Best Bake Popcorn Chicken

Best Bake Popcorn Chicken

Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, oven-baked popcorn chicken, served with your favorite dip!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup flour
• Cooking oil spray
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 1/2 cups corn flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided use
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 1/4 teaspoon, plus a pinch, black pepper, divided use
• 1 pound chicken tenderloins (or skinless and boneless chicken breasts), cut into tiny bite-size pieces

Dipping Sauce: 

• 1 clove garlic
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon, plus a pinch, salt
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped chives

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°, and line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Add the diced chicken pieces into a medium-size bowl, and add to it the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and pinch of black pepper; toss together to combine, and marinate the chicken while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
3. Add your flour to a large ziplock bag, and set aside.
4. Add the cornflakes, parmesan, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and granulated garlic to the bowl of a food processor, and process just until a fine crumble (not too fine and powdery, but not too chunky); add that mixture to another large ziplock bag, and set aside for a moment.
5. Add your chicken pieces to the bag with the flour, and shake to coat the pieces well.
6. Place the flour-coated pieces into a medium-size bowl, and drizzle the buttermilk over them; using your fingers, mix the buttermilk gently into the chicken, just to coat it.
7. Add the buttermilk-coated chicken pieces to the ziplock bag with the corn flake mixture, and shake to coat the pieces well.
8. Place each piece of coated chicken onto the foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer, give them a light misting of the cooking oil spray, and bake for 20 minutes; then, turn on your broiler, and allow the popcorn chicken to become extra crunchy by broiling for 2 minutes more.

For the dipping sauce:

1. Add all sauce ingredients to the bowl of your food processor, and process until completely smooth and blended; keep covered in fridge until ready to serve.
2. Serve the hot popcorn chicken with the parmesan-ranch dipping sauce (or your preferred sauce) on the side. Enjoy your cooking!