For Deep-frying:

METHOD:

POPCORN CHICKEN

To Marinate:

• Clean, Wash and cut the whole chicken into small pieces(bite-size).
• Grind Green Chillies(4-5 Nos.), Garlic(8-10 Cloves) & Ginger(1" length Piece) into a fine paste and keep it aside.
• In a large bowl, add the Chicken Pieces along with  Ginger, Garlic & Green Chilli Paste,.
• Pour in the Lemon Juice & add a dash of Salt to it.
• Beat an Egg and add it to the above.
• Drizzle the Corn Flour and mix until the Chicken Pieces are well coated with the ingredients.
• Leave the marinated the Chicken Pieces in the refrigerator for about 3-4 Hours/Overnight.

For the Coating:

• Simply crush the Corn Flakes coarsely.  Alternatively can grind it briefly in a small blender jar.  Make sure not to grind it into a fine powder.
• Add the coarsely ground Corn Flakes in a wide bowl, add Bread Crumbs to it, mix well and keep it aside.

For Popcorn Chicken:

• Remove one Chicken Piece from the marinade at a time and immediately dredge it with the coating mixture.
• Make sure the Chicken Pieces are completely coated with the flour mixture.
• Follow the suit for the rest of the Chicken Pieces.
• Meanwhile, heat Oil in a deep pan on a high flame.
• Let the oil smoke off.
• Now reduce the flame to medium-high and deep fry the coated Chicken Pieces.
• Fry few pieces at a time so the oil doesn’t cool down. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan.
• Turn & fry the chicken pieces so that it browns evenly,
• Remove the Chicken Pieces from the oil when cooked through and it turns into golden brown in colour.
• When chicken is done, drain it on a wire rack to keep the Popcorn Chicken crispy.
• Serve Popcorn Chicken hot, with your favourite accompaniment.
• Serve it with your choice of Sauces, Mayonnaise, Dips or Salads.
• Can serve it as a Starter or as a Side dish.

For Baking the Popcorn Chicken:

• Grease a wire rack and place it on a baking tray.
• Place the marinated chicken pieces dredged with the coating mixture on it.
• Make sure to leave a gap between the chicken pieces.
• Bake the Chicken Pieces at 400°F or 180 °C in a preheated oven for about 10 to 12 Minutes.
• Flip and cook the Chicken Pieces on each side.
• Bake until each chicken piece is well cooked and turns into light golden brown in colour.

POPCORN CHICKEN

NOTES:

• To save time & added flavour, you can marinate the chicken earlier and leave it in the refrigerator.
• Longer the marination time, better the texture.
• I have used Green chillies ground along with Ginger & Garlic paste for the required spiciness in the marinade.
• Can substitute it with Red Chilli Powder/Paprika Powder/Pepper Powder.
• Adjust the amount of spiciness to suit your spice level.
• Before dredging the Chicken pieces into the flour, make sure that the pieces are dripping with the marinade.
• Do not bloat it off.
• The wetness from the marinade helps to get the pieces well coated with the flour and make an appealing crust.
• I have used a combination of Bread Crumbs & crushed Corn Flakes which yields me with desired crunchiness & crispy exterior in Popcorn chicken.
• Can get easy with your choice of coating ingredient.  Use any one preferred coating ingredient.  Can choose between Bread Crumbs, Crushed Corn Flakes or Nestum.
• Coating the Popcorn chicken with Nestum yields mildly sweet fried chicken.
• Can also add a small amount of slightly crushed Biscuits to your coating mixture, if you prefer a mild sweet note in this Popcorn Chicken.
• Use a large wide bowl and an excessive amount of coating mixture, so the chicken can be tossed around without a lot of handling.
• Excessive coating mixture also ensures that the brine doesn’t turn the dry mixture into a batter, which will make the coating doughy. 
• Can double coat the Chicken pieces with the coating mixture for extra crunchiness. 
• Make sure to dredge the Chicken Pieces with the coating mixture just before frying it. 
• Otherwise, the ingredients tend to get soggy which wouldn't yield you with a crispy Popcorn Chicken.                  
• Another important aspect is to make sure the oil is hot enough.
• Next thing is don’t overload the pan while frying the Chicken Pieces
• Overcrowding the pan may cause the temperature of the oil drop, which will make the coating break apart from the Chicken pieces. 
• Deep fry the Chicken pieces on a medium-high flame.
• Frying time totally depends upon the size of the Chicken Pieces and the temperature used to fry