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Friday, January 10, 2025

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Popcorn rooster – RecipeTin Eats


It is a KFC popcorn rooster 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 chicken

Popcorn rooster

Many individuals have tried this popcorn rooster now, together with a whole crew of builders at my residence which is below renovation. I gained’t repeat what they really mentioned once they tried it. Let’s simply say Aussie builders are liberal customers of flowery language when they’re annoyed – or once they’re extraordinarily enthusiastic! 😂

The flavour is a copycat of KFC popcorn rooster, with it’s distinct seasoning. However there’s one huge standout distinction – this home made popcorn rooster is definitely crispy. KFC’s will not be! It’s moderately comfortable and fairly greasy.

For many who are nervous about fried recipes, this popcorn rooster 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 rooster items!

Popcorn chicken

Components in Popcorn Rooster

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

Rooster and marinade

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

Don’t have buttermilk? Don’t fear, there are straightforward substitutes, see beneath the picture or the recipe card.

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

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

  • Buttermilk – Sensible for tenderising the rooster 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 Rooster. It’s barely thicker than common milk however thinner than pouring cream, and mixed with egg it creates a superb batter thickness for the correct quantity of flour to cling to the floor of every piece.

    Discover it alongside milk on the grocery retailer, normally 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 need to use yogurt combined with milk, or make your individual buttermilk with milk and vinegar. Each these substitutes work simply as nicely, I attempted them each!

    Non dairy – You need to use any non dairy milk combined 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 can have the same marinating impact like buttermilk does.

  • Egg helps the flour keep on with the rooster.

  • Salt – To season the flesh of the rooster.

Flour coating (“breading”) and seasoning

“Breading” refers to coating the rooster 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 take advantage of the time period “breading” which appears slightly extra common within the culinary world nowadays, despite the fact that sure, I do know breadcrumbs aren’t concerned!

  • The Seasoning is a KFC copycat. It’s the identical elements utilized in my KFC Copycat Fried Rooster recipe, though portions tweaked barely to swimsuit Popcorn Rooster. For instance, the amount of salt is drastically lowered as a result of we’re working with tiny items of rooster moderately 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 slightly smaller in order that they meld higher onto the floor of the small bites of rooster.

  • Flour and cornflour/cornstarch – Utilizing a mixture of flour and cornflour produces one of the best end result for a crunchy, golden crust for fried rooster. Flour (simply common, plain/all objective flour) is normal for coating fried meals, but it surely doesn’t turn out to be all that crispy. Nicely, it’s fairly crispy straight out of the fryer but it surely loses crispiness shortly.

    Cornflour, alternatively, fries up actually crispy but it surely doesn’t go a pleasant golden color. And in case you coat issues too thickly in cornflour it turns into too arduous and will get caught in your tooth.

    By utilizing a mixture of the 2, we are able to obtain crispy fried rooster perfection with simply the fitting texture!

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

Popcorn chicken
Popcorn rooster simply must be shallow fried as a result of they’re small items.
Popcorn chicken

The way to make Popcorn Rooster

In the event you’re a succesful cook dinner, that is all that you must know for learn how to make popcorn rooster:

  1. Marinate rooster 1 hour;

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

  3. Fry 2 minutes at 180°C/350°F.

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

1. Preparation

  1. Lower the rooster into small 1.25cm / 1/2″ cubes.

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

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

  1. Marinade – Add the rooster, combine to coat and marinade for 1 to three hours, however don’t transcend 24 hours else the rooster generally is a little too salty.

  2. 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 rooster 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 rooster cook dinner up additional crispy. 🙂

Bonus: Comply with 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 rooster bowl. (That is for the extra-crispy trick).

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

  1. Combine / rub the marinade by way of the flour so that you get plenty of little clumps of flour. These turn out to be additional crispy bits on the rooster, it’s so good!

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

  1. Scatter the rooster throughout the floor of the flour bowl. That is our alternative to separate each bit of rooster as a result of as soon as coated with the flour, they gained’t stick collectively.

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

  1. Shake – Decide up a number of the rooster (nonetheless together with your proper hand) and provides it a shake to take away a lot of the extra flour.

  2. Unfold the rooster on a tray. Depart 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 rooster.

AND VOILA! Did you discover how your palms 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 dimension although if you’re a assured cook dinner you need to use a bigger one round 25cm/10″. Popcorn rooster solely takes a few minutes to cook dinner so in case you use a big cooking vessel that you must transfer quicker – see FAQ for extra data.

Shallow frying – As a result of the items of rooster 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 rooster 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 rooster you’re about to cook dinner slightly toss on the tray within the extra flour to re-coat them and make them white once more, and to make sure they don’t seem to be sticking collectively.

  2. Use scooper for security (or palms, in case you’re a professional) – Then use a big scooper with giant holes (moderately than positive mesh) to choose up a handful of rooster items and shake off extra flour (ie falls by way of the outlet).

    Palms – In the event you’re a assured cook dinner, be at liberty to make use of your palms however watch out of oil splash-age. I choose to make use of palms as a result of then I can drop the rooster in one-by-one to make sure they aren’t sticking collectively.

  1. Decrease the rooster 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 learn how to take a look at the oil temperature in case you don’t have one.

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

  1. Scoop – When the rooster is finished, scoop it out.

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

Popcorn chicken

Oven and air fryer strategies – please see the FAQ for why it isn’t really useful for this explicit recipe with out alterations which I haven’t discovered but!


Issues of serving

Dipping sauce

And although I can guarantee you that this popcorn rooster is flavoured sufficient and crispy sufficient on the skin and juicy sufficient on the within to wish to shovel handfuls into your mouth plain, slightly 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 rooster. You possibly can just about use any dipping sauce for it!

Popcorn chicken

HOW TO SERVE IT

Tumble all of it into a giant serving bowl and let all people dig in (palms!) and assist themselves.

Or, serve it like film popcorn in paper cups or popcorn containers, in case you’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 facet of home made slaw (right here’s my favorite no-mayo Slaw, if you would like a lighter possibility) and KFC copycat potato and gravy (makes a superb dipper too!).

Else, another wonderful facet 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 slightly trick I shared with a reader I ran into yesterday after I instructed her I used to be sharing this at present (hello Charlotte!) – use leftover marinade and flour to cook dinner up some little flippantly steamed cauliflower florets. It appears to be like simply just like the rooster. What a solution to sneak greens into the children, eh?? A popcorn field crammed with a mixture of popcorn rooster and popcorn cauliflower!! – Nagi x

Popcorn rooster additional suggestions & FAQ


Watch learn how to make it

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Popcorn chicken

Popcorn rooster – higher than KFC!

Servings4 as a meal

Faucet or hover to scale

Recipe video above. That is higher than KFC as a result of it is truly crispy – KFC popcorn rooster will not be, 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 wish 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 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 motive.

Components

Popcorn Rooster Breading (Word 4):

KFC 11 Secret Herbs and Spices (Word 4):

Dipping sauce options

Forestall display screen from sleeping

Directions

Marinade rooster:

  • Lower rooster into small 1.25 cm / 1/2″ cubes.

  • Marinade – Whisk marinade in a bowl. Add rooster, stir to coat, then refrigerate for 1 hour (now 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 rooster 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 plenty 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 (Word 5) – Giant saucepan / small pot ~20cm/8″ really useful for learners. Giant pot / deep skillet ~24cm/9.5″ or bigger really useful 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 rooster heat.

Breading (PS I am proper handed):

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

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

  • Separate and final minute coat (Word 6) – Simply earlier than frying, use your fingers to briefly re-toss the rooster 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 rooster items aren’t caught collectively.

Frying:

  • Line a tray with paper towels (for draining cooked rooster). Preheat oven to 50°C/125°F to maintain cooked rooster 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 (Word 7).

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

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

  • Serve rooster – in popcorn 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!


1. Rooster – This will actually be made with any minimize of rooster meat. I take advantage of breast as a result of it’s straightforward 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 will not be acidic in any respect like dairy yogurt is, simply add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar.
3. Salt – Halve if utilizing positive 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 – Tremendous in case you’re lacking one or two, perhaps even 3, there’s loads of different spices to maintain it flavourful. See elements part for what to substitute with for every spice.

PS In my world, crumbing = breadcrumbs, crushed cornflakes and so on, breading = flour coatings. Mash up of Aussie/US culinary communicate that appears sensible to me, and likewise, I simply can’t use the phrase “crumbing” when there’s no breadcrumbs concerned!!
5. Frying vessel – You’re working with quantity right here, plenty of little items of rooster 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’ll be able to cook dinner all of the rooster in 3 batches in 6 minutes flat!
6. Batch cooking – Relying on how briskly you’re employed and the way nicely your rooster is flour coated, the rooster could sweat (ie change from white to darkish) whereas it’s ready round on the tray. If that’s the case, simply toss the rooster within the flour on the tray simply earlier than frying.
7. Oil temperature – use a thermometer to examine the temperature. In the event you don’t have one, take a look at by throwing in a lump of breading – ought to sizzle immediately however not burn shortly. OR stick a bamboo chopstick in and contact the bottom of the pot – if bubbles rise from flooring of pot, oil is sizzling 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.
In the event you don’t have one with holes giant sufficient for the flour to simply fall by way of, 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 Critical 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 will not be as juicy as freshly cooked. Reheat with a fast 30 second fry or 3 minutes in a highly regarded oven.
Oil reuse – Oil will get infused with the seasoning flavour so whereas it’s okay to re-use a couple of times extra, be aware that no matter you cook dinner can be infused with the seasoning flavour from this recipe. I used the identical oil to make this identical popcorn rooster 3 instances. I let the flour bits settle then poured off the clear oil, and topped up a bit as wanted.

Vitamin Data:

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%)

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 about on an incline so gravity will help his meals transfer down into this abdomen. He at all times begins off so nicely, completely place:

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

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

If he might speak, I’m certain 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 various to a feeding chair that maintain canines in an upright place throughout and put up consuming – too arduous for a big canine like Dozer, and likewise his backbone will not be robust 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 blissful to have the ability to inform you he recovered and is having fun with life to the max, albeit slightly slower nowadays as a senior canine (he’s 12, nearly 13!), he’s in remarkably nice situation and nonetheless capable of get pleasure from romping on the seashore. I’m so grateful he’s okay! ❤️

Proof of seashore romping:

Screenshot



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