Need an easy, kid-friendly, whole family pleasing dinner recipe? This Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken recipe is it!
Finding a recipe that the whole family can agree is a winner can be a challenge, am I right?
Between me, my husband, and my two teenagers, our tastes can be all over the place. There are some recipes that some of us love and others tolerate/like, recipes that some of us like but others do not at all, and there are a few rare unicorn recipes that we all love and agree to make over and over again.
This Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken recipe is one of those rare unicorn recipes.
What is an Air Fryer?
Before we dive into the recipe, let's talk about the almighty Air Fryer for a moment.
Do you have one? Have you considered getting one? I have the GoWISE USA 5.8 Quart Programmable 8-in-1 Air Fryer XL in Red. It's a beast and definitely takes up a lot of space on the countertop (I made room to store mine below) but it's worth it in order to make larger batches of food at a time.
In essence, an air fryer is a large egg-like appliance that sits on your countertop (away from other heat sources and plastics!). You use it for cooking food you would normally cook in a traditional deep fryer or convection oven. However, instead of frying food in large quantities of oil as you would in a deep fryer, the air fryer essentially acts as a countertop convection oven and circulates hot air quickly around all sides of the food. This helps make food crispy like a deep fryer would - but with much less oil.
In theory, the air fryer helps you create healthier versions of the deep fried foods you love. It still uses oil, and you still control the breading, but it's definitely healthier than deep frying!
Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
I've used our air fryer for a few different recipes now. It's great for fries, but terrible for lumpia; some recipes are better using traditional cooking methods.
This Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken recipe is the best one so far and I'm excited to share it with all of you!
Make Once, Eat Twice; or Feed a Crowd!
I was skeptical of using the air fryer for chicken at first, but it's fantastic. The chicken is cut up into small cubes, marinated for at least a couple of hours, then breaded, dunked in the marinade again, and breaded a second time.
NOTE: you can totally skip the second marinade dunk and breading step if you want to use less breading. Just know that your chicken will not look as crispy as the one I made here. Because more breading = crispier crunchier chicken.
You can actually halve the ingredients if you just want to make enough for 4-6 people for dinner.
This recipe makes enough to serve 4-6 people for one dinner, and then enough to freeze for the future. I love the Make Once, Eat Twice way of cooking with my family since my kids can take them out of the freezer and pop them in the oven or microwave to warm up for after-school snacks.
It's also a great recipe to make if you are feeding a large crowd. It's an awesome Game Day Recipe - just serve with options of dipping sauces like BBQ sauce, ranch, and honey mustard.
Serving Ideas for Popcorn Chicken
- Serve it on top of a green salad, with honey mustard or ranch dressing.
- Use it as sandwich/sub filling to create a crispy chicken sandwich or sub, with lettuce, tomato, and mayo.
- Serve it kabob-style with alternating pieces of chicken, mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes and a basil leaf to create Caprese Chicken Kabobs
- Three words (and an ampersand): Chicken & Waffles, baby!
These are my tried and true kitchen essentials. These are the best kitchen tools I personally use in my homecooking! From my favorite cooking tools to baking tools, the best small appliances for homecooks, and more, this kitchen essentials checklist will help you master most recipes in your home kitchen!
Best Multi-Cooker Appliance
I love my Ninja Foodi! I have the Foodi 8-Quart 9-in-1 Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker (model FD401). In addition to pressure cooking, it can air fry, broil, dehydrate, slow cook, sear/saute, and more. And I can often cook two items - a side and a main dish - at the SAME time in the Foodi!
Best Instant Pot
I have and use this 8-quart Instant Pot Duo a few times a week. Be sure to check out my Instant Pot Recipes!
Best Blender
This Vitamix is one of the more affordable Vitamix blenders, and it gets the job done! I use this blender almost every day, for smoothies, soups, sauces, and so much more!
Best Stand Mixer
This 5-quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer is a workhorse in my kitchen! I use it almost every day for everything from cookies to pizza dough to icing. I use mine so much, I have two: one in a limited edition Ocean Drive color, and one in white.
Best Slow Cooker
I've had this Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System for years, and it's amazing! I love using it mainly as a slow cooker. I also love to use it to keep food warm for parties. Cleans up easily too!
Daterra Cucina Cookware
Daterra Cucina is a Portland, Oregon-based family business that makes my favorite everyday cooking pans! They are professional grade, ceramic, non-stick, non-toxic pans that cook food BEAUTIFULLY and are super easy to clean. I love them and know you will, too!
Best Air Fryer: Rack Style
This is my newest air fryer. I love my basket style air fryer, but also needed to do recipe testing with a rack style air fryer since so many of you now use this style. The InstantPot Vortex Plus is a 7-in-1 workhorse that serves as an Air Fryer, Toaster Oven, and Rotisserie Oven, which allows it to Air Fry, Rotisserie, Roast, Broil, Bake, Reheat, and Dehydrate. The 10-quart capacity means you can air fry A LOT OF FOOD in one batch! Versus making several batches in the 5-6 Quart basket style air fryers.
Best Air Fryer: Basket Style
It took me a while to develop air fryer recipes that my whole family loved. During our kitchen remodel, I learned how to create delicious dishes using our GoWise Air Fryer, and now I love it! This 5.8 Quart, 8-in-1, XL Air Fryer is perfect size for families with 3+ people.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
Instant Pot Filipino Chicken Adobo- Healthy 30-Minute Instant Pot Moroccan Chicken
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta (Dairy-Free)
- Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken Recipe
Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 lbs chicken breast tenders, cut into small pieces
- 2 cups almond milk
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ ground paprika
Instructions
- In a large ziplock bag, add the chicken and all of the marinade ingredients. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to 6 hours.
- In a large shallow bowl, add all of the dry ingredients.
- After marinating, place chicken and marinade into a large bowl. Working in small batches, dredge chicken chunks into dry ingredients, shake off excess flour, dunk again briefly into the marinade, then dredge for a second time in the dry ingredients, fully coating each piece of chicken. Be sure to gently shake off excess flour mixture.
- Spray olive oil onto the bottom and sides of the inside of the air fryer vessel. Place breaded chicken in an even layer; set aside the rest of the chicken. Give the tops of the chicken in the air fryer vessel a quick spray with olive oil, then place into the air fryer.
- Air fry at 370°F for 10 minutes. Halfway through this cooking time (at 5 minutes), open the air fryer and shake the basket. If using a tray-style air fryer, use tongs to turn chicken pieces over. Spray tops of chicken with cooking spray, then resume air frying for the remaining 5 minutes. NOTE: depending on the size and amount of chicken, you may need to allow yours to cook in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes more.
- Remove from the air fryer, and repeat steps until you're finished with all of the chicken (usually 3 to 4 batches for me; it may be more or less for you, depending on your air fryer and also how you cut your chicken pieces).
- Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauces. Place any extra chicken into freezer-safe plastic bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
If you like this air fryer chicken recipe, you'll also love my CRISPY AIR FRYER CHICKEN WINGS recipe!
PIN IT:
Do YOU have an air fryer? What do you love to make in your air fryer?
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This post was first published on October 1, 2018. It was updated February 2, 2020 with new content.
Holly says
I think you've convinced me that I need an air fryer. I've been on the fence but my son is such a picky eater and eats chicken nuggets most nights of the week. I'd love to make them at home and know the ingredients that I am using rather than serving him the ultra processed stuff I've been buying. Great recipe, thanks!
Lori Vachon says
This is such a sanity saver! My husband was just raving about chicken that someone at work made for a potluck lunch in an air fryer. I definitely need to get one ASAP.
Lauren Vavala @ DeliciousLittleBites says
I so need an air fryer - if not for anything else but this recipe! My ids eat chicken nuggets every day and this is a much better alternative!
Dannii says
I love my air fryer, but I only usually make fries in it. I need to try these soon.
Cindy Gordon says
Air Fryers are THE best! Loving this popcorn chicken! Can't wait to make it!
Kiera Murphy says
This is this sort of sanity saver! My husband became just raving about hen that a person at work made for a potluck lunch in an air fryer. I really want to get one ASAP.
Create/Enjoy says
I have NEVER heard of an air fryer! What a beautiful recipe, I can't believe you made those at home!!
Rachel Newton says
This looks delicious! I haven’t tried an air fryer before—looks like I should!
melissa says
i love ❤️ how much this makes! it’s a twofer (two-4-one) ad you use amond milk! THIS IS ALL MY JAM! Now, if I’m read to purchase ‘the beast’?!!!
Arujn says
Never heard this AIR FRYER POPCORN CHICKEN Before, But looks yummy want to try this at home.
Erin @ Platings and Pairings says
This air fryer popcorn chicken looks SO good Marlynn!! Have you ever tried reheating in the air fryer? I used that method with my wings, and it actually worked really well. Quick and they came out crispy too!
Kelsey says
I've been so curious about air fryers. This recipe looks great!
Summer Sorensen says
I've never heard of an air fryer before. Sounds great! And that recipe - was thinking it would be fabulous for football Sundays. Good find!
Meredith Smith says
Awesome recipe! Making me hungry!
Andy Bishop says
It is time to get an air fryer!
Mandy @ South Your Mouth says
This looks AH MAZE ING! I'm seriously off to buy an air fryer this afternoon after seeing this! So glad you joined the Weekend Potluck this week - hope to see you around!
Amanda says
Just made these tonight and they’re awesome! Only problem is my breading kind of falls off when I take a bite. Any suggestions to make it stick better?
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Amanda, thanks for making these and so glad you liked them! You could try breading the chicken and then sticking it in the refrigerator for a while, even for just 15 minutes but up to a couple of hours. That can help the breading set in and stick more, if you're finding it falls off. You can also try to spray a little more olive oil in the air fryer pan. Hope that helps!
Sarah says
Does it have to be almond milk? I am allergic.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Sarah! You can use regular milk instead of almond milk. That's just what my family uses :) Thanks!
Rachel says
I used wheat flour and they were AMAZING! my hubby even said he was impressed! 😜
Nancy says
recipe says 1/2 ground paprika. 1/2 what? TBSP? tsp?
I am trying with cow milk since no one in my family drinks almond milk and i don't want to get it to throw rest away after.
This time i am gonna use 1/2 tsp of paprika if that works..
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Nancy! Sorry about that - I'll fix that now. We use 1/2 tablespoon, but we love paprika for a little added flavor on our chicken. You can use less if you would prefer. Thanks!
Megan says
I'm not sure what I did wrong. I had cooked chicken covered in raw, uncooked flour. The only breading that cooked was where the air fryer touched the food.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Sorry to hear that, Megan. Did you work in batches, as mentioned in the recipe, so that you had one single layer of chicken each time? When you work in batches and cook a single layer at a time, all of the chicken should be touching the air fryer and therefore all of the breading should cook. The other suggestion I would make is to maybe either add a little more oil to the bottom of the air fryer and/or to the tops of the chicken before cooking. Or, try less flour.
Lesley says
Looks great! Do you think you can use other kinds of flour...whole wheat, gluten free, or nut flours?
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
I have only used all-purpose flour so I can't attest to how other flours will work with it. That said, you should be able to sub out for other flours -- just know the taste and texture will vary.
Rachel says
I used wheat flour and they turned out great!
Amanda says
Do you think this would work if you coated them in hot wing sauce after air frying them??
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
You can certainly coat them with your fave sauce after air frying!
Sarah says
my first time using an air fryer. It turned out pretty good!
fasolakia with chicken says
The popcorn chicken, I can say is super addicting! Dredging the chicken bits in finely-crushed cornflakes add a nice crunch, plus they brown better in the air fryer than if you were to use flour.
Azlynn says
Hi! I want to try this recipe. But, I am a little confused about the marinating step when flouring. Do you make another batch? Or use the same as what you marinated the chicken in? Thanks!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Azlynn! You use the same marinade.