Frozen popcorn chicken in the air fryer is the perfect tasty bite! A fast and easy dinner or snack, frozen popcorn chicken can be cooked in about 10 minutes.

 

Looking for a fast snack, appetizer, or to use in a main meal like these copycat KFC Famous Bowls? Frozen popcorn chicken bites are sure to satisfy and can be made in minutes.

Popcorn chicken is bite size pieces of chicken that has been breaded and fried. Basically small chicken nuggets. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce like honey mustard sauce or BBQ sauce for a family favorite meal.

Other air fryer chicken recipes to try:

• Air fryer frozen chicken patties
• Air fryer frozen chicken strips
• Air fryer chicken breast
• Air fryer BBQ chicken

Ingredients needed

Frozen popcorn chicken – Choose your favorite brand like Tyson popcorn chicken, Perdue, Banquet, or store brand.

Air Fryer – I made this using a 5.8 quart Cosori Air Fryer. This model has a square basket and a great option for a family. You can read my full review to see if it would be good for you.

How to make air fryer popcorn chicken

This chicken couldn’t be easier to make and is cooked straight from frozen and no extra oil required.

Step one: Place frozen chicken in air fryer basket. Spread out into a single layer.

Step two: Cook at 400 degrees F for a total of 10 minutes. Make sure to shake or flip chicken over about halfway through cooking, around the 5 minute mark. Serve hot.

Optional: You can add a little extra seasoning immediately after cooking while they are still hot. Try a little sprinkle of seasoned salt, garlic powder, or even cayenne pepper for an extra flavor boost.

Recipe tips

• Make sure to spread out the popcorn chicken pieces in a single layer. You want to make sure the hot air is able to circulate around the chicken for even cooking.
• Cooking time may very depending on your air fryer, brand of chicken, and how crispy you prefer your chicken.
• If you like extra crispy chicken, add 2-3 minutes or cook time.
• You might need to cook in 2-3 batches depending on how much chicken you are cooking.

How to serve

These tasty chicken bites are great served along side a dipping sauce. Some of our favorites are:

• Copycat Polynesian sauce
• Copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce
• Boom Boom sauce
• Zesty sauce
• Copycat Red Robin campfire sauce
• Copycat Wingstop ranch

These small pieces of fried chicken can also be served in a roll or biscuit for a sandwich, in a wrap, or to top a salad.

How to store

Have leftovers? Let the chicken cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

To reheat, place the chicken in the air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

More easy air fryer frozen recipes

Frozen foods cook up fast and crispy in the air fryer. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Air fryer popcorn shrimp
• Air fryer frozen okra
• Air fryer frozen crab cakes
• Air fryer frozen bagel bites
• Air fryer frozen jalapeno poppers