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Chicken popcorn is an unusual twist on chicken. In this dish, boneless chicken is diced and deep fried in a batter of flour and egg with a dash of soya sauce. You can give it a seasoning of your choice but here we are going to use salt and pepper. The chunky chicken pieces with a gorgeous combination of salt and pepper bring out amazing flavours. It is quick to make and fun to nibble on with friends and family. That is why it is often used as a starter at parties.
History of Chicken Popcorn:
Although the idea of diced, deep-fried chicken is common in Eastern Europe, it was introduced to cosmopolitan foodies by the American fast food chain KFC. It is called popcorn because of the dice-sized chicken pieces that look like popcorn. Packed with the goodness of vegetables and versatile chicken, it is a succulent and juicy snack.
Chicken picks up the flavour of its’ fellow ingredients very well. It is a Chinese dish so the stir fry has to be fast and efficient, but little tricks and tips while making the batter and deep frying the chicken go a long way in bringing out the best taste and texture.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup Refined Flour
• 1/2 cup Corn flour
• 2 tbsp Ginger- Garlic paste
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• Salt
• Black Pepper (crushed)
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 cup Water
• Chicken Breast (diceD)
• Oil - 1 tbsp Oil
• 1/2 cup Assorted Bell Peppers (chopped)
• 1/4 cup Spring Onion
• 1/4 tbsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Salt
Method:
• First prepare the marination mix( it is the batter too)
• Take the all-purpose flour, cornflour, ginger garlic paste, soya sauce and salt and pepper
• Add one whole egg and whisk properly
• Add some water to make a thick paste
• Combine everything and mix until it comes to a ribbon consistency(Because the chicken will leave water, the batter should not be runny)
• To the batter, add diced chicken.
• Once the oil is hot, one by one drop the chicken chunks in the oil. They should be individual and not lumpy.
• Fry until they are crispy but not brown and keep aside
• Now we need to fry the already fried chicken with vegetables (ensure that chicken chunks don't start leaving their oil and destroy the texture or taste, we have to wait to add the vegetables until the oil is smoking. This will help the chicken in retaining its crunch)
• Take oil in a wok and put on high flame
• First add the chopped onions and all other vegetables
• Toss them properly to avoid burning
• Add chicken chunks and stir fry properly as Indo-Chinese food demands quick and fast cooking
• While tossing, you should be able to hear the clink of chicken pieces because that is the desired texture
• At the last stage, add lots of pepper as that is the dominant flavour
• Add salt(salt flakes will be better) but any salt is good
• Switch off the flame and your chicken popcorn is ready to serve
