Tonight's Dinner: Popcorn Chicken

I love fried chicken. Every year for the 4th of July I make a huge batch to take down to the beach for us to eat while we watch the fireworks. But it's rare that I make it any other time because it takes so long to prepare and then fry. As I said, though, I love fried chicken. So when Real Simple put out a recipe for popcorn chicken that would only take about 25 minutes to prepare, I knew I had to try it. And they weren't lying, from start to table it took roughly 25 minutes. That included cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces, dredging it in flour and buttermilk and frying it. And the result... awesome! So, so much better than the box you find in the freezer section of your local grocer. So if you're craving fried chicken, but don't have the time, whip up these little nuggets instead.

Popcorn Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Cut chicken breasts into one-inch pieces.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dip the chicken into the buttermilk, then in the flour mixture.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In batches fry the chicken until golden and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

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Other Fried Chicken Recipes from Sheknows

• Beer Batter Fried Chicken
• Oven Fried Chicken with Cornflake Crust
• Southern Fried Chicken