There aren’t a lot of brands making frozen popcorn chicken. And I think that’s a mistake. Popcorn chicken can be so good—crispy, extremely seasoned, bite-sized (popcorn-sized, to be specific). The best frozen popcorn chicken has the potential to be better than the best frozen chicken nuggets, in my opinion. It feels a bit more sophisticated—a dainty chicken snack rather than a palm-sized chicken meal. And, let’s face it, you’re not going to make popcorn chicken from scratch. If you want popcorn chicken, frozen is the way to go. So, come on, chicken brands, let’s get some more frozen popcorn chicken on the market!
In the meantime, we tried the four brands of frozen popcorn chicken we could find: Great Value popcorn chicken (aka Walmart popcorn chicken), Banquet popcorn chicken, Foster Farms popcorn chicken, and Tyson Any’tizers popcorn chicken. Two were worthy of your hard earned cash.
- Foster Farms
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Our two picks for the best frozen popcorn chicken are very close in their scores. But they are very different styles of popcorn chicken. Foster Farms popcorn chicken definitely isn’t popcorn sized—but it’s still bite-sized and smaller than a nugget. The flavor is similar to that of a nugget, well seasoned and peppery. And you can tell there’s actual chicken inside. “It tastes the closest to something you would get in a restaurant,” Sporked managing editor Gwynedd Stuart said. Toss them in some Buffalo sauce (one of the best Buffalo sauces) with a little dish of blue cheese dressing on the side and some toothpicks. Party food at its best.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Great Value
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I’m giving the Walmart popcorn chicken an edge over Foster Farms popcorn chicken because it’s smaller—much closer to popcorn-size. The round little balls of crispy chicken get nice and crunchy on the outside and they’re juicy on the inside (if slightly spongy). But the coating is so good. It’s so savory and well seasoned. Pop these little chicken niblets into your mouth just like popcorn. No sauce needed. For me, this is the best frozen popcorn chicken you can buy. But I won’t be mad if you choose Foster Farms instead—just as long as we’re all eating more frozen popcorn chicken. Because then other brands will be inspired to make more. And we will finally live in a world where you can have many frozen popcorn chicken options. What a frozen chicken utopia that will be.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
Best Chicken Quality
Best of the Best
Other frozen popcorn chicken brands we tried: Banquet Popcorn Chicken, Tyson Any’tizers Popcorn Chicken
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