I have a huge sweet tooth but every once in a while I want a savory snack instead of a sweet one. My constant go-to? Popcorn chicken! There's a boba shop a couple of blocks from me that makes a great Taiwanese version but I wanted to mix things up today and make Indian popcorn chicken. With a combination of spices, a crispy panko crust, and a delicious Tikki masala dip, this is the ultimate savory snack. Oh, and did I mention? There's no frying which means it's healthy! (Or healthier I should say.)

Recipe

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Indian Popcorn Chicken

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Indian popcorn chicken

• 2 lb chicken breast or thigh boneless, skinless
• salt and pepper
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon ginger minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic minced
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup panko
• 2 tablespoon olive oil

Tikki masala dip

• ½ cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon garlic minced
• ½ teaspoon ginger ground
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and season with salt and pepper. Combine ½ cup yogurt with 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic, ½ teaspoon cayenne, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add the marinade to the chicken and mix to evenly coat all sides. Let sit for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the tikka masala sauce. Whisk together ½ cup yogurt with 2 tablespoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon garlic, ½ teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, and ½ teaspoon granulated sugar. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for 20 minutes.
• Dredge the chicken in panko and lay on an even layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle 2 tablespoon olive oil on top and bake for 7 minutes. Flip the chicken over and bake for another 5 minutes or until done.
• Serve the Indian popcorn chicken with tikki masala sauce.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

When I decided that I wanted to make Indian popcorn chicken, I turned to my chicken tikka masala recipe for inspiration. By marinating the chicken in a yogurt based marinade, we are essentially tenderizing while flavoring the chicken.

It may seem like there are too many spices in this recipe but really, what is too many spices? Cayenne, turmeric, coriander, and cumin are all commonly used in Indian cooking so it only made sense to incorporate them here. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes, letting the meat absorb all of the flavors.

Meanwhile, make the chicken tikka masala sauce. Whisk together yogurt with ketchup and yes, more spices, and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. The longer the dip sits, the better.

Bread the marinated chicken in panko and bake in the oven until crispy. Make sure to drizzle olive oil on top and flip the chicken to even brown both sides. Once the Indian popcorn chicken is golden crispy, serve it with the delicious tikka masala dip and go to town! This is an entirely different type of popcorn chicken but still delicious nonetheless!

For more chicken inspiration check out this roasted golden chicken with miso curry!