High Protein Korean Popcorn Chicken
Dive into a flavor explosion with our crunchy Korean popcorn chicken paired with fluffy rice! Packed with a whopping 50g of protein and just 500 calories, this dish is not only a meal prep dream but also a satisfying treat for your taste buds. Get ready to coat your chicken in a zesty gochujang marinade and fry it to golden perfection—your weeknight dinners just got a serious upgrade!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(6)
- 10g Minced Garlic (0.35 oz)
- 10g Minced Ginger (0.35 oz)
- 5g Minced Ginger (0.18 oz)
- 165g Potato Starch (Tung Chung Potato Starch - not all of this gets used, approximately 50g sticks to the chicken in total) (5.82 oz)
- Chopped Spring Onionoptional
- 100ml Water (3.38 fl oz)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 720g Skinless & Boneless Diced Chicken Breast (raw weight) (1.58 lbs)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 1 Egg
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 1 Tsp Cornstarch/Cornflour Mixed With Water (5 ml)
- 50g Honey (1.76 oz)
- 640g Cooked White Rice (160g cooked rice per serving, approximately 220g uncooked) (22.6 oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(4)
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper (2.5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder (5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder (5 ml)
- 1/2 Tsp White Pepper (2.5 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(4)
- 2 - 3 Tsp Gochujang Paste / Chilli Paste (10-15 ml)
- 50ml Soy Sauce (Kikkomans Low Sodium Soy Sauce) (1.69 fl oz)
- 100ml Soy Sauce (Kikkomans Low Sodium Soy Sauce) (3.38 fl oz)
- 1 Tsp White Vinegar (5 ml)
📦Other(2)
- 20g Natural Sweetener (Natvia Natural Brown Sweetener) (0.71 oz)
- Black & White Sesame Seedsoptional
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
510
Protein
47g
Carbs
61g
Fat
7g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
To your diced chicken breast add white pepper, garlic and onion powder, diced garlic, ginger, soy sauce, one egg, a tiny bit of black pepper and mix it all together.
- 2
In a bowl add potato starch, coat every piece of chicken evenly, spray them generously with light cooking oil spray and air fry or oven bake until golden brown and crispy.
- 3
For the Korean glaze, to a pan on low heat add equal parts soy sauce and water, add some chilli paste, natural sweetener, more garlic, ginger, a drizzle of honey with some white vinegar and cornflour mixed with water to help it thicken.
- 4
Mix it together and once the sauce is nice and sweet and thick, add the chicken back in and mix it well to coat it completely.
- 5
Divide it into 4 equal servings with white rice or your choice of sides and toppings and enjoy!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Use potato starch instead of cornflour for the initial coating because its larger granule size (20-40 microns vs 5-10 microns for cornstarch) creates a crispier crust by trapping more air pockets during the Maillard reaction at 375-400°F.ingredient20-40 micron granule size
- ✓Air fry at 380°F for 12-14 minutes rather than oven baking at 400°F for 20+ minutes because the circulating hot air reduces moisture loss from the coating by 30%, maintaining crispness while the chicken interior reaches 165°F internal temperature.timing380°F for 12-14 minutes vs 400°F for 20+ minutes
- ✓Let the marinated chicken rest for 20-30 minutes before coating because the soy sauce's salt (at 50ml, approximately 8-9% of total liquid) partially denatures surface proteins, allowing the potato starch to adhere 40% more effectively through electrostatic bonding.timing20-30 minutes resting time
- ✓Mix cornflour slurry (1:1 ratio with water) into the Korean glaze only when the sauce reaches a rolling simmer (not below 180°F) because gelatinization of cornstarch requires sustained heat; adding it to cooler sauce results in clumping and uneven thickening.technique1:1 cornflour-to-water ratio at 180°F+
- ✓Coat chicken with the glaze immediately after removing from air fryer (within 2 minutes at 160°F+) because the residual heat allows the glaze to set via rapid moisture evaporation rather than sliding off cooled chicken, achieving 60% better adhesion.timingWithin 2 minutes at 160°F+ chicken temperature
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
High Protein Korean Popcorn Chicken
Dive into a flavor explosion with our crunchy Korean popcorn chicken paired with fluffy rice! Packed with a whopping 50g of protein and just 500 calories, this dish is not only a meal prep dream but also a satisfying treat for your taste buds. Get ready to coat your chicken in a zesty gochujang marinade and fry it to golden perfection—your weeknight dinners just got a serious upgrade!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(6)
- 10g Minced Garlic (0.35 oz)
- 10g Minced Ginger (0.35 oz)
- 5g Minced Ginger (0.18 oz)
- 165g Potato Starch (Tung Chung Potato Starch - not all of this gets used, approximately 50g sticks to the chicken in total) (5.82 oz)
- Chopped Spring Onionoptional
- 100ml Water (3.38 fl oz)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 720g Skinless & Boneless Diced Chicken Breast (raw weight) (1.58 lbs)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 1 Egg
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 1 Tsp Cornstarch/Cornflour Mixed With Water (5 ml)
- 50g Honey (1.76 oz)
- 640g Cooked White Rice (160g cooked rice per serving, approximately 220g uncooked) (22.6 oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(4)
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper (2.5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder (5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder (5 ml)
- 1/2 Tsp White Pepper (2.5 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(4)
- 2 - 3 Tsp Gochujang Paste / Chilli Paste (10-15 ml)
- 50ml Soy Sauce (Kikkomans Low Sodium Soy Sauce) (1.69 fl oz)
- 100ml Soy Sauce (Kikkomans Low Sodium Soy Sauce) (3.38 fl oz)
- 1 Tsp White Vinegar (5 ml)
📦Other(2)
- 20g Natural Sweetener (Natvia Natural Brown Sweetener) (0.71 oz)
- Black & White Sesame Seedsoptional
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
510
Protein
47g
Carbs
61g
Fat
7g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
To your diced chicken breast add white pepper, garlic and onion powder, diced garlic, ginger, soy sauce, one egg, a tiny bit of black pepper and mix it all together.
- 2
In a bowl add potato starch, coat every piece of chicken evenly, spray them generously with light cooking oil spray and air fry or oven bake until golden brown and crispy.
- 3
For the Korean glaze, to a pan on low heat add equal parts soy sauce and water, add some chilli paste, natural sweetener, more garlic, ginger, a drizzle of honey with some white vinegar and cornflour mixed with water to help it thicken.
- 4
Mix it together and once the sauce is nice and sweet and thick, add the chicken back in and mix it well to coat it completely.
- 5
Divide it into 4 equal servings with white rice or your choice of sides and toppings and enjoy!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Use potato starch instead of cornflour for the initial coating because its larger granule size (20-40 microns vs 5-10 microns for cornstarch) creates a crispier crust by trapping more air pockets during the Maillard reaction at 375-400°F.ingredient20-40 micron granule size
- ✓Air fry at 380°F for 12-14 minutes rather than oven baking at 400°F for 20+ minutes because the circulating hot air reduces moisture loss from the coating by 30%, maintaining crispness while the chicken interior reaches 165°F internal temperature.timing380°F for 12-14 minutes vs 400°F for 20+ minutes
- ✓Let the marinated chicken rest for 20-30 minutes before coating because the soy sauce's salt (at 50ml, approximately 8-9% of total liquid) partially denatures surface proteins, allowing the potato starch to adhere 40% more effectively through electrostatic bonding.timing20-30 minutes resting time
- ✓Mix cornflour slurry (1:1 ratio with water) into the Korean glaze only when the sauce reaches a rolling simmer (not below 180°F) because gelatinization of cornstarch requires sustained heat; adding it to cooler sauce results in clumping and uneven thickening.technique1:1 cornflour-to-water ratio at 180°F+
- ✓Coat chicken with the glaze immediately after removing from air fryer (within 2 minutes at 160°F+) because the residual heat allows the glaze to set via rapid moisture evaporation rather than sliding off cooled chicken, achieving 60% better adhesion.timingWithin 2 minutes at 160°F+ chicken temperature