5 Chain Restaurants With the Best Popcorn Chicken, According to Diners
I love popcorn chicken. It is basically small, bite-sized pieces of chicken that have been seasoned, breaded, and fried to crunchy perfection. Fun fact: While inspired by chicken street food in Taiwan, the dish was brought to America by KFC in 1991. While not a mainstay on most menus because most people prefer protein over deep-fried crunch, there are still a handful of chains where you can get it, or something close to it. Here are 5 chain restaurants with the best popcorn chicken, according to diners.
Sonic Drive-In
Sonic Premium Chicken Bites are bite-sized chicken pieces with a crispy coating that come with dipping sauces. “Tender and juicy white-meat chicken lightly coated in a seasoned breading – great for dipping!” the restaurant says.
Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box’s Nashville Hot Popcorn Chicken recently returned to the chain to mixed reviews. “I wish they just brought back the regular spicy popcorn chicken I don’t like that they make em sweet,” one person said. When can you get popcorn chicken at the chain? “Last year they brought it back February 28th and the year before until April! So could be here any day I love the spicy popcorn chicken,” one shared.
KFC
KFC claims to have invented the dish, which isn’t currently on the menu. “The popcorn chicken is much better and more crispy than the chicken nuggets in my opinion,” one writes. According to diners, they are still available in other parts of the world, including Asian and Australia. “The popcorn chicken from the 90s was the BEST. They actually resembled popcorn in how they looked and even came in a popcorn like container 🍿they were seasoned perfectly, juicy, and crispy,” one writes.
Chick-fil-A
While not technically popcorn chicken, Chick-fil-A serves up some of the most beloved tiny chunks of chicken in the fast food world. The fast food chain’s nuggets feature “bite-sized pieces of boneless chicken breast, seasoned to perfection, freshly breaded and pressure cooked in 100% refined peanut oil,” they divulge on the website.
Wingstop
Wingstop’s boneless bites are tossed in signature sauces that mimic popcorn chicken.”I ordered a boneless combo for pickup the other day and when I opened it there was like popcorn chicken instead of full-size wings. Any explanation? It was delicious so no complaints really,” one person says. Another agrees that “they’re like popcorn chicken.”