Crispy Buttermilk Popcorn Chicken

Buttermilk Marinade

• 6 boneless chicken thighs (or any cut of boneless chicken)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon salt

Wet Mix

• 2 eggs

Dry Mix

• ¼ cup potato starch or potato flour (can be substituted with corn starch, but it won't be as crispy)
• ¾ cup all purpose flour
• 3-4 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Creamy Honey Sesame Dip (Optional)

• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup sour cream
• 4 teaspoons honey
• 4 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2-3 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2-3 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 3 teaspoons sriracha chili sauce (optional, to make it spicy)

1. Cut 6 boneless chicken thighs up into 1 inch sized chunks and put it in a bowl or ziploc bag with 1 cup buttermilk, ¼ cup water and, 1 tablespoon salt.
2. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, but it's best to leave it overnight.
3. Mixing the Batter
4. Bowl 1: In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs and set aside
5. Bowl 2: In another bowl, combine 3-4 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon ground pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ¼ cup potato starch or potato flour, and ¾ cup all purpose flour together and set aside
6. Deep Frying (First Fry)
7. Take the chicken out of the fridge and let it sit in room temperature for at least 1 hour.
8. Set the deep fryer to 350F (if you are using a high wall pot over the stove, set the heat to medium-low)
9. One by one, take each chicken piece and lightly coat the flour mix and dust off the excess flour.
10. Coat it with the egg mixture
11. Coat it again in the flour mixture
12. (Optional) Repeat the egg and flour mixture steps a few more times if you want a thicker batter.
13. Deep fry the chicken in batches for 1 minute. Careful not to overcrowd the pan which will drop the oil temperature.
14. Let the chicken rest on parchment paper or brown paper bags to absorb excess oil
15. Deep Frying (Second Fry)
16. Set the deep fryer to 375F (if you are using a high wall pot over the stove, set the heat to medium)
17. Add the chicken back in and cook it for 3-4 minutes
18. Let it cool on newspaper, parchment paper or brown paper bag
19. Enjoy!
20. (Optional) Honey Sesame Dip
21. In a small bowl combine ¼ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, 4 teaspoons honey, 4 teaspoons sesame oil, 2-3 teaspoons soy sauce, 2-3 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, and 3 teaspoons sriracha chili sauce (optional).
22. Serve with chicken!