Fried chicken is a long-standing cross-cultural culinary staple. It’s incredibly versatile, hard to get wrong, and most importantly, very delicious no matter how it’s made. In that same spirit, finding new ways to upgrade classic fried chicken isn’t uncommon. One of the easiest ways to make it interesting involves swapping out the usual breading for an iconic movie snack — popcorn. This switch-out is incredibly simple and can, given its variety of flavors, not only work to enhance the chicken’s profile, but also adapt the classic breaded fried chicken to specialized meal plans, such as a gluten-free diet.
To make the swap, you’ll need enough popcorn to cover the chicken; typically, about four to eight cups should do the trick, depending on the chef’s preference and the cut of meat. After adding the snacky coat, it can be fried in the pan with oil or butter, baked without it in the oven, or crisped in the air fryer. This recipe doesn’t need to stick to the plain or buttered popcorn either. Coating the chicken with flavored popcorn can further upgrade it with a tantalizingly cheesy enhancement or incorporate the decadence of a salty caramel popcorn. Those wanting to up the ante on texture can add in panko flakes or a gluten-free flour for an extra-crispy coating.
It pays to get creative with fried chicken, especially the popcorn-crusted kind
Admittedly, popcorn’s a classic, but fried chicken’s recipe caters to creativity when switching ingredients out. Cornflakes make an excellent substitute for chicken breading as they tend to be crunchier and introduce a sweeter flavor from their sugar and corn ingredients. You can also swap the standard breading out for crispy French onions. Although these are usually used as a topping for steak or salads, they can also be used as an extra crunchy breading, similar to cornflakes. In this same vein, pretzels are a great alternative due to their dense crunch and a uniquely salty taste. Alongside the texture coating, eggs can be swapped out for Greek yogurt or sour cream to create a pleasantly tart emulsion for the chicken.
Much like the chicken it’s coating, popcorn also offers a versatile coating base. If flavored popcorn like cheddar or caramel isn’t appealing, chefs can sprinkle in their favorite herbs and seasonings since popcorn has a salty, but neutral flavor. Here, a dash or two of rosemary, a little garlic, and a shake of Parmesan can make a spin-off chicken Parmesan. Incorporating ranch dip seasoning into the popcorn coating also creates a fun, zesty, savory dish for the next family meal. Truly, the options for a popcorn-crusted fried chicken are endless and enjoyable.
