
Deviled Popcorn Chicken with Ranch Dipper
Recipe from Rachael Ray · original post · full recipe on rachaelray.com
Crispy, spicy popcorn chicken bites in a cornmeal and spice coating, with a fresh herb ranch for dipping. Great game-day finger food.
Ingredients
- chicken tenders — cut into thirds800 g
- vegetable oil — for frying1900 ml
- all-purpose flour125 g
- fine cornmeal75 g
- chili powder8 g
- seafood seasoning7 g
- smoked paprika7 g
- ground mustard1 tsp
- garlic powder1 tsp
- onion powder1 tsp
- sugar13 g
- eggs4 ea
- hot sauce15 ml
- sour cream240 g
- fresh parsley — chopped15 g
- fresh dill — chopped15 g
- fresh chives — chopped15 g
- large garlic clove — grated1 ea
- lemon — juiced0.5 ea
Method
- Cut the chicken tenders into thirds. Pour the oil into a deep frying pot or countertop fryer and heat over medium to medium-high heat.
- Combine the flour, cornmeal, chili powder, seafood seasoning, paprika, ground mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar and a good pinch of salt in a large plastic bag. Shake, then remove half the mixture to a large shallow dish.
- Whisk the eggs and hot sauce together in a bowl.
- Add the chicken to the bag and shake to coat in the flour.
- Coat half the chicken pieces at a time in the egg, then dredge in the shallow dish of remaining spiced flour. Fry in two batches until golden and drain on a wire rack or towel-lined plate.
- For the ranch, stir together the sour cream, parsley, dill, chives, garlic and lemon juice, and season with hot sauce, Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate if not serving immediately.
- Serve the chicken with the ranch for dipping, and carrot, celery and scallions in a tall glass to munch on in between.
Cooking for a different diet?
Swaps that keep this dish what it is. The prices on this page are for the recipe as written.
Pescatarian
Deviled Popcorn Prawns with Ranch Dipper
- 600 g Peeled raw prawns instead of chicken tenders
Pat the prawns dry, coat them the same way and fry for about 2 minutes, just until golden and pink.
Vegetarian
Deviled Popcorn Cauliflower with Ranch Dipper
- 800 g Cauliflower instead of chicken tenders
- 5 g Celery salt instead of seafood seasoning
Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and fry each batch for 3–4 minutes until golden and just tender; use a vegetarian Worcestershire in the ranch.
Vegan
Deviled Popcorn Cauliflower with Ranch Dipper
- 800 g Cauliflower instead of chicken tenders
- 5 g Celery salt instead of seafood seasoning
- 240 ml Unsweetened soy milk instead of eggs
- 180 g Vegan mayonnaise instead of sour cream
Dip the florets in the soy milk and hot sauce instead of egg, then fry for 3–4 minutes until golden; make the ranch with vegan mayonnaise and a vegan Worcestershire.
Gluten-free
- 125 g Rice flour instead of all-purpose flour
Use the rice flour exactly as the flour; fry times are unchanged, and use a gluten-free Worcestershire in the ranch.
Dairy-free
- 180 g Mayonnaise instead of sour cream
Stir the herbs, garlic and lemon into the mayonnaise in place of the sour cream; nothing else changes.
Swaps are suggestions — check labels if you are cooking for an allergy.
Watch it on Instagram
What it costs, and where to buy it
Each item at whichever of your shops sells it cheapest.
Shops to compare
List price at each shop
Missing items
These totals leave part of the list out, so a lower one isn't a cheaper shop.
Aldi UKyou pay £17.81 · 32% spare
£12.09
missing 6 items
Sainsbury'syou pay £10.57 · 49% spare
£5.39
missing 10 items
Morrisonsyou pay £14.63 · 54% spare
£6.66
missing 10 items
Tescoyou pay £16.33 · 27% spare
£11.94
missing 11 items
Asdayou pay £15.24 · 28% spare
£10.97
missing 14 items
£3.02a serve
from £3.02 a serve at Aldi UK · 13 of 19 ingredients priced
About £12.09 of ingredients used for 4 serves.
£26.39 across 4 shops · all 19 items priced · £1.27 more for bigger packs, 40% spare for later
£12.09
missing 6 items
you'll pay £17.81 · 32% of it spare
£5.39
missing 10 items
you'll pay £10.57 · 49% of it spare
£6.66
missing 10 items
you'll pay £14.63 · 54% of it spare
£11.94
missing 11 items
you'll pay £16.33 · 27% of it spare
£10.97
missing 14 items
you'll pay £15.24 · 28% of it spare
Buy at
Aldi UK£15.98
chicken tenders
£8.30/1kg
need 800 g3 × Roosters Tempura Chicken Tenders 0.3kg£2.49closest match
Aldi UK£8.30/1kg£2.49·
Asda£10.82/1kg£3.30·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
vegetable oil
£1.45/1L
need 1.9 L2 × Solesta Vegetable Oil 100ml£1.45
Aldi UK£1.45/1L£1.45·
Sainsbury's£1.45/1L£1.45·
TescoN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
all-purpose flour
£0.47/1kg
need 125 gThe Pantry Plain Flour 1.5kg£0.70closest match
Aldi UK£0.47/1kg£0.70·
Sainsbury's£0.90/1kg£0.45·
Morrisons£0.53·
Tesco£0.53/1kg£0.80·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A
chili powder
£3.25/1kg
need 8 gThe Pantry Baking Powder 0.2kg£0.65
Aldi UK£3.25/1kg£0.65·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
seafood seasoning
£15.71/1kg
need 7 gBramwells Peri Peri Seasoning 0.04kg£0.55
Aldi UK£15.71/1kg£0.55·
Tesco£7.49/1 ea£7.49·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
smoked paprika
£17.25/1kg
need 7 gReady, Set…cook! Smoked Paprika 0.04kg£0.69closest match
Aldi UK£17.25/1kg£0.69·
Sainsbury's£21.59/1kg£0.95·
TescoN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
ground mustard
£2.45/1kg
need 1 tspBramwells Dijon Mustard 0.2kg£0.49
Aldi UK£2.45/1kg£0.49·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
onion powder
£3.25/1kg
need 1 tspThe Pantry Baking Powder 0.2kg£0.65
Aldi UK£3.25/1kg£0.65·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
eggs
£0.17/1 ea
need 4 itemsMerevale Free Range Eggs 6 Pack 6 each£0.99closest match
Aldi UK£0.17/1 ea£0.99·
Tesco£0.17/1 ea£1.70·
Asda£0.29/1 ea£1.75·
Sainsbury's£0.25/1 ea£2.95·
Morrisons£3.30·
OcadoN/A
lemon
£0.22/1 ea
need 0.5 itemsEveryday Essentials Wonky Lemons 4 each£0.89closest match
Aldi UK£0.22/1 ea£0.89·
Morrisons£2.50·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A
Buy at
Morrisons£6.20

fine cornmeal
£2.50
need 75 gIndus Cornmeal Fine 1kg
Morrisons£2.50·
Aldi UKN/A·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A

sour cream
£1.25
need 240 g2 × Piatnica Sour Cream 18% Fat 200g
Morrisons£1.25·
Aldi UKN/A·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A

fresh dill
£0.60
need 15 gMorrisons Fresh Dill 20g
Morrisons£0.60·
Sainsbury's£30.00/1kg£0.60·
Tesco£142.86/1kg£1.00·
Aldi UKN/A·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A

fresh chives
£0.60
need 15 gMorrisons Fresh Chives 20g
Morrisons£0.60·
Sainsbury's£30.00/1kg£0.60·
Aldi UKN/A·
TescoN/A·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A
Buy at
Tesco£2.84

garlic powder
£22.22/1kg
need 1 tspTesco Standard£1.00
Tesco£22.22/1kg£1.00·
Aldi UKN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A

sugar
£1.09/1kg
need 13 gKg£1.09
Tesco£1.09/1kg£1.09·
Sainsbury's£1.50/1kg£0.75·
Aldi UK£1.78/1kg£0.89·
Asda£1.78/1kg£0.89·
Morrisons£1.50·
OcadoN/A

hot sauce
£3.00/1L
need 15 mlTesco Seafood Sauce 250Ml 1000L£0.75closest match
Tesco£3.00/1L£0.75·
Aldi UK£3.67/1L£0.55·
Asda£2.61/1kg£0.73·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
Buy at
Sainsbury's£1.37

fresh parsley
£16.67/1kg
need 15 gSainsbury's Fresh Packed Flat Leaf Parsley 30g£0.50closest match
Sainsbury's£16.67/1kg£0.50·
Morrisons£0.60·
Aldi UKN/A·
TescoN/A·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A

large garlic clove
£0.22/1 ea
need 1 itemSainsbury's Garlic x4 4 pack£0.87
Sainsbury's£0.22/1 ea£0.87·
Aldi UK£0.39/1 ea£0.39·
Tesco£0.50/1 ea£0.50·
Asda£0.39/1 ea£1.97·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A