Skip the fast food and try these delicious little morsels that are super quick, easy, and taste better than soggy takeout!
These air fryer popcorn chicken bites are soooo good, I whip up a batch of them at least once a week. Perfect for Saturday lunches or something to keep the kids (and grown-ups) happy after a busy day, you only need a few ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time.
They’ve even replaced frozen chicken nuggets as a favorite in our household!
I like them with a favorite dipping sauce inside pita bread, but you could do so many things with these popcorn chicken bites. Wrap in tortillas with some salad, have on top of a rice and vegetable burrito bowl, or serve with some hand-cut potato wedges.
These are great for any health focus, are particular good if you’re concerned about calories as there are way fewer than any restaurant version. And for any Weight Watchers followers, this popcorn chicken only has 3 points per serveing!
Make a double batch of these and nibble away at them for a high-protein, low-calorie snack. Plus, by using the air-fryer get the crispy crunch of deep frying without the added fat.
Why You Should Try Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
- Super quick to make: it only takes about 10 minutes to prep and 8-10 minutes to cook!
- Uses simple ingredients: chicken, spices, flour, and an egg are all you need for these bad boys.
- High in protein and low in calories: they only have 255 calories per serve.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts – 2 or about 1lb
- Egg – 1
- All purpose flour – ½ cup (3 points)
- Smoked paprika – 2 ½ tsp
- Tumeric – 1 tsp
- Garlic powder – 2 tsp
- Oregano – 2 tsp
- Cayenne pepper (optional) – ½ tsp
- Whole wheat breadcrumbs – ⅔ cup
- Cooking oil spray
How to Cook Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken (Step by Step)
- Place the chicken breasts on a chopping board and place a hand on top. Using a sharp knife cut horizontally so you have two flat, relatively even sized pieces from each breast. Place between layers of plastic wrap and pound gently with a rolling pin until at an even thickness. Cut these into cubes of approximately 1 inch.
- In a bowl add the flour, paprika, turmeric, garlic salt, oregano and cayenne and mix to combine.
- Add the egg to a second bowl and whisk lightly with a fork. In a third bowl place the breadcrumbs and season with salt and black pepper.
- Place a few of the chicken pieces into the flour and turn to coat all sides. Dip the floured chicken into the egg mix to coat then into the breadcrumbs.
- Press breadcrumbs on firmly then transfer the pieces to the basket of the air fryer.
- Repeat with remaining chicken and spread out in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook 8-10 minutes at 390F. You may need to cook them in batches.
- Season with salt and serve as desired.
- To make a dipping sauce: combine 3 tbsp low-sugar sweet chilli sauce, 1tsp American mustard, a drizzle of honey and some salt and pepper.
Variations and substitutions
- You can change the spices in the coating if you don’t like some of those listed. I like to use a tsp curry powder, ½ tsp cumin and plenty of salt! Or try a premade spice mix like Italian, Mexican or Mediterranean spice.
- If you have an egg allergy, you can sub the egg for ¼ cup of whole milk which will work the same but in my experience is a LOT messier!
- You can substitute gluten free flour and breadcrumbs to make it gluten free.
Tips and tricks
- If you want to meal prep these and keep them in the freezer as an alternative to chicken nuggets, coat them in breadcrumbs then place in a single layer on a sheet of baking paper and freeze uncooked. Then when you’re ready to eat cook 12-15 minutes from frozen, ensuring the insides are cooked.
- These are tasty cold, so you can make a double batch and keep them refrigerated for sandwiches or snacks in an airtight container for to 2-3 days.
- You can really serve these with anything to make it into a balanced meal. Add to the top of a salad, place into a bun or roll with some slaw or eat with the sauces and a side of fries.
Related Recipes
Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
The air fryer popcorn chicken has only 3 points per serve, high-protein, low calorie snack and by air-frying they are without any added fat.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken breasts -- about two
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup All purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Tumeric
- 2 tsp Garlic powder
- 2 tsp Oregano
- ½ tsp Cayenne pepper ((optional))
- 2/3 cup Whole wheat breadcrumbs
- Cooking oil spray
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts on a chopping board and place a hand on top. Using a sharp knife cut horizontally so you have two flat, relatively even sized pieces from each breast. Place between layers of plastic wrap and pound gently with a rolling pin until at an even thickness. Cut these into cubes of approx 2cm.
- In a bowl add the flour, paprika, turmeric, garlic salt, oregano and cayenne and mix to combine.
- Add the egg to a second bowl and whisk lightly with a fork. In a third bowl place the breadcrumbs and season with salt and black pepper.
- Place a few of the chicken pieces into the flour and turn to coat all sides. Dip the floured chicken into the egg mix to coat then into the breadcrumbs.
- Press breadcrumbs on firmly then transfer the pieces to the basket of the air fryer.
- Repeat with remaining chicken and spread out in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook 8-10 minutes at 390F. You may need to cook them in batches.
- Season with salt and serve as desired.
- To make a dipping sauce: combine 3 tbsp low-sugar sweet chilli sauce, 1tsp American mustard, a drizzle of honey and some salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Serving: 131g | Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 2.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 255mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 0.7g | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1.7mg
