You can cook Frozen Popcorn Chicken in the Air Fryer! It comes out crisp on the outside, tender in the middle, and ready for dipping, and in half the time it would take to bake in the oven.
FROZEN POPCORN CHICKEN IN AIR FRYER DIRECTIONS
Do you have a bag of Tyson Any'tizers popcorn chicken? Wondering how to cook it?
Of course, I'm about to tell you that you should put that frozen popcorn chicken directly in your air fryer! It will be ready in about 12 minutes, with no preheating required.
You can cook frozen Tyson popcorn chicken in the air fryer, or use this method to cook any other brand you enjoy. Just like frozen chicken patties, frozen chicken tenders and frozen chicken nuggets, these directions are easily adapted to different sizes and types of frozen chicken.
INGREDIENTS FOR TYSON POPCORN CHICKEN IN AIR FRYER
Frozen Popcorn Chicken - We are cooking a bag of Tyson's any'tizers chicken in the air fryer. These mini chicken fritters are super tasty and ready to air fry right from the freezer.
That's it! You won't need any oil, seasonings, or anything else to make popcorn chicken in the air fryer.
You might want to have some dipping sauces on hand though, like ketchup, barbecue sauce, or honey mustard dip.
If you have any questions about making frozen popcorn chicken in air fryer, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP
HOW TO MAKE TYSON POPCORN CHICKEN IN AIR FRYER
It's super easy! Be sure not to thaw the chicken first. You want it to be frozen when you add it to the air fryer.
- Remove the popcorn chicken from the packaging. You can cook as much of it as will fit in your air fryer, from one serving to the whole bag!
- Place the chicken in the air fryer basket. Be sure to keep it in a single layer so that each piece can get super crispy.
- Air Fry as directed in the recipe card below. Flip the chicken over halfway through the cooking time.
- Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions for making frozen popcorn chicken in air fryer, please see the recipe below.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH AIR FRYER POPCORN CHICKEN
I suggest that you serve popcorn chicken with at least one tasty dipping sauce! Try BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, Buffalo sauce, or sweet and spicy sriracha sauce.
On the side, enjoy some air fryer tater tots or air fryer sweet potato fries.
CAN I AIR FRY OTHER BRANDS OF FROZEN POPCORN CHICKEN?
Yes! We tested this recipe specifically with Tyson frozen popcorn chicken because it's the brand that our readers and group members said they cooked most often.
Aside from Tyson, you might find Perdue frozen popcorn chicken, Banquet frozen popcorn chicken, Foster Farms frozen popcorn chicken, or store-brand versions.
Any brand of frozen popcorn chicken can be air fried using these easy instructions!
WHY IS IT CALLED POPCORN CHICKEN?
I think it's called that due to its size! You can pop these little chicken bites into your mouth just like kernels of popcorn.
DO I NEED TO ADD OIL TO THE AIR FRYER?
Frozen popcorn chicken won't need any oil to cook up perfectly crispy in the air fryer. Like most frozen appetizers, this one is packaged with oil in the breading, which will activate as it's heated to crisp up the chicken.
HOW MUCH POPCORN CHICKEN CAN I FIT IN THE AIR FRYER?
This will really depend on which air fryer you have. You can cook as much frozen popcorn chicken as will fit in your air fryer basket in a single layer. If you need to stack the chicken, then you're trying to cook too many pieces!
It's best if you can spread out the popcorn chicken in the air fryer so that hot air will circulate freely around each piece.
If you need to, cook the package of popcorn chicken in more than one batch.
EXTRA CRISPY POPCORN CHICKEN CRISPY IN THE AIR FRYER
For extra crispy air fryer popcorn chicken, I suggest cooking it for 2-3 extra minutes!
Technically popcorn chicken will be warmed through after about 10 minutes in the air fryer, but I always cook it for 12 minutes because I like it very crispy.
If there are extra large pieces of popcorn chicken or extra small ones, you may want to take the small pieces out after 10 minutes, and then continue cooking the large ones until they're crispy.
HOW TO REHEAT TYSON POPCORN CHICKEN IN THE AIR FRYER
Once you've cooked frozen popcorn chicken in the air fryer, keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat popcorn chicken by putting it back in the air fryer at 350°F and cook for 2-4 minutes, or just until they're warmed through.
This recipe was made in a Cosori Air Fryer with a Basket. The recipe should work in other air fryers.
Keep in mind that each air fryer runs differently, it is important to check your food often.
If you have a Cuisinart Air Fryer Oven or a Ninja Basket Air Fryer, both of these units seem to run "hotter" than most air fryers. That means you will need to LESSEN the cook time.
HOW LONG DO YOU AIR FRY POPCORN CHICKEN?
It takes between 10-12 minutes to air fry popcorn chicken. Since air fryers vary, you may need to adjust this time a bit to cook your popcorn chicken perfectly.
MORE FROZEN APPETIZER RECIPES
Air Fryers were made to cook all types of frozen foods! In fact, anything that you'd normally pull from the freezer and cook on a sheet pan in the oven can be air fried.
Try some of these easy frozen appetizers next:
Frozen Taquitos in the Air Fryer make the perfect Tex Mex appetizer, or a simple meal when paired with tasty toppings.
Get the party started with Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs! Toss them in BBQ sauce and plate them with toothpicks to make an easy finger food for your friends.
Kids love Air Fryer Mini Corn Dogs and Air Fryer Bagel Bites as a snack between school and dinner.
Prefer to make an appetizer from scratch? You will definitely love making Air Fryer Boneless Wings for game day parties! With Buffalo sauce and a side of ranch, they are the best.
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Frozen Popcorn Chicken in Air Fryer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package Tyson's Popcorn Chicken frozen
Instructions
- Remove the popcorn chicken from the packaging.
- Place the frozen chicken in a single layer of the air fryer basket. Cook in multiple batches if needed.
- Air fry at 400°F/200°C for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C.
- Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
- The nutrition details for this recipe will be found on the packaging of your frozen popcorn chicken.
- Do not thaw popcorn chicken before air frying.
- Cook frozen chicken pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket in order to get them extra crispy. If you need to, cook the popcorn chicken in two batches.
- Feel free to use this method to cook as many servings as you need. You don't need to cook the entire bag at one time if you only need one or two servings.
- Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes air frying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the "Air Fry" function.
Nutrition
Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
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