KFC style Popcorn chicken- crisp outside and juicy inside
KFC is a favorite in my home and I am sure in every chicken lover’s home too..After all who can resist the finger licking good chicken they serve at KFC. It is the world’s second largest fast food chain (first is Mc Donalds) and is known to serve the yummiest chicken. There’s fast food and there’s KFC.Their technique of pressure frying and Sander’s secret spice mix of 11 herbs and spices yields the hard to resist, tastiest,crunchiest and juiciest chicken ever.
Ofcourse nobody does chicken like KFC, but we can try making it at home and get as close to the original as we can. I tried making Popcorn chicken and it was just so good. It is made with chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces ,seasoned and dredged with 11 ingredient herb and spice mix and deep fried. However my spice mix is 10 ingredients only because I omit MSG whenever I cook for kids. If you are trying this recipe you may or maynot want to use MSG.
MSG or MonosodiumGlutamate is a flavor enhancer used commonly by food industry. It gives the 5th taste-Umami.It can be found almost everywhere,ranging from canned foods,frozen dinners, meats,restaurants,fast foods,soups, crackers, salad dressings and much more. It’s found in local supermarkets, in your child’s school cafeteria and shockingly even in baby food and infant formula.MSG is that secret ingredient which makes all these foods tastier,robust and smell fresher. It leaves that lingering after taste on your taste buds.Though FDA has declared it ‘safe’, health experts claim that MSG is toxic and can have harmful effects on the human body.
But one thing for sure is that this recipe for Popcorn chicken with my 10 ingredient spice mix makes the juiciest chicken nuggets with a crunchy bite.And since it is made at home with love and care, it is very healthy too. So, why not surprise your kids this weekend with this tasty chicken which tastes just like KFC.
In the pictures you may find the chicken pieces a little bigger than the popcorn size. I did that on purpose. Because I wanted the nuggets to be more moist and juicy. You can cut them into smaller pieces if you wish.
KFC style Popcorn chicken
First step:
- 2-3 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp.pepper powder
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
Mix the chicken with all the above ingredients and leave it covered in the fridge for 4-6 hours. This soaking time is necessary as it makes the chicken moist.
Second step:
10 ingredient seasoning
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- salt
- 1 tsp. Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp. pepper powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1 tsp. red chilli flakes
Except the flour,put all the other ingredients into a blender and blend till well mixed and fine. Now add this spice mix to the flour and mix well. Dredge the soaked chicken pieces in this seasoned flour . Deep fry immediately until golden brown.Drain on a paper towel and serve hot.
Extra tip: I always make extra seasoning (without the flour) and sprinkle some on the fried chicken. It tastes finger lickin’ good,
I am taking this delicious snack to party with my Fiesta Friday friends. Wow! Can’t believe it is the 90th Friday already and it just seems like yesterday. We have some new party co-hosts Effie @ Food Daydreaming and Lindy @ Lindy Mechefske to help out dear Angie. So let’s not waste time and rush to the party….
Aromas and Flavors from my Kitchen 
These look so much better than KFC 🙂 and of course healthier too 🙂
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Aww..Freda you made my day. Thank you ☺
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Wheeeee i can never ever get enough of those juicy chunks of KFC chicken.. So this post is like a blessing in disguise.. Thanks for sharing it.. 😊Most of the recipes to make deep fried chicken did not work for me.. M surely gonna try this and whats more amazing than getting to skip MSG.. 👌👍👍
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Thanks for the appreciation Neetu 🙂 As a doctor you must be aware of the harmful effects of MSG which is a compulsory addition in restaurant foods. So if we can manage to make something similar at home without the chemical it can indeed be a blessing for us and our families.
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Yes very true. So only i was all happy to see it did not contain MSG.. 👌👍
Looking forward to more recipes from you.. 💞💞😊
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I could eat these all day for a month and more! Yummers!! 🙂
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Haha Thanks!! I would love to do the same.
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😀
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Looks perfect:-) I haven’t tasted but seeing the dish I bet it taste yum
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Thank you so much Vidya. It turned out delicious. 🙂
With so many festivals lined up, I hope you enjoy and have a nice time ahead my dear friend 🙂
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Yummmmm!
Is there any way we could bake this instead of deep frying it? Or do you think it wouldn’t come out the same?
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Thanks Dana 🙂 Even I wanted to try baking them but wasn’t sure. Maybe if we substitute half the flour with panko bread crumbs it should work well.
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Oh good call!!
Thank you! I’ll let you know if I give it a shot xx
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My son loves popcorn chicken and now I have your recipe to make it! Looks absolutely delicious!
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Thanks a lot Sandhya 🙂 Actually I made it for my son who loves KFC popcorn when he came over for his vacations last week. And he loved it. I am sure your son will love it too. Do give it a try 🙂
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This looks delicious! I love when you can make something at home and get rid of the crap that is added in the commercial versions!
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Thank you so much Julie 🙂 It came quite close to the original. My kids loved it.
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Cool recipe! I love pop corn chicken too infact! Will give this a try😊😊
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Thank you Lina 🙂 Please do let me know how you like it 🙂
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Hello my friend, love the NO MSG!!! Beautiful…Cheryl x
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Hey Cheryl! Thank you so much dear friend 🙂
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Oh hooo hooo… Another one to make my darling. You are so generous with these lovely recipes
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And so are you dear Shehanne…generous with your words of motivation. Thank you and love to have you on my blog 🙂
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I would love that. Truly. My contact is there somewhere! (seriously to return to your wonderful recipe, stinky cook that I am, . I have one using cinnamon AND it never works. The spice just breaks up in the pan AND, what is left of the supposed secret ingredient tastes wrong. I am no cook but I was looking at your blend of spices and thinking these are not so fragile and taste right . I have bookmarked this. I just know it will work. There you go. x x
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That’s very kind of you dear Shehanne . Just as I love to be over yours for those awesome book reviews, interviews and some laughs. 👍😉💕
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I would love to host you. How about coming up for Christmas and you can bring some recipes??? Yeah x
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Yum!
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☺
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I love to prepare restaurant style food at home too! Healthy and tasty too 🙂
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Thank you for liking it ☺ 👍
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Mhmmm! Homemade popcorn chicken sounds delicious! And, this is something that I can totally make. I love your tip to make extra seasoning, so these are finger licking good. I know that I’ll be grabbing these by the handful. Happy FF, and I hope you have a fabulous weekend!
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Thank you Kaila. Everyone in my family loved them. Happy FF to you too. i have enjoyed your latest posts as always. Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
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Awh, thanks! I’ve been in a Halloween Spirit! 😀
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Back in the 1980’s I took my first Chinese cooking class and the recipes were loaded with MSG. Of course that ingredient has been a no-no for some time and I have not had that in my pantry for quite awhile. Looks delicious – wish I was having this instead of some pasta tonight 🙂
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Aww…thank you Judi. Wish I could beam it up to you. Have an enjoyable weekend 🙂
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Growing up we were allowed KFC once a YEAR! But boy was it good. I think my mom would have allowed these once a week! Drooling!
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I am sure she knew the health hazards of eating commercially available fast foods on a regular basis. Moms are wise and caring…(as kids we don’t realise that) and they know what’s best for their kids. Thank you so much for the kind words 🙂
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Yum! This popcorn chicken sounds wonderful–I’m sure it’s much better than KFC! 🙂
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Thank you for such a lovely thing to say. You made my day. The chicken turned out real good plus the bonus of it being healthier than its commercial original.
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OH I AM TOTALLY making a paleo version of this deliciousness!!!
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Wow! I am sure you will love the recipe. Thank you for liking it 🙂
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I love KFC, too. This sounds amazing and without the MSG. I stopped using it long years back. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Thank you Jhuls. They were almost as good. Didn’t miss msg at all.
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What a fab recipe, your chicken looks delicious, thanks for sharing 🙂
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Thank you Sarah. That’s very kind of you ☺
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Love popcorn chicken! This recipe looks so tasty! Yummy 🙂
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Thank you Arl ☺
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OMG… Indeed, your mouth begins to salivate! This recipe really sounds easy as well as yummy. Did you know Col. Sanders really never used “11 herbs and spices” and that it was a marketing gimmick? 😉
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This information is new to me. That was what I have been thinking all these years. Even Wikipedia says that. But as they say you can’t believe everything on the net. Thank you for letting me know and also for liking the recipe ☺👍
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I love popcorn chicken! I am so glad to have found a healthier version, many thanks.
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Thank you so much Abida for the kind words ☺
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Looks like you got a great crunch on those! And I love your seasoning mix! Thanks for sharing with FF#90
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Thank you for the kind words ☺ They tasted scrumptious, quite close to the original. The chicken pieces can be cut smaller to mske them crunchier.
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This is so much healthier and I’m sure tastier than KFC chicken!! So glad to have come across your recipe 🙂
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Thank you so much ☺ They were very close to the original
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Looks delicious! I must make this one! Thx so much!
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You will love the recipe Swapna. Turns out delicious ☺
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Thank you so much for liking it 👍 ☺
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