It’s a treat when I get to fire up my deep fryer. And because I’m a sucker for being influenced by cheesy ads on TV for fast food joints, I had to make a copycat of the popcorn chicken you can get at Popeyes. I couldn’t help myself. I was weak. Crunchy, spicy and addicting, I gobbled them up just like Annie (the lady on the Popeyes commercials) said I would.
All You Need Is A Good Dipping Sauce
I figured I needed a few dipping sauces for my copycat Popeyes popcorn chicken. I decided to pick up a few bottles of Sweet Baby Ray’s dipping sauces at the store. SBR makes great BBQ sauces (perfect as-is or as a base for your own creation), so I was pretty darn sure that their dipping sauces would be great too. And they were. Between the popcorn chicken and the dipping sauces and a few fries, it was a happy deep-frying kind of day!
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
Also try my chipotle popcorn chicken bites. Chicken with a kick!
Copycat Popeyes Popcorn Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- Vegetable oil for frying
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 3 eggs
Instructions
- Cut chicken into small pieces.
- Heat 3″ of oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
- Combine flour, salt, white and cayenne pepper and paprika in a shallow bowl or pie plate.
- Whisk together the eggs in a separate shallow bowl or pie plate.
- Working in batches, dip chicken pieces into the egg.
- Shake off excess and transfer to the flour mixture, coating well.
- Shake off excess and place into the hot oil.
- Fry 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack or paper towel-lines plate.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.