Crunchy and Healthy Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken (No Oil)

Clean and Easy Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken in the Air Fryer

My kids love the popcorn chicken from KFC. We don’t get it that often, but when we do it’s a real treat. However, when we tried this popcorn chicken in the air fryer… we’ve been hooked! I love making this recipe because it is so much healthier, cheaper, and quicker than buying the KFC popcorn chicken. You are going to love this one too!

Follow along with me in the video to make this amazing popcorn chicken in the air fryer, or continue reading below for the written instructions!

What You Need to Make Popcorn Chicken in the Air Fryer

As I mentioned before, this recipe is simple and quick. For this recipe, you’ll need:

• 1 lb uncooked chicken breasts or tenders, cut into cubes (I got 40 out of 1 pound)
• ½-1 cup cornstarch
• 1 ½ cups coconut milk
• 1½ teaspoons pickle juice
• 4-6 cups finely crushed Corn Flakes (gluten free if preferred)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp salt (optional)
• pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

How to Make Popcorn Chicken in the Air Fryer

What makes this recipe stand out is that there is no need to spray oil on the chicken, prior to air frying! The coating will make the air fryer popcorn chicken ULTRA crispy, even without the oil!

You can have this recipe ready and cooked in only 20 minutes! First, mix together the coconut milk and pickle juice. Then, in a Ziploc bag, finely crush cornflakes together with all the seasoning powders.

After, coat each chicken piece in cornstarch. Then dunk it in the coconut mixture, and roll in the corn flakes.  Repeat for each chicken piece and place them evenly in the air fryer (I had to cook in batches).

Lastly, cook at 400°F/200°C for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway. Just make sure you cook your chicken to the internal temp of 165˚F/74°C.

Helpful Tips

This recipe can be ready in 20 minutes. But for the perfect and best air fryer popcorn chicken, make sure that you generously coat the chicken with each coating, especially the corn flakes. I found that I used about 5 cups of corn flakes in all. You might use more, you might use less.

You can also use regular coconut milk (not coconut cream) that you find in the milk section of your local grocery store.

Depending on your needs, you could use regular or gluten free corn flakes. You can also add any other seasoning you desire. I chose to add ¼ tsp salt, but you can leave out the salt for a slightly healthier version.

Final Thoughts

This is such a quick and easy recipe. You don’t need to eat heavy and greasy popcorn chicken anymore! My kids loved this air fryer recipe for dinner and loved dipping the chicken in their favorite sauces. They raved about how delicious it was and I personally loved the powerful flavors. Let me know how this recipe went for you!

Need more quick-and-easy air fryer recipes? Check them out:

• Air Fryer Hard “Boiled” Eggs
• The Best Air Fryer Egg Bake in Minutes! 
• The 3 Easiest Foods to Cook in your Air Fryer

Check out these guides on how to use your air fryer: 

• How to Deep Clean Your Air Fryer
• The Best and Worst Air Fryer Accessories 
• Everything You Need to Know About Your Air Fryer

Crunchy and Healthy Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken (No Oil)

Healthy and quick air fryer popcorn chicken is our family's favorite dinner!

4.60 / 5 ( 10 Reviews )

Print Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Serves: 8

Adjust Servings: 8

US CustomaryMetric

Equipment

• Air Fryer

Ingredients

• 1 lb uncooked chicken breasts or tenders cut into 36-40 cubes
• ½-1 cup cornstarch
• 1 ½ cups coconut milk
• 1½ teaspoons pickle juice
• 4-6 cups finely crushed corn flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp salt optional
• pinch cayenne pepper optional

Instructions

• Mix together coconut milk and pickle juice.
• In a ziploc bag, finely crush cornflakes together with all the seasoning powders.
• Set up a station with a bowl or plate for cornstarch & cornflake mixture, and a bowl for the coconut milk mixture.
• Coat each chicken piece first in cornstarch, then dunk in the coconut mixture, then roll in the corn flakes.
• Repeat for each chicken piece and place them evenly in the air fryer. No need to preheat.
• Cook at 400°F/200°C for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked to 165˚F. Flip chicken halfway through cooking.

Recipe Notes

Works with regular or gluten free corn flakes.
Omit salt for a slightly healthier version.

Nutrition

Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 109g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 11g | Sodium: 1021mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g

Recipe Adapted From: Strength and Sunshine