Not only is this Keto Popcorn Chicken low in carbs, but it is also gluten free, making it the perfect healthy treat while still feeling indulgent.
Are the best popcorn chicken recipes made with popcorn?
No, in fact, popcorn chicken doesn’t contain popcorn at all. It got its name because the breaded chicken pieces are bite sized like popcorn. Most fast food popcorn chicken is full of gluten and is cooked in unhealthy oils in a deep frier. But this keto popcorn chicken variation is not only low carb, but it is also gluten free. The keto breading in this recipe is also nut free. It gets its crunchy texture and golden brown color by using a mixture of coconut flour and crushed pork rinds.
What should I serve this low carb popcorn chicken with?
- Avocado Ranch Dressing
- Keto Barbecue Sauce
- Creamy Chive Blue Cheese Dressing
- Bacon Ranch Dressing
- Keto Honey Mustard Dressing
- Keto Russian Dressing
In addition to this keto popcorn chicken, check out some of my other favorite keto appetizer recipes:
- Keto Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Poppers
- How to Build an Epic Keto Charcuterie Board
- Parmesan, Chive, and Garlic Keto Crackers
- Keto Chicken Parmesan Dip
- Keto Sausage Balls
- Keto Crispy Baked Garlic Parmesan Wings
Keto Popcorn Chicken
Please plan ahead for this recipe to accommodate for the 24 hours of refrigeration time.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (this is my favorite salt brand)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups crushed pork rinds (get them here)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder ( I use this brand of spices)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
The day before:
- Put the cut up chicken in a bowl, pour the buttermilk over it, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
The next day:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Set up three shallow bowls. In the first bowl, combine the coconut flour, salt, and pepper. Crack the egg into the second bowl and fork whisk. In the third bowl, mix together the pork rinds, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- Follow this three step process with each piece of chicken: Dredge in coconut flour, coat in egg wash, and then coat in the pork rind breading. Line each breaded piece in a single layer across the prepared baking sheet.
- Baking for 20 minutes, checking often, or until golden brown and crispy
Notes
Net Carbs Per Serving: 4.6g
Nutrition
- Calories: 466
- Fat: 13g
- Carbohydrates: 6.1g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 63g
Craveable Keto: Your Low-Carb, High-Fat Roadmap to Weight Loss and Wellness
Check out my other books – HERE
This book has more than 145 recipes, each with a full color photo and nutritional analysis. It is packed with over 100 pages of resources to help make your low carb, keto lifestyle easier. Let’s look at some of the recipes shall we?
BREAKFASTS
- Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Pinwheels
- Cheesy Chorizo Breakfast Biscuits
- Breakfast Pizza
- Baked Eggs with Chorizo and Ricotta
- Baked Egg Jars
- 13 Jon’s Special
- Sausage and Egg Breakfast Sandwich
- Reuben Frittata
- Radishes O/Brien
- Pastrami Breakfast Hash
- Pizza Eggs
- Pancetta, White Cheddar and Spinach Frittata
- Oven-Roasted Garlic and Herb Home Fries
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Kyndra’s Favorite Buttery Herbed Eggs
- French Toast Egg Puffs
- Keto Everything Bagels
- Creamy Herbed Bacon and Egg Skillet
- Easy Peasy Maple Blender Pancakes
- Cranberry Cream Cheese Spread
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Waffles
- Boosted Coffee
- Vanilla Coffee Creamer
- Parmesan Italian Breadsticks
- Warm Mediterranean Goat Cheese Dip
- Tuna Salad Pickle Boats
- Avocado Feta Salsa
- Marinated Mozzarella Balls
- Sour Lemon Gummy Snacks
- Green Goddess Chicken Dip
- Garlic Dill Baked Cucumber Chips
- Fried Mozzarella Sticks
- Creamy Avocado Pesto Deviled Eggs
- Buffalo Chicken Flatbread
- Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs
- Bacon Chicken Ranch Deviled Eggs
- Baked Avocado Fries
- Asiago Rosemary Bacon Biscuits
- Zuppa Toscana
- Smoked Sausage and Kale Soup
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Egg Drop Soup
- Cheesy Ham and Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Lasagna Soup
- Mac Daddy Salad
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad
- Roasted Cauliflower Mock Potato Salad
- Dill Chicken Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Asian Chicken Salad
- Creamy Caesar Salad with Garlic Parmesan Cheese Crisps
- Cobb Salad
- Chef Salad Skewers
- Deviled Ham and Egg Salad Wraps
- Warm Taco Slaw
- Steak Fajita Bowls
- Everything Bagel Dogs
- Spaghetti Squash Pork Lo Mein
- Slow Cooker Spiced Pork Tenderloin
- Slow Cooker Chinese 5 Spice Beef
- Shrimp and Cheese Cauliflower Rice Stuffed Peppers
- Seared Scallops with Sherry Beurre Blanc
- Sausage, Shrimp, and Chicken Jambalaya
- Reuben Biscuit Sandwiches
- Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Philly Cheesesteak Casserole
- Peanut Chicken Skillet
- Pan-Seared Chicken With Balsamic Cream Sauce, Mushrooms and Onions
- Lemon Sherry Chicken
- Lasagna Zucchini Roll-Ups
- “Just like the real thing” Lasagna
- Fried Cabbage with Kielbasa
- Barbecue Dry Rub Ribs
- Dill Pickle Juice Brined Fish and Chips
- Crispy Chicken Thigh and Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner
- Creamy Pesto Chicken Zucchini Pasta
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza
- Cheesy Smoked Sausage and Cabbage Casserole
- Best Ever Fork and Knife Pub Burger
- Beef Stuffed Poblanos with Lime Crema
- Asian Beef Skewers
- Oven Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Dijon Vinaigrette
- Mascarpone Creamed Greens
- Green Beans with Shallots and Pancetta
- Ginger Lime Slaw
- Dill Pickle Coleslaw
- Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
- Fiesta Cauliflower Rice
- Creamy Herbed Slow Cooker Cauliflower Mash
- Cranberry Pecan Cauliflower Rice Stuffing
- Chorizo and Garlic Brussels Sprouts
- Charred Asian Asparagus and Peppers
- Butter Roasted Radishes
- Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin with Ham
- Lemon Caper Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Sautéed Mushrooms with Garlic Mascarpone Cream Sauce
- Salted Caramel Nut Brittle
- Dark Chocolate Mousse
- Maple Butter Pecan Truffles
- Mason Jar Chocolate Ice Cream
- Lemon Coconut Cheesecake Bites
- Flourless Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Cheesecake Balls
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Blueberry Mojito Ice Pops
- Almond Joy Chia Seed Pudding
- Fresh Whipped Cream
- Thousand Island Dressing
- Garlic Parmesan Caesar Dressing
- Ranch Dressing
- Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
- Asian Vinaigrette
- Dill Pickle Vinaigrette
- 2-Minute Mayo
- Cajun Mayo
- Walnut Avocado Pesto
- Bacon Jam
- Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
- Pizza Sauce
- Enchilada Sauce
- Not-So-Secret Burger Sauce
- Cranberry Ginger Quick Jam
- Seasoning Salt
- Mexican Seasoning Blend
- Cajun Seasoning
- Everything Bagel Seasoning
- Barbecue Dry Rub
- Savory Breading Mix
- Nut-Free Keto Breading Mix
- Pizza Crust
- Nut-Free Pizza Crust
SNACKS AND STARTERS
SOUPS AND SALADS
MAIN DISHES
SIDES
SWEET TREATS
DRESSINGS, SAUCES, SEASONINGS, AND MORE
Got a craving? YOU CAN GRAB A COPY – HERE
Naomi is the force behind Naomi Sherman | Food Creative. She is passionate about recipe development, food photography and styling. An accomplished home cook who was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease eight years ago, Naomi started to explore the connection between healthy, whole food and her symptoms, and a new love was born. Naomi loves nothing more than to take old-school favourites and give them a healthy twist. “There is nothing more fun than creating an amazing dish and then being able to style and photograph it to share with the world.” She fiercely believes that what you put in your body is one of the most important factors for your physical, and mental, wellbeing.
gezilecek yerler says
I want to try this one too. Thank you so much.
★★★★★
Ashley says
Is there something else that can be used in place of the pork rinds?
Jan says
I’d love to know a substitute for pork rinds too. I don’t like the taste of pork rinds so I skip recipes that require them…..but if I could find a sub, there are a lot of great sounding recipes that I would try!
Marlene says
Is there something else to use besides buttermilk to soak chicken in overnight? Non dairy. Do you think coconut milk would work? I use coconut milk instead of heavy cream in other recipes, because it’s non dairy. So I was wondering if it could be used in your recipe for popcorn chicken. Just starting my new lifestyle, and am enjoying a lot of your recipes.
Amie says
Looks great, can’t wait to try. Also going to try seasoning the coconut flour for added flavor. Thanks!
Gretchen says
Do you think you can do the same process and put them in a deep fryer? Or do you think the breading will come off?
Nita says
Is there a keto replacement for buttermilk!? Maybe adding lemon juice or vinegar to heavy cream or almond milk! These sound so goo!
Teresa says
Have made these twice now- delicious! Second batch prep was less messy as I used plastic bags and the good old “”shake and bake” method for coating.
Marla says
A little time consuming but well worth the effort,
★★★★★
Aileen says
I made this last night and it was glorious.. I was worried at first that the pork rinds would “overcook” in the oven before the meat did, but after careful watching, it didn’t. My oven runs a little hot, so 20 minutes would’ve been too long, I took them out at about 16 minutes, and they were perfectly crispy. I did not flip them either. After taking them out of the oven, I waited 5 minutes and took them off the parchment paper and put them onto a cooling rack. I only had boneless, skinless chicken thigh on hand and it was fine. Also, I’m not a fan of coconut flour so I substituted for the exact same amount of almond flour (or almond meal – keto approved). DO NOT SKIP marinating your chicken overnight in the buttermilk.. the chicken came out so tender and juicy, it was melt in your mouth – coupled with the crunch from the pork rinds – A HEAVENLY COMBINATION! It did take some time to prepare all the pieces of chicken, but as a previous reviewer mentioned – well worth it (I did not use the bag method, opted for the 3 shallow bowls). Will definitely be making again.
★★★★★
Paulette says
This was perfect— crunchy outside, tender inside. I used chicken thighs. And I needed about two and a half eggs. Served with mashed cauliflower. Thanh’s for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Tracy says
I’ am soooo going to try these in my air fryer.! They look fabulous!
Stefanie says
THESE ARE OUTSTANDING!!!!!
★★★★★