Crispy Buttermilk Popcorn Chicken

These crispy bite sized buttermilk popcorn chicken go amazingly with our sweet creamy honey sesame dip. Perfect for sharing as a snack or appetizer.

📝 Ingredients

• 6 boneless chicken thighs ((or any cut of boneless chicken))
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup potato starch or potato flour
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3-4 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne ((optional))
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 teaspoons honey
• 4 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2-3 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2-3 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 3 teaspoons sriracha chili sauce ((optional, to make it spicy))

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Preparation ---
2. 2Cut 6 boneless chicken thighs up into 1 inch sized chunks and put it in a bowl or ziploc bag with 1 cup buttermilk, ¼ cup water and, 1 tablespoon salt.
3. 3Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, but it's best to leave it overnight.
4. 4--- Mixing the Batter ---
5. 5Bowl 1: In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs and set aside
6. 6Bowl 2: In another bowl, combine 3-4 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon ground pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ¼ cup potato starch or potato flour, and ¾ cup all purpose flour together and set aside
7. 7--- Deep Frying (First Fry) ---
8. 8Take the chicken out of the fridge and let it sit in room temperature for at least 1 hour.
9. 9Set the deep fryer to 350F (if you are using a high wall pot over the stove, set the heat to medium-low)
10. 10One by one, take each chicken piece and lightly coat the flour mix and dust off the excess flour.
11. 11Coat it with the egg mixture
12. 12Coat it again in the flour mixture
13. 13(Optional) Repeat the egg and flour mixture steps a few more times if you want a thicker batter.
14. 14Deep fry the chicken in batches for 1 minute. Careful not to overcrowd the pan which will drop the oil temperature.
15. 15Let the chicken rest on parchment paper or brown paper bags to absorb excess oil
16. 16--- Deep Frying (Second Fry) ---
17. 17Set the deep fryer to 375F (if you are using a high wall pot over the stove, set the heat to medium)
18. 18Add the chicken back in and cook it for 3-4 minutes
19. 19Let it cool on newspaper, parchment paper or brown paper bag
20. 20Enjoy!
21. 21--- (Optional) Honey Sesame Dip ---
22. 22In a small bowl combine ¼ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, 4 teaspoons honey, 4 teaspoons sesame oil, 2-3 teaspoons soy sauce, 2-3 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, and 3 teaspoons sriracha chili sauce (optional).
23. 23Serve with chicken!