Crispy Spicy Popcorn Chicken
Abuja, Nigeria · View all recipes
Overview
Popcorn chicken is small pieces of chicken coated in seasoned flour and deep-fried until crisp, a fast-food format made at home, served here with a spiced African dipping sauce. The name comes from the size and shape rather than from any connection to popcorn: bite-sized pieces you eat by the handful. It is American in origin and belongs to the same lineage as fried chicken generally, scaled down to something snackable. What makes this version worth having is the coating and the sauce rather than the chicken. A well-seasoned flour coat, properly rested so it adheres, and oil at a genuinely high temperature are what produce a crust that stays crisp rather than going soft within minutes. The dipping sauce is where an African element enters, a spiced sauce built on pepper, which is a straightforward and honest pairing rather than a claim about the dish's origins. **Filed as Worldwide.** Popcorn chicken is not an African dish. It is kept on the platform with its page and URL intact, and reclassified rather than removed.
AFN Heritage Note
Popcorn chicken is an American fast-food format of bite-sized battered fried chicken, named for its size rather than any connection to popcorn. The spiced dipping sauce served with it here is the African element of the recipe.
Ingredients
Directions
- 1
In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
- 2
Dip each chicken piece into the flour mixture, then into the beaten eggs, and finally into the breadcrumbs, pressing gently to adhere.
- 3
Heat oil in a deep frying pan to 350°F (175°C).
- 4
Fry the coated chicken pieces in batches for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- 5
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- 6
Add the chopped onion and cook until softened. Add minced garlic and ginger, and sauté for another minute until fragrant.
- 7
Stir in ground cumin, ground coriander, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes to toast the spices.
- 8
Pour in the diced tomatoes and their juices. Season with salt and pepper.
- 9
Let the sauce simmer for about 15-20 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken.
- 10
Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree the sauce until smooth.
- 11
Stir in chopped cilantro and adjust seasoning if needed.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Laila Yetunde- Let the coated chicken rest for ten minutes before frying so the coating adheres properly.
- Get the oil genuinely hot before the first piece goes in. Lukewarm oil produces a greasy, soft crust.
- Fry in small batches, crowding drops the temperature and everything steams instead of crisping.
- Drain on a wire rack, not on paper. Paper traps steam and softens the underside.
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