Real ‘popcorn’ chicken

Tired of using breadcrumbs for the breading on your fried chicken? Try popcorn.

Jessie made a tasty rice dish last night and asked for chicken to go along with it. Since I didn’t feel like doing the same old, same old, I tried an experiment with some freshly popped large-kernel popcorn we picked up in Amish country earlier in the day. The end result was a delectable crunchy crust, and I topped it off with some sweet lime-coated popcorn for an added zing.

Popcorn fries much the same way as traditional breadcrumbs, though you have to be especially careful your oil isn’t too hot or you could get the unpleasant “burnt popcorn” flavor.

This recipe is for “popcorn chicken” served with lime-candied popcorn. You could substitute lemon for the lime. The lime was intended to complement the spice in the rice dish Jessie was making to go with it.

What you’ll need for two people:

• 2 limes
• 6 cups popped popcorn, unsalted and unseasoned
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 medium chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• Peanut oil for frying

What to do:

1. Juice the two limes and stir in the water and sugar. Place in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Heat the mixture, stirring frequently, until reduced and syrupy. Remove from the heat.
3. Toss in one cup (a handful) of the popped popcorn and stir quickly to coat. Set aside.
4. In batches if needed, put the remaining popcorn into a food processor and pulse until the popcorn is broken down into a fine breadcrumb-like consistency.
5. Set up your breading station. Put the all-purpose flour in one bowl, the egg (beaten) into a second, and the popcorn breading into a third.
6. Dredge each chicken piece through the flour, coating evenly and shaking off the excess, then coat in egg, letting the excess run off, and finally into the popcorn breading, coating thickly and consistently.
7. In a frying pan (or in a deep fryer), pour in two inches deep of peanut oil. Heat to 350 degrees.
8. Fry the chicken, in batches, for 8-10 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Warning: The outside may look golden brown for several minutes before turning a little darker brown. The chicken inside isn’t done until the coating is a darker brown. If the coating is going dark brown and the chicken when you check it is not fully cooked, your oil is too hot.
9. Serve with a handful of the lime-coated popcorn.

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2. Saturday Night Improv: Chorizo-stuffed chicken breast
3. Panko-breaded chicken breast with honey-mustard sauce
4. Foil-baked potatoes on the grill
5. Quick chicken tacos with salsa verde