If you are looking for an egg free, gluten free crispy coating popcorn chicken or you are simply bored with the usual breaded version and want to give a taste boost to your fried chicken, this is the recipe for you ! Do keep in mind that all cornflakes brands are not gluten free, choose a brand to suit your requirement.
These are tender chicken pieces coated with cornmeal and crushed corn flakes and fried to crispy perfection.
The result was so much tastier and crisp that my daughters have asked me to make a lot of these and freeze them for those untimely hunger cravings.
These I can actually call’ popcorns’ as one can taste corn with chicken in each bite !
I know it has become a cliche to say that it is a quick and easy recipe but this one actually is, with just 2 ingredients for marinade, 2 for coating and 2-3minutes cooking time.
Make these for a game day or movie night or just roll in a tortilla with some greens for a yummy lunch.
For Popcorn Chicken, egg free , gluten free :
2 chicken breast fillet
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cornmeal ( not corn flour)
1 cup crushed cornflakes
Oil for deep frying
This Is What You Do :
Cut chicken into small cubes of equal size to ensure even cooking. Marinate in salt and lemon juice for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle cornmeal over chicken pieces and mix thoroughly so that the juices from the chicken combine with cornmeal to make a thick paste that coats the chicken pieces. If the mixture is too dry, add just 1-2 tablespoons of water to make it a little moist.
Crush cornflakes to a sand-like texture or whiz them briefly in a food processor. Cover the chicken bits in ground cornflakes.
Heat oil to a simmer in a deep frying pan on medium heat. Throw in a tiny piece of batter to check, if it rises to the surface immediately oil is ready for frying.
Fry a few at a time, till they are golden and crisp on outside…almost 2 minutes for each batch.
Drain in a sieve, not on paper towel…paper towel produces steam which makes fried things soggy.
Serve hot with chilli garlic mayonnaise and fresh salad or roll them in tortillas to make a more filling meal.
Chicken popcorns can be frozen before frying in airtight containers to be fried later.
Makes four servings