Chicken Poppers

These perfect bite-size Chicken Poppers are addictively good and take just 30 minutes to make! Lightly breaded in a sweet and savory flour mixture and then air fried until crisp golden brown, they are served with a creamy mayo honey mustard sauce. You can pop them right into your mouth, serve them over a green salad, or fry some up for a party! 

Easy Air Fryer Chicken Poppers Recipe

Fried chicken is even better when it’s bite-size and cooked in the air fryer! Just like my Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, this chicken poppers recipe is incredible and cuts down on the fat by using the air fryer. So yes my friends, this recipe is both delicious and on the healthy side. Not to mention, the time you save not having to clean up a bunch of oil. 

You may also notice a usual ingredient in the flour mixture. Powdered sugar! It’s actually a secret ingredient that a lot of well-known places add to the breading of the chicken on their famous sandwiches. The little bit of sweetness highlights the savory flavors and because powdered sugar is like powder it blends right in not impacting the texture at all. In fact, some say it adds to the crispiness due to the sugar, as well as helping to brown the chicken.

At my house, we normally have a hard time keeping these air fryer chicken poppers around long enough to make them more than a snack. We just love them around here with or without the sauce, though that sauce is to die for. But they could make a great appetizer at any party or protein to top your favorite green salad.

• Mayonnaise: You can use any store-bought mayo or make your own Homemade Mayonnaise. 
• Mustard: I like to use regular prepared yellow mustard, but Dijon is another option. 
• Garlic Powder: Gives the sauce a little more flavor. If you are a garlic lover feel free to add as much as you like.
• Vinegar: Adds a lovely touch of acid. You could also use lemon juice. 
• Honey: Sweetens the sauce up just a bit and is wonderful in combination with the mustard.
• Seasonings: Salt and black pepper are used to season the sauce.

• Chicken: You can use skinless boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins.
• Flour: Used to coat the chicken and make it crispy.
• Powdered Sugar: Adds a bit of unexpected sweetness to the coating that contrasts wonderfully well with the savory flavors plus it helps brown the chicken.
• Seasonings: Salt and black pepper are used to enhance the flavor of the chicken and season the coating. 
• Paprika: A dash of paprika adds another layer of flavor with its sweet peppery taste.
• Nonstick Cooking Spray: Cooking spray helps to both crisp up the nuggets more and keep them from sticking to the air fryer basket as they cook.

Air frying chicken is super easy! It’s a great way to cut back on the fat and still enjoy juicy fried chicken. Just follow these steps and your poppers are sure to come out perfectly! 

Before you even start, preheat your air fryer to 380°F (193°C) if needed. But whether or not you need to preheat really depends on your particular air fryer. You will need to check the manufacturer’s guide of our model. I also like to spray a little bit of cooking spray on the bottom of my air fryer basket.

Now let’s season some chicken! First, cut each piece of chicken into bite-sized chunks. Then add the flour, powdered sugar, salt, black pepper, and paprika to a ziplock bag. Next, close the bag and shake it until the mixture is fully combined.

Now, add the chicken pieces to the flour mixture in the bag, close it again, and shake it once more until each piece is completely coated. Then remove the chicken pieces from the bag while shaking off the excess flour and place them in a single layer in the air fryer basket. If all the poppers don’t fit in the basket, you will need to cook them in batches.

To cook, put the basket into the air fryer, spray them with a little bit of cooking spray and cook for 15 minutes shaking the basket halfway through the cooking time to shake the poppers around. This helps them to evenly cook and get even more crispy. When done, the internal temperature of the chicken needs to have reached 165°F (74°C) when checked with a digital cooking thermometer. This is to ensure that it’s fully cooked and safe to eat. 

While the chicken poppers are air frying you can make the sauce. To do this, just stir all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl with a whisk. Then put the sauce in the fridge until you are ready to serve.  

When the air fryer chicken poppers are done cooking, remove them from the basket and serve them right away with the yummy honey mustard sauce. You can also serve them with buffalo sauce, bbq sauce or Ranch Dressing if you prefer.

Can I Make This Recipe Gluten-Free?

Yes! These air fryer chicken poppers can easily be made gluten-free by simply using your favorite gluten-free flour in place of traditional all-purpose flour.

Can I Bake The Poppers In The Oven?

Yes, simply prepare the poppers according to the recipe instructions until it comes time to air fry. Then lay the uncooked coated chicken on a nonstick sheet pan sprayed with cooking spray and put them in the oven to cook for 15 to 20 minutes at 380°F (193°C). 

Storage

Leftover air fryer chicken poppers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container or sealed freezer bag. Then when you are ready to reheat, simply pop them in the toaster oven at 350°F (177°C) for about 7 minutes.

You can also reheat them in the microwave for about 3 minutes on medium power. However, if frozen, just lay the poppers out on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 350°F (177°C) for about 20 minutes or until warm.

Other Delicious Chicken Recipes To Try

• Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
• Butter Chicken
• Crispy Baked Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
• Chinese Lemon Chicken
• Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
• BBQ Chicken