Pop goes the chicken!
Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken is a light and easy snack or meal. They're also fun to eat and make! Present these tender tasty bites at a party or as an after school snack and watch everyone's smiles appear.
Many restaurants and popular food chains like KFC introduced us to popcorn chicken. Popcorn chicken was brought to us by food technologist Gene Gagliardi, and was first introduced to us in March 1992 when it was test-marketed in the United States. By September 1992, popcorn chicken was available for consumption nationwide. It has been re-introduced two more times between 1992 and 2001.
Now, we're re-re-introducing popcorn chicken! Our Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken recipe is gluten-free and Paleo friendly. We use whole chicken breast, almond flour, and take away deep frying. The meal is complete with coleslaw and homemade honey Dijon mustard dipping sauce. That's how you do chicken right (Old KFC slogan)!
Enjoy all the flavor of popcorn chicken minus the deep frying! Instead, bite-sized pieces of chicken are dredged in almond flour before air frying until golden brown. Served alongside coleslaw, this is Paleo comfort food at its best!
How long will Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken last for?
Your Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken meal prep will last for 4 days. That includes the chicken, honey Dijon mustard, and coleslaw. Just make sure the meal is properly stored in a shallow, airtight container. The honey Dijon mustard lasts for 6 months when placed in a jar and refrigerated. So feel free to make more than what this recipe calls for and use it with other meals.
Can Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken be frozen?
Yes. Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken will maintain its quality for 4 months while in the freezer. Store the bites in a freezer bag, letting out excess air before freezing. You can also store and freeze Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken in a plastic or glass airtight container. The best part about freezing popcorn chicken is that you don't have to thaw it before reheating it.
Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken Ingredients:
For Chicken
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ⅔ cup super fine blanched almond flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For Coleslaw
- 4 cups shredded coleslaw mix
- 3 tablespoon Paleo mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
For Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoon Paleo mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon honey
How do you make Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken?
First, make your dipping sauce and coleslaw. They're both super easy - making the mustard and coleslaw takes about 10 minutes. Stir dipping sauce ingredients together and divide it into 4 sauce cups. Refrigerate them. For the coleslaw, stir mayonnaise, honey, ACV, sea salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Add coleslaw mix and stir thoroughly. Put the coleslaw in the fridge until the popcorn chicken is ready. Now, to cook the chicken.
Grab a tray or sheet pan and line it with parchment paper. Slice the chicken breast into 1-inch pieces on a cutting board. Then crack an egg into a shallow bowl and beat. In a separate bowl, stir together almond flour, sea salt, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Dip each chicken slice into the egg, shake off the excess, and dip into flour mix coating thoroughly. Place each battered piece of chicken breast on the lined tray or sheet.
Preheat your air-fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chicken in the basket in a single layer and fry for 6 minutes. Repeat until all the chicken is fried.
Bring out your honey Dijon mustard and coleslaw to serve with the popcorn chicken. That's it! A tasty lunch, dinner, or snack in under 30 minutes.
How to portion Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken?
Line up 4 two-compartment containers. Distribute popcorn chicken in the 2-cup compartment and the coleslaw in the 1-cup compartment. Leave room in the 2-cup compartment for the cup of dipping sauce.
More Air Fryer meal prep recipes:
We're obsessed with air-frying, how about you?! So we have lots of air-fryer meal prep recipes for you.
Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
*Air Fryer Pork Rind Coated Pork Chops
Air Fryer Cinnamon Sugar Chickpeas
Air Fryer Molasses Dijon Ham with Roasted Vegetables
And more here 25 Air Fryer Recipes That Will Change The Way You Meal Prep
**Paleo
*Keto
Other tips for making Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken:
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If you don't have an air fryer, you can bake popcorn chicken in the oven. For crispiness, broil for about 3 minutes.
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You can use pork panko or crush up some pork rinds instead of almond flour. This change keeps the recipe Keto friendly, but isn't for Paleo diets.
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Try Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken with different dipping sauces like ranch, barbecue, or even tartar sauce.
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To reheat, air-fry frozen popcorn chicken pieces at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
Ingredients
For Chicken
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ⅔ cup super fine blanched almond flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For Coleslaw
- 4 cups shredded coleslaw mix
- 3 tablespoon Paleo mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
For Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoon Paleo mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Stir together ingredients for dipping sauce and divide between 4 small sauce cups. Refrigerate until serving. To make coleslaw, stir together mayonnaise, honey, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and black pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Add coleslaw mix and stir well to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
- Slice chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces and blot dry with a paper towel. Add beaten egg to a small shallow bowl and stir together almond flour, sea salt, garlic, sea salt and pepper in a separate shallow bowl. Dunk pieces of chicken in egg, shaking off excess then dredge in the almond flour mixture all sides and set onto a parchment paper lined tray.
- Heat air fryer to 380ºF and place chicken in the basket in a single layer. Air fry for 6 minutes. Shake basket and air fry an additional 6 minutes. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Divide coleslaw between 4 teal (1 cup) MPOF container compartments and divide popcorn chicken between the other 4 (2 cups) compartments. Place a cup of dipping sauce next to the chicken.
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