frozen Broccoli on the side.
I also like to serve leftover popcorn chicken thrown on top of Chopped Cabbage Salad for a fast and easy lunch.
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 to 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.
More Tasty Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love
- See all our Air Fryer Appetizers here
- Air Fryer Egg Rolls
- Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Steak Bites
- Crispy Teriyaki Cauliflower
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders Without Breading
- Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Loaded Air Fryer Potato Skins
- Air Fryer Taquitos
- Air Fryer Popcorn Shrimp
- Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
- Air Fryer Frozen Egg Rolls
- Air Fryer Pretzel Dogs
- Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
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 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 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.
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.