These tasty and healthy little popcorn chicken balls are perfect for kids meals, family dinners or great party food. Mixed with chopped veggies and cooked with a little oil (no deep frying here) they’re a nutritious way to enjoy a fast food classic.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Ages: Toddlers to Teens
Difficulty: Intermediate
Makes: 20 popcorn chicken bites
How to make healthy popcorn chicken?
It’s easier than you might think to make your own homemade, healthy popcorn chicken.
First you blend your chicken fillets with your chosen veggies. Here we have used shallot, red pepper and some fresh parsley. We’ve also added a little paprika for extra flavour.
Then you prepare your ‘dipping’ bowls. We have beaten egg, flour, a flour and milk mix and finally crunchy cornflake crumbs.
Take a ball of the chicken mix and roll it around in each of your dipping bowls and place on a plate or platter.
Then shallow fry in a little olive oil to get that crunchy, crispy coating. When the chicken is cooked through and the balls are golden brown you’re done. Now all you have to do is choose your favourite dip.
Ingredients
Chicken balls:
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- ½ small red pepper (30 grams), finely diced
- Few sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 350 grams chicken fillets (about 3 fillets)
- 1 teaspoon mild or sweet paprika
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (for cooking)
Crunchy coating:
- Bowl 1:
⅓ cup plain flour (40 grams) - Bowl 2:
2 eggs, lightly beaten - Bowl 3:
50 grams plain flour
120 mls whole milk
½ teaspoon mild paprika
pinch of salt - Bowl 4:
5 cups corn flakes, (120 grams), no added sugar or salt.
Honey and mustard dip
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Chicken balls:
- Finely dice – or whizz in a food processor – the shallot, red pepper and parsley.
- Add the chicken fillets to the mixer and blend until you get a chicken mince. Empty the chicken and vegetables into a mixing bowl.
- Add the paprika and ½ tablespoon of olive oil.
- Mix it together with your hands until well combined and set aside. Start preparing the 4 plates for the coating in shallow bowls or plates.
Dipping bowls:
- Bowl 1 has 40 grams of plain flour (about ⅓ cup). Bowl 2 has 2 eggs, lightly beaten.
- Bowl 3 has 50 grams plain flour (just under ½ cup), 120 mls whole milk, ½ teaspoon of paprika and a pinch of salt, all whisked together until there are no lumps.
- Bowl 4 has 120 grams cornflakes (5 cups). Grab the cornflakes with your hands and squish them together so that they crumble. Keep doing this until you end up with rough breadcrumb-like pieces. Kids love to join in with this! Line up all 4 of your bowls next to your prepared chicken mixture.
Cook the chicken balls:
- Take a small piece of the chicken mince mixture in your hand and roll it into a ball. It should be about 1 inch wide (2-3cm).
- Roll it in each of the bowls one at a time until coated on all sides. Start with the plate of flour, then go to the beaten egg, then the flour and milk mixture, and finally in the cornflake crumbs.
- Set out each coated chicken ball on a plate and move onto the next one until they’re all covered in the crunchy coating.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken balls in batches. You may need to add some olive oil between batches.
- Turn them over regularly to make sure you’re cooking all sides. Cook them until they’re golden and the chicken is cooked through.
- When they’re ready, serve up your chicken popcorn bites with your favourite dip, be it ketchup or mayonnaise. We’ve suggested a honey and mustard sauce which you can make by whisking together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey and lemon juice. Enjoy!
Healthy chicken popcorn bites – our step by step guide:
Blend the chicken mix
Either finely dice or blend the shallot, red peppers and parsley. Add the chicken fillets to the blender and buzz until it makes a chicken mince.
Add paprika and olive oil
Empty the mince mixture into a mixing bowl.
Add in the paprika and olive oil. Mix it all together well with your hands until everything is evenly distributed.
Set up your dipping bowls
Set up 4 ‘dipping’ bowls for the crispy coating.
Bowl 1: 40 grams of plain flour
Bowl 2: 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Bowl 3: 50 grams plain flour whisked together with 120 mls whole milk, ½ teaspoon paprika and a pinch of salt.
Bowl 4: 120 grams cornflakes. Scrunch these together over and over with your hands until they make rough crumbles.
Coat your chicken bites
Take a small amount of the chicken mixture and roll it into a ball with your hands.
It should be smaller than you want it to be in the end so about 2 cm (1 inch) wide.
Roll it around in your dipping bowls one by one, until it’s coated with each layer.
Start with your flour bowl, then cover it in your beaten egg. Move it onto your flour and milk mixture, and finally coat in the cornflake breadcrumbs. Shake off the excess after each coating and set the finished chicken ball aside on a plate or platter.
Cook your chicken bites
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a shallow frying pan.
Cook the prepared chicken balls in batches, until all sides are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
Add more olive oil if you need to between batches.
Make your dip
You can serve these chicken bites with any dip you like.
We’ve suggested a honey and mustard sauce. To make it just whisk the ingredients together. Add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey and lemon juice.
Serve and enjoy
Serve alongside your cooked chicken bites.
Cripsy crunchy healthy chicken popcorn bites to go please
Healthy popcorn chicken bites
Equipment
-
Food processor or blender
Ingredients
Chicken balls
- 1 shallot finely diced
- ½ small red pepper (30 grams), finely diced
- 5 sprigs fresh parsley leaves finely chopped
- 350 grams chicken fillets (about 3 fillets)
- 1 teaspoon mild or sweet paprika
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (for cooking)
Crunchy coating
Bowl 1
- ⅓ cup plain flour (40 grams)
Bowl 2
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
Bowl 3
- 50 grams plain flour
- 120 mls whole milk
- ½ teaspoon mild or sweet paprika
- pinch salt
Bowl 4
- 5 cups cornflakes, no added sugar or salt (120 grams)
Honey and mustard dip
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Chicken balls
-
Finely dice – or whizz in a food processor – the shallot, red pepper and parsley.
-
Add the chicken fillets to the mixer and blend until you get a chicken mince. Empty the chicken and vegetables into a mixing bowl.
-
Add the paprika and ½ tablespoon of olive oil.
-
Mix it together with your hands until well combined and set aside. Start preparing the 4 plates for the coating in shallow bowls or plates.
Dipping bowls
-
Bowl 1 has 40 grams of plain flour (about ⅓ cup). Bowl 2 has 2 eggs, lightly beaten.
-
Bowl 3 has 50 grams plain flour (just under ½ cup), 120 mls whole milk, ½ teaspoon of paprika and a pinch of salt, all whisked together until there are no lumps.
-
Bowl 4 has 120 grams cornflakes (5 cups). Grab the cornflakes with your hands and squish them together so that they crumble. Keep doing this until you end up with rough breadcrumb-like pieces. Kids love to join in with this! Line up all 4 of your bowls next to your prepared chicken mixture.
Cook the chicken balls
-
Take a small piece of the chicken mince mixture in your hand and roll it into a ball. It should be about 1 inch wide (2-3cm).
-
Roll it in each of the bowls one at a time until coated on all sides. Start with the plate of flour, then go to the beaten egg, then the flour and milk mixture, and finally in the cornflake crumbs.
-
Set out each coated chicken ball on a plate and move onto the next one until they’re all covered in the crunchy coating.
-
When you’re ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken balls in batches. You may need to add some olive oil between batches.
-
Turn them over regularly to make sure you’re cooking all sides. Cook them until they’re golden and the chicken is cooked through.
-
When they’re ready, serve up your chicken popcorn bites with your favourite dip, be it ketchup or mayonnaise. We’ve suggested a honey and mustard sauce which you can make by whisking together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey and lemon juice. Enjoy!
