Chicken breast - 2 (about 400 gms), skinless & boneless
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
White vinegar - 1 tsp
Peri peri spice mix - 1 tsp
Maida / All-purpose flour - 1 cup (approximately)
Ice cold water - 1 large bowl
Salt to taste
Instructions
To make this mix, add all the ingredients listed under peri peri spice mix to a dry grinder. Grind them well to make a fine powder making sure all the spices & aromatics are mixed evenly. Your peri peri spice mix is ready.
Next let’s prep the chicken breast for making popcorn chicken. Wash and pat dry both the chicken breasts.
Cut each chicken breast first into long strips of about 1-inch width. Then cut each strip into bite-sized cubes of about 1-inch length.
Now transfer the chicken cubes to a large mixing bowl and add salt, vinegar, ginger & garlic paste and a teaspoon of peri peri spice mix. Give the chicken a good mix using your hands so that each cube is coated evenly with all the spices & aromatics. Set it aside for 10 minutes.
Take the refined flour in a large bowl or plate and season it with salt; mix well. Also take ice cold water in another large bowl. Place both side by side.
Now take a couple of marinated chicken cubes at a time and drop them into the seasoned flour; coat them well by tossing them around in the flour; also press gently while mixing so that flour sticks to the chicken.
Then lift the chicken cubes up and shake off the excess flour. Place them on a slotted spoon or spider and dip it with the chicken in ice cold water for just a couple of seconds.
Lift the slotted spoon and let all the excess water drip off. Then drop the wet chicken cubes back into the flour and coat them again by mixing & tossing them in the flour. Coat all the chicken cubes similarly.
Now heat oil in a deep frying pan or wok until the oil is moderately hot; do not let the oil smoke, then it will burn your popcorn chicken.
Deep fry the coated popcorn chicken in batches without overcrowding the pan; then it will not turn out crispy as too many chicken will not have enough space in the oil to float around and will ooze out too much water making them soggy once cooked.
Cook the popcorn chicken on medium-high flame until golden brown & crispy; it will take about 10 to 12 minutes per batch.
Once fried, take the popcorn chicken out from the hot oil using a spider or slotted spoon allowing all the excess oil to drip off.
Transfer them into a bowl lined with an absorbent kitchen towel to soak up any excess oil.
Sprinkle peri peri spice mix over the hot popcorn chicken & toss well. Your hot & crispy popcorn chicken is ready. Enjoy!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://flavorquotient.com/2024/05/popcorn-chicken/