KFC-Style Popcorn Chicken at Home

Ingredients

Home-kitchen amounts for 2–3 — standard home-cooking quantities for this dish, not the chain’s recipe (chains do not publish theirs). Difficulty: Medium.

• 500 g chicken breast, cut into bite-size cubes (about 2 cm)
• 1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1½ cups (225 g) plain flour
• ½ cup (75 g) cornflour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Method

1. Toss the chicken cubes in the buttermilk, salt, garlic powder, paprika, pepper and onion powder. Marinate at least 20 minutes (up to 4 hours).
2. Stir the flour, cornflour and baking powder together. Drizzle in 1 tbsp of the marinade and rub it through to make shaggy bits — those are the crunchy bits.
3. Lift the chicken out, let the excess drip off, and press firmly into the seasoned flour until heavily coated. Rest 10 minutes so the crumb sets.
4. Test the oil with a pinch of flour before the first batch goes in — it should sizzle at once.
5. Deep-fry in batches at 175°C for 2–3 minutes until deep golden and cooked through. Do not crowd the pot. Drain on a rack and salt lightly. Tip: small pieces cook fast and dry out if you fry too long — 2–3 minutes is enough — and frying in batches keeps the oil hot so the coating stays crisp instead of greasy.