Popcorn Chicken

No i did not blend popcorn with my chicken. The name popcorn chicken just really stems from the shape of this delectable appetizer or small chops or whatever you would like to call it. These little tasty treats can be enjoyed with a spicy or sweet and sour sauce or just on it’s own. My first encounter with these little drops of savory amazingness was in Toronto. My friend Mariam convinced us to visit this asian place that served mango shaved ice till 2am. I was very skeptical as I wondered what the appeal for mango shaved ice would be at 2am? I decided to indulge her and we sauntered into the restaurant.

“Mango shaved ice please 2 servings”

“Would you like to try the popcorn chicken?”

“No just the shaved ice for now.”

Mariam turns to me and says let’s just try the popcorn chicken so I oblige. Best decision I made there. They were so good I had to go try to make some at home. At first I tried just rolling the chicken in the flour and breadcrumbs and realized when I fried it, the chicken wasn’t cooking all the way through. I decided to then blend it all together and voila better results. If you are expecting guests, these little simple appetizer will blow their minds.

Recipe for Popcorn Chicken

Ingredients

1 cup of chopped chicken breast

2 eggs

1 cup of all purpose flour

2 cups of breadcrumbs

2 seasoning cubes

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder

1 garlic clove

1 teaspoon of chili powder

Pinch of Salt

Oil for deep frying

Method

In a bowl, season the chopped chicken breast with one seasoning cube, ginger powder, black pepper, chili powder, and garlic and set aside.

Whisk your eggs and set aside.

Season your breadcrumbs with the seasoning cubes and divide into 2 equal portions and set aside.

In a blender or food processor, pour in your chicken breast, flour, 1 portion of breadcrumbs, and egg and blend till smooth.

Scrape into a bowl and mold into little balls using the extra breadcrumbs to properly coat it. The smaller the balls the better as the chicken would cook through better.

In a deep fryer or a huge pot of oil on medium heat, allow to heat but not be extra hot and dunk your popcorn chicken to fry till brown.

Serve hot.