Popcorn hen – RecipeTin Eats

This can be a KFC popcorn hen copycat recipe. It’s downright addictive – I problem you to cease at only one! Surprisingly fast, they take simply 2 minutes to cook dinner, and simply shallow fried at that.

Popcorn hen

Many individuals have tried this popcorn hen now, together with a complete crew of builders at my residence which is beneath renovation. I received’t repeat what they really mentioned after they tried it. Let’s simply say Aussie builders are liberal customers of flowery language when they’re pissed off – or after they’re extraordinarily enthusiastic! 😂

The flavour is a copycat of KFC popcorn hen, with it’s distinct seasoning. However there’s one huge standout distinction – this home made popcorn hen is definitely crispy. KFC’s just isn’t! It’s relatively comfortable and fairly greasy.

For many who are nervous about fried recipes, this popcorn hen is an efficient place to start out as a result of we’re solely shallow frying and every batch takes simply 2 minutes to cook dinner. A lot simpler than deep frying complete hen items!

Components in Popcorn Hen

Popcorn hen is made by marinating small items of hen then coating in a closely seasoned “KFC 11 secret herbs and spices” flour combination. The coating is particularly formulated so the hen cooks up actually crispy – no soggy popcorn hen round right here!

Hen and marinade

This recipe makes use of a buttermilk marinade, like Southern Fried Hen, to maintain the hen meat juicy. Marinating is sort of vital for popcorn hen as a result of the items of hen are so small, they will overcook and dry out in a flash.

Don’t have buttermilk? Don’t fear, there are simple substitutes, see under the photograph or the recipe card.

• Hen – I like to make use of breast as a result of it’s simple to chop into small cubes. Tenderloin can be simple to chop into small even items.

  Nevertheless, you actually can use any lower of hen meat – thighs, drumstick meat, something that may be lower into cubes.

• Buttermilk – Sensible for tenderising the hen and injecting it with salt so as to add seasoning into the flesh in addition to serving to to maintain it juicy when it cooks. Buttermilk is the normal liquid of alternative used for marinating in Southern Fried Hen. It’s barely thicker than common milk however thinner than pouring cream, and mixed with egg it creates a great batter thickness for the correct amount of flour to cling to the floor of every piece.

  Discover it alongside milk on the grocery retailer, often in small 600ml cartons ($2.75). This recipe requires 180ml (3/4 cup) so use the leftover buttermilk to make Blueberry or Choc Chip Muffins, or Purple Velvet Cake.

  Substitutes – you should use yogurt blended with milk, or make your individual buttermilk with milk and vinegar. Each these substitutes work simply as effectively, I attempted them each!

  Non dairy – You need to use any non dairy milk blended with any non dairy yogurt so long as they’re impartial flavoured eg. they don’t style nutty. If the yogurt has no acidity in it, like dairy yogurt does, then add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar into the marinade, then it’ll have an analogous marinating impact like buttermilk does.

• Egg helps the flour stick with the hen.

• Salt – To season the flesh of the hen.

Flour coating (“breading”) and seasoning

“Breading” refers to coating the hen within the seasoned flour combination. It’s is a time period used within the US which refers to coating issues in breadcrumbs or different dry combination (like seasoned flour we’re utilizing right here) that turns into a crispy crust when cooked.

Right here in Australia, we have a tendency to make use of the phrase “crumbing” once we coat meals with breadcrumbs, however I by no means felt it was the suitable time period when there’s no breadcrumbs concerned. So I exploit the time period “breading” which appears somewhat extra common within the culinary world today, despite the fact that sure, I do know breadcrumbs aren’t concerned!

• The Seasoning is a KFC copycat. It’s the identical substances utilized in my KFC Copycat Fried Hen recipe, though portions tweaked barely to go well with Popcorn Hen. For instance, the amount of salt is drastically decreased as a result of we’re working with tiny items of hen relatively than big bone-in, skin-one items which is way more durable for seasoning to penetrate. Additionally, I prefer to crush the oregano and thyme with my fingers to make them somewhat smaller in order that they meld higher onto the floor of the small bites of hen.

• Flour and cornflour/cornstarch – Utilizing a mix of flour and cornflour produces the very best end result for a crunchy, golden crust for fried hen. Flour (simply common, plain/all objective flour) is customary for coating fried meals, however it doesn’t grow to be all that crispy. Nicely, it’s fairly crispy straight out of the fryer however it loses crispiness rapidly.

  Cornflour, however, fries up actually crispy however it doesn’t go a pleasant golden color. And if you happen to coat issues too thickly in cornflour it turns into too exhausting and will get caught in your enamel.

  By utilizing a mix of the 2, we are able to obtain crispy fried hen perfection with simply the suitable texture!

• Oil for cooking – canola, vegetable or peanut oil, for impartial flavour and skill to warmth to the temperature wanted with out burning the hen or the oil smoking.

The best way to make Popcorn Hen

For those who’re a succesful cook dinner, that is all it’s essential to know for easy methods to make popcorn hen:

1. Marinate hen 1 hour;

2. Toss 3 tbsp marinade liquid within the flour combination, then coat hen; and

3. Fry 2 minutes at 180°C/350°F.

Nevertheless, this part is somewhat lengthier than 3 steps so even up-and-coming cooks can have the boldness that this can be a relatively simple recipe. I’ve some ideas succesful cooks most likely already know for working with heaps and many little items of hen. Coating and cooking them one-by-one could be a ache!

1. Preparation

1. Minimize the hen into small 1.25cm / 1/2″ cubes.

   I lower the hen into 1.25cm / 1/2″ strips, then lower the skinny finish into cubes, and lower the broader finish in half lengthways then into cubes.

2. Whisk marinade – Put the buttermilk marinade substances in a bowl and whisk to mix.

3. Marinade – Add the hen, combine to coat and marinade for 1 to three hours, however don’t transcend 24 hours else the hen could be a little too salty.

4. Combine breading – Combine the flour, cornflour and “11 secret herbs and spices” in a bowl. The broader the higher – simpler to scatter items throughout the floor and toss to coat.

2. breading

The purpose right here is to get all these little items of hen coated within the breading combination with out having to deal with them one-by-one which might take without end! The additional purpose is an easy little trick that makes our popcorn hen cook dinner up additional crispy. 🙂

Bonus: Observe my left hand / proper hand directions so that you don’t find yourself with batter-caked fingers!

Additionally – see Components part above for touch upon “crumbing” v “breading”. As a result of it’s being raised!

1. Scoop up 3 tablespoons of the marinade out of the hen bowl. (That is for the extra-crispy trick).

2. Dribble this marinade throughout the floor of the flour combination.

3. Combine / rub the marinade by the flour so that you get a number of little clumps of flour. These grow to be additional crispy bits on the hen, it’s so good! Wonderful crispy hen trick picked up Kenji’s Fried Hen recipe on Severe Eats.

4. Drip – Utilizing your left hand (I’m proper handed), choose up a handful of hen and let the marinade drip by your fingers.

5. Scatter the hen throughout the floor of the flour bowl. That is our alternative to separate every bit of hen as a result of as soon as coated with the flour, they received’t stick collectively.

6. Spoon – Utilizing your proper hand, spoon flour over the hen then, nonetheless together with your hand hand, use your fingers to toss and press flour onto the hen.

7. Shake – Decide up among the hen (nonetheless together with your proper hand) and provides it a shake to take away many of the extra flour.

8. Unfold the hen on a tray. Go away the surplus flour on the tray, we are going to want it to do a final minute toss simply earlier than cooking. Repeat with remaining hen.

AND VOILA! Did you discover how your fingers aren’t caked with sticky thick flour batter!? 🎉

3. COOKING THE POPCORN CHICKEN

Cooking vessel – I discover it best to make use of a big saucepan or small pot round 20cm/8″ in measurement although in case you are a assured cook dinner you should use a bigger one round 25cm/10″. Popcorn hen solely takes a few minutes to cook dinner so if you happen to use a big cooking vessel it’s essential to transfer sooner – see FAQ for extra data.

Shallow frying – As a result of the items of hen are so small, we don’t want a lot oil. Simply 2.5cm / 1″ depth in no matter cooking vessel you’re utilizing. It should vary from ~2 1/2 cups (625 ml) for a 20cm/8″ small pot to three 1/2 cups (875 ml) for a 25cm/10″ pot.

1. Last toss / separate – The hen will sweat and the white flour coating will darken because it sits round on the tray. So if yours has darkened a bit, give the hen you’re about to cook dinner somewhat toss on the tray within the extra flour to re-coat them and make them white once more, and to make sure they aren’t sticking collectively.

2. Use scooper for security (or fingers, if you happen to’re a professional) – Then use a big scooper with massive holes (relatively than fantastic mesh) to choose up a handful of hen items and shake off extra flour (ie falls by the outlet).

   Arms – For those who’re a assured cook dinner, be at liberty to make use of your fingers however watch out of oil splash-age. I want to make use of fingers as a result of then I can drop the hen in one-by-one to make sure they aren’t sticking collectively.

3. Decrease the hen into oil pre-heated to 180°C/350°F utilizing the scooper.

   Use a meals thermometer to check the oil temperature, or see recipe notes for easy methods to check the oil temperature if you happen to don’t have one.

4. Fry 2 minutes – Then cook dinner the hen for two – 2 1/2 minutes till the floor is crispy and golden. Agitate the hen midway by the cook dinner time and separate any sticking collectively.

5. Scoop – When the hen is finished, scoop it out.

6. Unfold – Then unfold it out on a paper towel lined tray, to soak up extra oil. Then proceed to cook dinner remaining hen, remembering to perform a little remaining flour toss on the tray earlier than cooking every batch!

Oven and air fryer strategies – please see the FAQ for why it’s not beneficial for this explicit recipe with out alterations which I haven’t found out but!

Issues of serving

Dipping sauce

And although I can guarantee you that this popcorn hen is flavoured sufficient and crispy sufficient on the skin and juicy sufficient on the within to need to shovel handfuls into your mouth plain, somewhat dipping sauce actually by no means goes astray.

My favorite is Honey Mustard Sauce, pictured – 4 ingredient, 1 minute sauce (you perceive why it’s a dipping fave!). Use what you need – ketchup, BBQ, candy and bitter, candy chilli. It’s hen. You possibly can just about use any dipping sauce for it!

HOW TO SERVE IT

Tumble all of it into an enormous serving bowl and let all people dig in (fingers!) and assist themselves.

Or, serve it like film popcorn in paper cups or popcorn packing containers, if you happen to’re feeling additional enjoyable! I picked up those pictured on this put up from a reduction retailer, they have been $2 for five (right here they’re on Amazon Australia).

WHAT TO SERVE WITH POPCORN CHICKEN

For an actual KFC expertise at residence, full your meal with a aspect of home made slaw (right here’s my favorite no-mayo Slaw, if you need a lighter possibility) and KFC copycat potato and gravy (makes a superb dipper too!).

Else, another wonderful aspect choices embody baked potato wedges, home made fries or crispy smashed potatoes, plus a easy backyard salad or any leafy greens tossed with my go-to easy salad dressing.

Hope you get pleasure from! Oh, and somewhat trick I shared with a reader I ran into yesterday once I instructed her I used to be sharing this at the moment (hello Charlotte!) – use leftover marinade and flour to cook dinner up some little frivolously steamed cauliflower florets. It seems simply just like the hen. What a method to sneak greens into the children, eh?? A popcorn field full of a mixture of popcorn hen and popcorn cauliflower!! – Nagi x

Watch easy methods to make it

And watch me make it! Shout out to Kenji’s Fried Hen recipe on Severe Eats for the wonderful additional crispy trick that I apply to all my fried hen recipes (right here, right here and right here).

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Popcorn hen – higher than KFC!

Writer: Nagi

Prep: 25 minutes minutes

Prepare dinner: 10 minutes minutes

Whole: 35 minutes minutes

Mains, Snack

Southern, Western

Servings4 as a meal

Faucet or hover to scale

Recipe video above. That is higher than KFC as a result of it is really crispy – KFC popcorn hen just isn’t, it is comfortable and greasy! The flavour is remarkably comparable with my copycat of the KFC’s 11 secret herbs and spices. It is ridiculously good – you need to shovel it in your mouth by the handful!Comparatively simple and on the straightforward finish of frying recipes as a result of it is simply shallow fried and takes simply 2 minutes. Serve in cups or mini popcorn packing containers with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce for a enjoyable meal or snack that everybody loves! Air fryer and baking choices – not lined on this recipe, please see FAQ above for cause.

Components

CupsMetric

Popcorn Hen Breading (Notice 4):

KFC 11 Secret Herbs and Spices (Notice 4):

Dipping sauce solutions

Prepare dinner ModeForestall display screen from sleeping

Directions

Marinade hen:

• Minimize hen into small 1.25 cm / 1/2″ cubes.

• Marinade – Whisk marinade in a bowl. Add hen, stir to coat, then refrigerate for 1 hour (not than 24 hours).

Put together breading:

• Breading combination – Combine collectively Breading and all KFC Secret Herbs & Spices in a big bowl (bigger floor space = coat extra hen in a single go).

• Clump = crunchy! Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the Marinade into the flour combination. Use your fingers to rub in so that you get a number of small lumpy bits all all through (this fries up into additional crunchy bits, secret trick!).

Put together to cook dinner (work in specified order of steps):

• Frying vessel (Notice 5) – Massive saucepan / small pot ~20cm/8″ beneficial for newcomers. Massive pot / deep skillet ~24cm/9.5″ or bigger beneficial just for succesful cooks. Use heavy based mostly (not mild and flimsy), for security and warmth retention.

• Preheat oven to 50°C/125°F, to maintain cooked hen heat.

Breading (PS I am proper handed):

• Bread hen – Decide up a handful of hen from the marinade together with your left hand, then scatter throughout floor of the flour combination. Spoon flour over hen then toss with the spoon to coat.

• Shake off extra (use proper hand) – Separate the hen items and press the clumpy flour onto the hen items. Decide up a handful, shake extra flour off by fingers (no have to be thorough). Unfold hen on tray. Repeat with remaining hen. Voila! No clumpy flour-batter-caked fingers!

• Separate and final minute coat (Notice 6) – Simply earlier than frying, use your fingers to briefly re-toss the hen you are about to cook dinner within the residual flour on the tray (to clean up the flour coating, because it sits round it sweats/will get moist), and ensure the hen items usually are not caught collectively.

Frying:

• Line a tray with paper towels (for draining cooked hen). Preheat oven to 50°C/125°F to maintain cooked hen heat.

• Warmth oil – Add oil to your pot to a depth of two.5 cm / 1″. Warmth it over medium excessive to 180°C/350°F (Notice 7).

• Fry 2 minutes – Decide up some hen and put it in a spider with massive holes (Notice 8) and shake so extra flour falls by (or use fingers to shake off extra flour then then switch right into a scoop to decrease into oil). Rigorously decrease hen into the oil. Fry for two – 2.5 minutes till golden, separating any that get caught collectively round midway by.

• Drain – Scoop out with a spider and unfold on a paper towel lined tray Preserve cooked hen heat within the oven and cook dinner remaining hen.

• Serve hen – in popcorn packing containers, for additional enjoyable issue! – with dipping sauce of alternative (pictured, Honey Mustard).

Recipe Notes:

Basic sides: Fries, coleslaw, KFC copycat potato and gravy, steamed or grilled corn, cornbread or comfortable rolls, fries, potato salad, Southern Baked Beans!

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1. Hen – This will actually be made with any lower of hen meat. I exploit breast as a result of it’s simple to chop into small cubes. Lean, however the marinade protects it from drying out.
2. Buttermilk – Substitute with 1/4 cup yoghurt whisked with 1/2 cup milk (finally ends up buttermilk-like), or make your individual buttermilk: add 3/4 tsp white vinegar into 3/4 cup of milk, stir, go away 10 minutes. Will curdle. Use per recipe.
Non dairy – Use plain flavoured non dairy yogurt and milk (portions as above), and it the yogurt just isn’t acidic in any respect like dairy yogurt is, simply add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar.
3. Salt – Halve if utilizing fantastic desk salt, enhance by 2% if utilizing salt flakes (and crush with fingers to make it finer).
4. Breading notes:

• Cornflour makes it crunchy whereas flour makes it fry up golden (cornflour stays white). 
• Add 1 tsp cayenne pepper for decent & spicy!
• Spices – Superb if you happen to’re lacking one or two, perhaps even 3, there’s loads of different spices to maintain it flavourful. See substances part for what to substitute with for every spice.

PS In my world, crumbing = breadcrumbs, crushed cornflakes and so forth, breading = flour coatings. Mash up of Aussie/US culinary converse that appears sensible to me, and in addition, I simply can’t use the phrase “crumbing” when there’s no breadcrumbs concerned!!
5. Frying vessel – You’re working with quantity right here, a number of little items of hen that cooks quick. Up and coming cooks – I like to recommend utilizing a smaller cooking vessel (~20cm/8″) and cooking in smaller batches which is less complicated, much less pace to fret about. Succesful cooks – be at liberty to make use of a bigger cooking vessel ~25cm/10″. With a skillet, you may cook dinner all of the hen in 3 batches in 6 minutes flat!
6. Batch cooking – Relying on how briskly you’re employed and the way effectively your hen is flour coated, the hen might sweat (ie change from white to darkish) whereas it’s ready round on the tray. If that’s the case, simply toss the hen within the flour on the tray simply earlier than frying.
7. Oil temperature – use a thermometer to examine the temperature. For those who don’t have one, check by throwing in a lump of breading – ought to sizzle immediately however not burn rapidly. OR stick a bamboo chopstick in and contact the bottom of the pot – if bubbles rise from ground of pot, oil is scorching sufficient.
8. Spider – Cooking utensil that is sort of a handheld colander / wire mesh, very helpful for scooping issues out of water / oil. See footage in put up / video for the one I’ve.
For those who don’t have one with holes massive sufficient for the flour to simply fall by, shake extra flour off earlier than transferring into an everyday finer mesh spider or slotted spoon earlier than reducing into the oil.
9. Recipe supply: Some methods tailored from Kenji’s recipe on Severe Eats with some steps simplified / amended based mostly on my testing. Spices are my KFC copycat “11 secret herbs and spices” combine.
Leftovers will preserve for 3 to 4 days within the fridge however crust will lose crispiness and inside just isn’t as juicy as freshly cooked. Reheat with a fast 30 second fry or 3 minutes in a extremely popular oven.
Oil reuse – Oil will get infused with the seasoning flavour so whereas it’s alright to re-use a couple of times extra, be conscious that no matter you cook dinner shall be infused with the seasoning flavour from this recipe. I used the identical oil to make this similar popcorn hen 3 occasions. I let the flour bits settle then poured off the clear oil, and topped up a bit as wanted.

Diet Info:

Serving: 100gEnergy: 280cal (14%)Carbohydrates: 9.4g (3%)Protein: 21.8g (44%)Fats: 17.3g (27%)Saturated Fats: 3.7g (23%)Sodium: 589mg (26%)Sugar: 1.5g (2%)

Key phrases: KFC popcorn hen recipe, popcorn hen

Did you make this recipe?I like listening to the way you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Re-use the oil to make these!

These have comparable / their very own sturdy seasoning so it’s okay to make use of the oil from this recipe for these. Don’t re-use the oil from Popcorn Hen to make issues like Churros, Beer Battered Fish, Honey Hen and so forth as it’ll alter the flavour of the batter.

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Lifetime of Dozer

Dozer’s routine to handle his old-man medical situation contains half-hour after every meal on his digestion mattress which is ready on an incline so gravity will help his meals transfer down into this abdomen. He at all times begins off so effectively, completely place:

Then about midway by, he begins to get bored and squirm off….

And by the tip, I often discover him like this:

If he might discuss, I’m positive he’d be declaring “I’m nonetheless technically on the digestion mattress, mum! My proper paw is!”😂

Background: Dozer’s digestion mattress is my sensible/viable different to a feeding chair that maintain canine in an upright place throughout and put up consuming – too exhausting for a big canine like Dozer, and in addition his backbone just isn’t sturdy sufficient! It’s a routine to handle unintended effects of his laryngeal paralysis situation which he was identified with earlier this yr. I’m so glad to have the ability to let you know he recovered and is having fun with life to the max, albeit somewhat slower today as a senior canine (he’s 12, virtually 13!), he’s in remarkably nice situation and nonetheless capable of get pleasure from romping on the seaside. I’m so grateful he’s okay! ❤️

Proof of seaside romping: