Love Chicken Poppers? Now They’re Even Better

Photo: betweencarpools.com

BCP Fans love Hot Poppers, we know. Now they’re even better when you sub Lieber’s Duck Sauce for honey (thank you to reader, Hudis S!)

Here on BCP, we know you love your fire poppers. They’re perhaps the #1 most made recipe in Dinner Done. They’re so well loved, we know that you would appreciate even more versions, and so next came the even easier 9×13 One Pan Poppers (total game changer) as well as different flavor variations (that’s always fun) like Sticky BBQ Poppers and Chili Lime Poppers (a very trending flavor profile), betweencarpools.com.

If you love classic fire poppers, you’ll love this easy way to make them even better.

Photo: betweencarpools.com

The secret? Swapping Lieber’s Duck Sauce for the honey.

BCP Reader Hudis S. wrote to us:

“Spicy poppers…yum!! I often make poppers since my husband is a huge spicy fan. I used to make the sauce on the stove with brown sugar, hot sauce etc and waited until it boiled UNTIL BCP gave the easiest hack: simply mixing honey and hot sauce and no boiling! That version became my go-to easy dinner, and everyone was happy!…

“BUT NOW I just discovered an even BETTTTER version with the same ease. TRY IT! Frank’s Red Hot Sauce with Lieber’s Duck Sauce!

“It is next level. Way better than first recipe. It’s very important for the duck sauce to be Lieber’s. It’s smoother and has perfect sweetness and texture. I tried it with a different popular brand of duck sauce and it wasn’t good. You can do equal parts duck sauce and hot sauce, but I like to do it more duck sauce and bit less hot sauce (a personal preference, so it’s not too spicy). You’ll see, the resulting sauce has the Perfect texture and consistency. It’s more like takeout than the honey version.”

Photo: betweencarpools.com

So, now it was time for BCP to test it out! We made our regular hot popper marinade.

Photo: betweencarpools.com

Along the way, we learned that Lieber’s has a superior panko crumb too. It’s light in color and super crispy. We’ll be reaching for these again next time.

Photo: betweencarpools.com

Now it was time to test the duck sauce + hot sauce coating and see what we thought!

Photo: betweencarpools.com

Don’t they look great?

We found that equal ratios was quite spicy. 1/2 Cup Lieber’s Duck Sauce + 1/3 Cup Frank’s Hot Sauce was much better. But then we tried 2/3 Cup Lieber’s Duck Sauce + 1/3 Frank’s Hot Sauce and THIS was the version that all the younger kids loved the most! Everyone loved this version and we’ll definitely be making on repeat.

Reminder: You must bake your hot poppers on a hard (i.e. NOT disposable) baking sheet if you really want them to get the best crispiness.

Now, you might be wondering. What’s the different between Frank’s and Lieber’s Hot Sauce? We tried the sauce with both to see how the flavors compared. They’re both good–they’re just different. Lieber’s is more mild, so if you love the idea of hot poppers, but want less of a spicy kick, go for it!

Hot Poppers – Duck Sauce Version

Ingredients

Chicken:

1 ½ lbs chicken cutlets, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 egg

½ tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp garlic powder

dash black pepper

1 cup Lieber’s Panko Crumbs

4 tbsp oil, divided

oil spray

Sauce:

⅔ cup Lieber’s Duck Sauce

⅓ cup Frank’s OR Lieber’s Hot Sauce (see notes on differences above)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a bowl, combine egg, lemon juice, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Place the cubed chicken into eggs mixture, then mix to coat. Let sit 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 2 tablespoons oil on each pan and spread around.

Coat chicken pieces in the crumbs. Lay on prepared sheet pans, making sure there is space around each one. Spray tops of chicken with cooking spray (alternatively you can flip pieces around in the oil, so both sides are coated in a thin layer of oil).

Bake for 15 minutes until golden at the edges and ready.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine all sauce ingredients. Toss with hot chicken poppers.