Popcorn chicken is lightly fried Korean chicken served with a spicy sauce over brown rice noodles. Healthier than takeout and just as delicious!
Popcorn chicken isn't popcorn at all. A bit of a misnomer, yes! It's bite-sized pieces of chicken lightly fried to crispy perfection. If you're looking for something different for dinner, make this easy meal prep recipe tonight. The chicken gets tossed in a popular Korean cooking condiment called gochujang, which is a savory, sweet and spicy fermented red chili paste. (Most grocery stores have this, in case you haven't seen it before!) Make this dish made gluten-free (swap out the soy sauce for tamari) if needed.
Popcorn Chicken with Rice Noodles and Gochujang Sauce Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 3 chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch pieces (about 1 ½ pounds)
- 8 ounces brown rice noodles
- 2 cups tapioca flour
- 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- ½ tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. ginger powder
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2 cups sesame or canola oil for cooking
- Green onions, sliced for garnish
- Sesame seeds for garnish
For the Sauce:
- ½ cup ketchup
- 3 tbsp. coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 3 tbsp. gochujang (Korean chili paste)
How to Make Popcorn Chicken
The chicken gets cooked in sesame oil with a bunch of awesome spices including paprika, garlic, and ginger. Then you toss it in tapioca flower (making this dish gluten-free!) and quickly pan fry it. Remove to a paper towel to drain.
Meanwhile, your noodle will cook in another pot. You can make the sauce ahead of time if you like, as it just consists of ketchup, coconut sugar, soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free), and gochujang. Play with the amounts if desired to get your ideal balance of flavors.
Substitutions and Alterations
- Not sure how you feel about gochujang? Simply reduce the amount you add to the sauce and increase the amount of ketchup.
- Use shrimp or pork if you don't have chicken. Popcorn steak could work, too.
- Use regular pasta (spaghetti would work) instead of rice noodles, or soba noodles if you don't have rice noodles but need to keep this gluten-free.
- Double this recipe and freeze the chicken for future use!
How to Store Popcorn Chicken
We've got you all set for this chicken dish as an easy meal prep recipe. Portion the chicken into one side of the container and the noodles in the other. Done and done! This keeps in the fridge for 4 or 5 days provided the containers are sealed properly. Reheat in the microwave or right in a hot pan to which you've added a smidge of oil (just so the noodles don't stick or dry out!).
We also love to double the chicken for a recipe like this and freeze it. You can freeze the chicken before or after cooking. Just transfer to a zip-close plastic bag and label it with the contents and date, so you know what's what when it's time to excavate that bag from the freezer! Defrost in the fridge (overnight if you can, it's very helpful!) before cooking it, and defrost before reheating.
How to Serve Popcorn Chicken
This meal prep recipe is a complete dinner in and of itself. However, you can add a few things if desired.
- A bright and crunchy green salad with an orange-ginger dressing works well.
- Coleslaw is a great balance—cooling, raw and crispy—to the heat of the popcorn chicken.
Need more inspiration: Find 30+ more meal prep recipe videos here!
Ingredients
For The Main
- 3 medium Chicken Breast cut into ½ inch pieces
- 8 ounces brown rice noodles
- 2 cups tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 cups sesame oil for cooking
- green onions for garnish
- Sesame Seeds for garnish
For The Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoon Coconut Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 3 tablespoon Korean chili paste
Instructions
- Place oil in a large sauté pan and bring to a high heat until bubbling.
- While the oil heats, place the cut chicken in a bowl with vinegar, paprika, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit 10 minutes.
- Prepare a large plate with the tapioca flour.
- Place the chicken on the place and coat generously with the flour.
- Place ¼ of the chicken in the pot of oil. Cook 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels then add another ¼ of the chicken to the skillet. Repeat until all the chicken has been cooking.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare a pot of boiling water and cook the brown rice noodles until tender. Drain the water and run under cold water.
- Place the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and mix together.
- Once the chicken is done, place it in a new skillet with the sauce and bring to medium heat. Cook 5 minutes until warm.
- Add sliced green onions and sesame seeds and serve with brown rice noodles.
