Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

  • Home
    • About
    • FAQs
  • Recipes
    • Bread and Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dairy
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes and Snacks
    • Desserts
    • Gluten Free
    • Instant Pot
    • Crock Pot
    • Heavenly Homemaker’s Weekly Menus
  • Homemaking
    • Real Food Sources
  • Store
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Simple Meals
  • Club Members!

High Five Recipe: Popcorn Chicken

March 23, 2009 by Laura 70 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Popcorn Chicken – One of our most popular High Five Recipes!

High Five Recipes 2

Here’s what I always wondered as a little girl:

Why DID the chicken cross the road?  And how did he manage not to get hit en route? And if he just wanted to get to the other side, WHAT exactly was on the other side that he was so excited to get to? And why wasn’t he just at home where he was supposed to be? Where was his owner?  

Silly little chicken.

popcornchickensm.jpg

Yes, I will be happy to continue to give you these little morsels of deep thoughts to ponder while you do your dishes.

Here’s the promised recipe for Popcorn Chicken. I don’t suppose the chicken ever suspected he’d be turned into delicious edible items such as this…

Popcorn ChickenYum

5.0 from 1 reviews
High Five Recipe: Popcorn Chicken
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Ingredients
  • 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • ¾ cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • butter
Instructions
  1. In a medium sized bowl, stir together flour, salt and garlic powder.
  2. Using kitchen shears, cut chicken breasts into tiny bite sized pieces.
  3. Toss chicken in flour mixture to coat well.
  4. Smear a thick layer of butter on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  5. Pour coated chicken into dish, spreading so that they are in a single layer.
  6. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Stir chicken and bake another 10 minutes.
3.4.3177

5 Simple Ingredients - Popcorn Chicken

This recipe really is as simple as it sounds. Make the chicken pieces as big or small as you like. Want more High Five Recipes like this one? You’ll find all of our real food, 5 ingredient recipes here!

You might be interested to know that when Matt and I visited west Africa in ’95, there were all kinds of animals crossing roads at all times of the day…and some of them were chickens. Indeed, it did look as if all they wanted to do was get to the other side. How ’bout that?

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Filed Under: High Five Recipes, Main Dishes, Recipes

Comments

  1. Taryn says

    March 23, 2009 at 8:12 am

    Seriously? I love popcorn chicken. I never knew you could make it at home so easily . . . I will have to show Chris. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. [email protected] says

    March 23, 2009 at 10:09 am

    We can’t use butter due to my son’s life-threatening allergy… do you think coconut oil would work?

    Thanks! I look forward to trying this out!

    Reply
  3. Andrea in Alaska says

    March 23, 2009 at 10:43 am

    Yum. Thanks for this recipe! I was wondering about it when I saw it on your menu. I bet it would be good with some of that organic ranch dip I ordered!

    Reply
  4. Josette says

    March 23, 2009 at 11:08 am

    I’ll try this one out. My recipe calls for soaking the cut up chicken breasts in coconut milk (for at least 15 minutes or longer) then fry it.. but frying does take time. I would love to cut out that step.

    Reply
  5. Lenetta says

    March 23, 2009 at 12:00 pm

    Our chickens cross the road in search of tasty bugs and whatnot. I got a little concerned when I saw one dragging a leg – I worry that one of them isn’t going to get out of the way in time. Hubs assured me that she hadn’t been hit, he thinks she got stepped on when she was a little peeper. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse.

    Reply
  6. Laura Lee @ Wasted Textbooks says

    March 23, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    So easy!! I’m thinking of making this for a fun dinner, too!!

    Reply
  7. Char @ DigiScrapChat says

    March 23, 2009 at 2:41 pm

    Seriously, it’s this easy?! I was going to make fried chicken tonight for Martha’s birthday… I may have to surprise everyone with this instead!!

    Reply
  8. Cynthia says

    March 23, 2009 at 3:16 pm

    Why is this called popcorn chicken?

    Reply
  9. Beth (A Mom's Life) says

    March 23, 2009 at 4:52 pm

    I have three chicken breasts and was wondering what I was going to make for dinner tomorrow night! Looks like it will be popcorn chicken!

    Reply
  10. Sherry says

    March 24, 2009 at 6:26 am

    Yummy! I bet my kids would love this!

    Reply
  11. Mary Ellen ~ Carolina Momma says

    March 24, 2009 at 7:20 am

    Thanks for the recipe! Looks quick and easy — and tasty!

    Reply
  12. Phoebe @ Cents to Get Debt Free says

    March 24, 2009 at 7:40 am

    Got to love those kitchen shears! :)

    I will definitely be trying this out!

    Reply
  13. mub says

    March 24, 2009 at 9:41 am

    This look so yummy! I’m going to put it on my menu for next week.

    Reply
  14. JessieLeigh says

    March 24, 2009 at 12:00 pm

    What a great recipe to have! Thanks so much for sharing. I would never have thought it would be that easy. :)

    Reply
  15. Shynea @ Mornings With Mom says

    March 24, 2009 at 2:49 pm

    This is a really cheap alternative for my family opposed to already buying the breaded popcorn chicken. Thank you so much for this recipe. I can guarantee my sons are going to thank you.

    Take care.

    P.S. Visit Mornings With Mom, a new online magazine for Christian women.

    Reply
  16. Lieuvena says

    March 24, 2009 at 8:29 pm

    I made this for dinner tonight. The kids loved it and they don’t usually care for popcorn chicken. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  17. Donna says

    March 25, 2009 at 11:00 am

    Neat-o! I was wondering how wheat flour would work. Looks great!

    I’m amazed at how simple, quick, and easy you make things look!

    Reply
  18. Cottonpickinfarm says

    April 13, 2009 at 11:42 am

    This has got to be better than the large chain stores version, which my six year old can’t seem to live without! And I just happen to have gotten a great deal on chicken breasts.

    Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Cottonpickinfarm
    http://www.cottonpickinfarm.blogspot.com

    Reply
  19. Jennifer says

    May 6, 2009 at 9:03 pm

    I made popcorn chicken tonight. It was yummy… and oh so easy. Thank you for sharing the recipe. My boys thought we could make it a bit spicier next time (more like Chik-Fil-A, they say). I thought I might add some Emeril’s Baby Bam in place of the garlic powder next time.

    Reply
  20. Marsha_M says

    October 31, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    Thanks for this recipe! I’ve made it several times and I like to spice it up more. To make these more Buffalo wing spicy I melted the butter with hot sauce and garlic powder then poured that over the chicken on the pan…so good and easy.

    Reply
  21. Chels says

    January 10, 2010 at 11:34 am

    These were really yummy. My whole family loved these, including my DS who happily went for seconds. I served the chicken with honey mustard dipping sauce (1T dijon: 1 1/2 tsp. honey), potato wedges and coleslaw. So good.

    Reply
  22. Karen says

    January 11, 2010 at 4:49 pm

    yum! yum!
    thank you so much for all your great recipes! i’m “slowly” introducing whole grains, whole foods into our lives, and its recipes like this that are really helping alot!

    Reply
  23. Rebekah says

    January 25, 2010 at 11:50 am

    We had this for lunch today and it was really yummy!!!!

    Reply
  24. Julie says

    January 29, 2010 at 2:52 pm

    Sounds delicious and easy. I will be adding this to my menu next week.

    Reply
  25. Rochelle says

    February 4, 2010 at 9:51 am

    On a splurge I bought some OCharley’s honey mustard and I’ve been trying to come up with recipes to use it! Sounds like a good dinner tonight! Oh! I can’t wait to get home!

    Reply
  26. Holly says

    February 23, 2010 at 12:40 pm

    Just made these for lunch…but I think I didn’t get the pieces cut small enough…they didn’t have the crunchies that the ones in your pic seem to have. But they were still tasty! YUM!

    Reply
  27. Megan says

    March 2, 2010 at 5:55 pm

    I will be on the lookout for a major sale on boneless chicken. I’d like to make one mess and several batches. It’s a yummy, healthy, easy meal. I would love to have it on hand. The chicken should cross the road to my apartment.

    Reply
  28. Rachel says

    March 9, 2010 at 6:58 am

    Have you ever froze any or had to reheat any? I’m just cooking for two – so trying to figure out if I should use the same amount of meat and if it will save well for left overs, or if it would be better to make a smaller batch..Thanks! I’m excited to try it!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      March 11, 2010 at 4:22 pm

      Yes, these absolutely freeze and reheat well! You can freeze them before you bake, and just bake as many as you need…or you can bake them all, freeze the leftovers and just reheat in the oven for a few minutes.

      Reply
  29. marisa montreuil says

    April 27, 2010 at 11:11 am

    In response to the poster who had a child with allergies..we used soy margarine for ours because we have dairy allergies in our household. Not sure if you can use soy though :)

    Reply
  30. Carissa in KS says

    May 12, 2010 at 12:33 pm

    This was our lunch today…along with broccoli and strawberries. Yum! I think I need to increase the oven temperature next time but the recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks!

    Reply
  31. Kara says

    June 5, 2010 at 4:57 pm

    What a wonderful recipe! I just tried it tonight and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Thank you!!

    Reply
  32. Lis says

    June 21, 2010 at 10:23 am

    I just saw this linked on Menu Planning Monday~ I think we’ll give it a go on Friday~ Looks yummy!

    Reply
  33. Jen says

    July 5, 2010 at 6:53 am

    I made up a couple of batches of the popcorn chicken and placed them in the freezer. Just wondering if you have done this and how does it effect the cooking time?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      July 8, 2010 at 11:01 am

      I think if you just add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time they should turn out about right!

      Reply
  34. Kristina says

    August 11, 2010 at 4:44 pm

    Hi! I just found these and made them today. They were tasty, however, they were not crispy at all. Am I missing something? I coated the chicken in the dry flour mixture, but since there is no egg, I’m wondering how you got yours to be thick (at least it looks thick in the picture) and crispy. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      August 19, 2010 at 10:31 am

      I wouldn’t say mine are very crispy either. They probably just look a little crispy in the picture!! :) I think to get them nice and crispy you’d have to coate them with egg, like you mentioned and the flour mixture, then fry them.

      Reply
  35. Samantha R says

    September 5, 2010 at 1:50 pm

    Thanks for the recipe! We enjoyed this last night!

    Reply
  36. Barbara says

    January 11, 2011 at 8:21 am

    My husband and 4children loved this. I didn’t have any leftovers that night.

    Reply
  37. Angela Klenke says

    January 13, 2011 at 3:17 pm

    I family loved this recipe, the only thing I did different is with some of the chicken I put it in hot sauce before dipping it into the flour. It reminded us of boneless hot wings. Thanks for all the great recipes.

    Reply
  38. Daphne says

    February 1, 2011 at 7:10 pm

    I made this recipe tonight and my family ate every single nugget!! This includes my husband who is NOT a big fan of chicken (unless it’s fried). I made 1 1/2 lbs of chicken for our family of four (my husband, our two little boys that eat more then my husband and I combined and myself). I had nothing left!

    I knew they wouldn’t be crispy so I sprayed them with a tiny bit of non-stick spray at the end and turned on my broiler for just a minute or two. That added a tiny crisp. I also added a tiny bit of cajun seasoning for a little spice. Thank you so much for some great, easy recipes!

    Reply
  39. Kelly @ The Nourishing Home says

    March 6, 2011 at 10:16 pm

    Hi, Laura. I just facebooked you too. I was wondering about this recipe, as I think I must have made it wrong. Is it supposed to be crispy? Because when I made it, it turned out soggy. I think I made a mistake in that I only put in the coated chicken. In re-reading the recipe, maybe I was supposed to dump the entire bowl of flour and coated chicken pieces in the baking dish? Can you confirm, please. And maybe I too thickly coated my glass baking dish with butter? I used 3 tablespoons? We really loved the flavor, but were hoping for a nice crispy coating. I’m sure I must have messed up as all other comments are raving about this. Please advise. Would love to make this again, the right way. Blessings, Kelly

    Reply
    • Laura says

      March 7, 2011 at 5:44 pm

      They aren’t really supposed to be crispy, but neither are they supposed to be soggy.

      I usually bake mine on a baking stone…I wonder if that was the difference?

      Reply
    • Teva says

      February 10, 2012 at 10:16 am

      Too much butter! I used the same amount of butter but I only had two breasts. They were soggy but still good!

      Reply
  40. Anne says

    March 7, 2011 at 2:15 pm

    Laura,
    Do you buy chicken breasts from the grocery store, or do you buy a whole free range organic chicken and use the meat from that?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      March 7, 2011 at 5:45 pm

      I buy Smart Chicken from the grocery store when I find it on sale. It’s still a compromise, but better than Tyson. I also get it sometimes from Whole Foods when we go there (like, twice a year!).

      Reply
  41. Mrs. Joseph Wood says

    March 29, 2011 at 4:04 pm

    I’m going to make these for dinner tonight and if they are a family hit make sure to put some in the freezer for quick meal ideas. I think I’ll add some garlic gold to them since it’s a hit in our house too. Thank you for sharing! I love simple!

    Reply
  42. Angie Hall says

    March 29, 2011 at 6:04 pm

    Made these for my kids tonight who are very picky. They absolutely loved them. Thanks so much for posting all your recipe ideas! I have enjoyed learning to cook healthier for my family.

    Reply
  43. Mary says

    April 21, 2011 at 10:46 am

    Hi Laura! Is 20 minutes enough time to cook the chicken? I’m one of those people who are so scared of undercooking meat that I end up overcooking it. :)

    Reply
    • Laura says

      April 27, 2011 at 8:00 pm

      Yes, 20 minutes is long enough on this recipe because the chicken is in such tiny pieces. :)

      Reply
  44. Betty says

    May 18, 2011 at 3:49 pm

    I wish you were around when I had 4 kids at home.. :-) Alas, I will try this for just my hubby and me! :p

    Reply
  45. Carey says

    September 2, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    I made this tonight and it was really yummy! I substituted almond flour for the wheat flour to make it gluten free. I think I’m going to follow the suggestion of another comment and use Emeril’s baby bam seasoning next time. And I think I’ll broil the chicken for the last 5 minutes to make it crispier. Thanks for the great and easy recipe that’s also freezer friendly!

    Reply
  46. Drea says

    October 13, 2011 at 5:43 pm

    Just want to say, I love your blog!

    Reply
  47. Dawn says

    November 29, 2011 at 5:36 pm

    I just made this and my kids are devouring it!! I added some parmesan cheese with the flour and put them under the broiler for the last few minutes. I’ve only managed to get one taste but they are good!

    Reply
  48. Lyndsay says

    May 6, 2012 at 4:37 pm

    One of my hubby’s favorite foods is popcorn chicken. I remembered seeing this on your site, and told him I was making it for dinner. His response? “You can do that?” Yeah, I think I can handle it! I used chicken thighs instead of breasts (there was an incredible deal on smart chicken thighs and legs at the store!) and they worked great. Took 12 thighs to feed my hungry crew though!

    Reply
  49. Amanda says

    May 12, 2012 at 9:07 pm

    Made this for dinner tonight – it was delicious! Thanks!!

    Reply
  50. Sarah says

    November 1, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    My family is not big on potatoes, and I’m having trouble coming up with another side dish. What do you usually serve with these?
    Can’t wait to try them!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      December 14, 2012 at 11:30 am

      I would check out this page https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/side-dishes-and-snacks to see if anything stands out to you!

      Reply
  51. Kristi W. says

    March 4, 2013 at 10:08 pm

    Hey! While the popcorn chicken looks great, what caught my eye is that you went to West Africa in ’95. I grew up there in Sierra Leone as a missionary kid and just wondered where in West Africa you visted. I left in ’94 to come back to the States for good. And, yes, the wild animals are everywhere there!

    Reply
  52. Melissa says

    March 26, 2013 at 7:24 am

    Can you freeze these once they are baked?

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      April 15, 2013 at 10:30 am

      Yes!

      Reply
  53. Bailey Vazquez says

    April 16, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    Oh these sound so good! Looking through for an idea for dinner. Wanted a grill out, but we’re getting a proper downpour, complete with rumbling thunder so it looks like the grill and patio are a no-go. But I love love love home made versions of the KFC popcorn chicken bowl, which suddenly sounds perfect. I’ve always made it with grilled chicken, but popcorn chicken is all that’s needed to make it perfect!

    Reply
  54. Joellen says

    April 25, 2013 at 4:10 pm

    This has become a staple at our house. I have a daughter who, until about a year ago, was unable to eat more than 20 grams of protein per day due to a metabolic disorder. Last year she had a liver transplant, which fixed the immediate problem, but she’s so used to meat making her sick that it’s hard to choke it down. She’ll eat hot dogs, pepperoni, and some other highly processed meats, but this is the first whole food meat dish that she would actually eat. Willingly. Thank you!

    Oh–I bought some almond flour shortly before she was hospitalized, and forgot why in the three months before we came home. It needs to be used, so I substituted it for the wheat flour in this recipe. We really like it! It somehow enhances the cheese flavor, so it almost tastes like the chicken is coated entirely with Parmesan.

    Reply
  55. Mervin Hart says

    August 4, 2014 at 4:33 pm

    I dream…of a world…wherein a chicken can cross the road…without having its motives questioned.

    Reply
  56. Kara M says

    August 11, 2014 at 11:09 am

    Would coconut oil be able to be substituted for the butter? I have 1 daughter that cannot have dairy.

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      August 14, 2014 at 10:11 am

      Using coconut oil should work great!

      Reply
  57. Lindsay says

    February 15, 2015 at 1:09 pm

    Just curious…what country in West Africa did you visit? My family and I are missionaries in Senegal. Were you on a short-term missions trip?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      February 16, 2015 at 11:44 am

      Ghana and Togo for just a few months one summer. God bless your ministry!

      Reply
  58. Patricia Yusko says

    August 24, 2015 at 12:29 pm

    Thanks Laura, for all your tips, tricks, simple ingredients, budget friendly, and EASY family friendly recipes. I have two toddlers, and a chef husband, who is used to using fancy ingredients and having complicated recipes, of which I am not qualified or have the time to replicate. We have found that all the recipes we have tried from your site hit the spot!

    Reply
  59. Becky says

    June 21, 2016 at 7:25 pm

    How could you do this to me!?! I ate 3 helpings of this! My daughters and I devoured the whole pan . :) it was super yummy. Thank you for making such wonderful and easy recipes.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

Join Our Community!

 Facebook Twitter RSS E-mail Instagram Pinterest

Popular Posts

~ Will All of the Real Moms Please Stand Up?
~ Easy! Stir-and-Pour Whole Wheat Bread
~ How to Make Gatorade
~ 31 Real Food Breakfast Ideas
~ Dear Teenage Girls...
~ When Mom Takes a Step Back
~ The Inexpensive Health Insurance We Love!
~ Let's Talk Real Food Grocery Budgets

Check out our latest posts!

  • What to Make When It’s Too Hot to Make Dinner
  • How God Used My Cheesecake
  • Big Family Food and Fun: Meals and Photos from Last Week (May 17-27, 2023)
  • The Coppinger Castle
  • How Our Youngest Became Oldest of 9
Home  ~  Simple Meals  ~  Club Membership  ~  Shop  ~  Privacy Policy  ~  Disclosure  ~ Contact

Copyright © 2023 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in