Korean Popcorn Chicken Without Breading — Low Calorie Air-Fryer Recipe

Low Calorie Korean Popcorn Chicken — An Air Fryer Masterpiece

These skinny Korean popcorn chicken are such a delicious guilt-free snack! Air fried to perfection and basted with a sweet and spicy Korean sauce, this dish is the perfect way to satisfy your Korean Fried Chicken cravings without tanking your calorie budget!

How I Made Korean Popcorn Chicken At Only 300 Calories — The Fitsian Method

The key to making this with so little calories is through 2 key steps: omitting the breading and cooking the chicken pieces in an air fryer. Omitting the breading saves a significant portion of calories, while using the air fryer produces a similarly delicious crispy texture from traditionally fried popcorn chicken.

For more recipes that tweak traditionally indulgent meals to be lower calorie and fit your weekday meal prep goals, check out my Cheating Cheat Meals collection.

Tips & Tricks for Making the Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken

Sauce for the Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken

I dressed these up in a delicious Korean fried chicken sauce inspired by My Korean Kitchen’s Recipe but you can dress these up in any sauce you like!

Air Fryer Temperature Adjustments

Air fryers are all made a little differently, as are our taste buds. The recipe I originally tried had me air fry the chicken pieces for 10 minutes each, but I found it to be slightly more overcooked and harder than I would have liked, hence why I adjusted the time down to 8 minutes on the second side in my recipe. Everyone has their own preferences on how hard they like the exterior of their chicken so feel free to experiment a bit with timing and temperature.

Can I use other types of chicken, such as chicken breast or chicken with skin?

Yes you can. Chicken breast is naturally dryer compared to chicken thigh though, which is why I often and only really use chicken thigh in most of my recipes. Chicken with skin would actually create a delicious crispy texture, but at the expense of the calorie and macros content (additional grams of fat), so if you do decide to go that route, be sure to account for that if you are tracking your nutrients.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Korean Popcorn Chicken

Sweet and Spicy Korean Sauce

• 2 tbsp Ketchup
• 2 tbsp Gochujang
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tsp Honey
• 1 tsp Sesame oil

Chicken and Marinade

• 8 oz Chicken thigh, boneless skinless
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp Salt
• Furikake, green onion (For garnish)

Directions for Making the Korean Popcorn Chicken

1. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Mix with mirin, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt and set aside.
2. Line air fryer with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place chicken pieces in air fryer in one layer and cook at 380F degrees for 10 minutes. When done, flip over Chicken pieces and cook for another 8 minutes.
3. While the chicken is cooking, start combining the rest of the ingredients to make the sauce and simmer in a saucepan.
4. Once chicken is ready, coat them in the sauce in the saucepan.
5. Remove from saucepan, garnish, and enjoy your guilt free Korean popcorn chicken!