A generous portion of this popcorn chicken salad is filling enough for a meal. If you prefer to serve it as a starter, the yield should be enough for six to eight people.
Pat the chicken thigh fillets dry. Cut into 1 ½-inch cubes.
In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the chicken seasoning. Add the chicken cubes. Mix well. Cover the bowl and leave the chicken to marinate while you prepare the salad.
Rinse the Romaine lettuce. Tear into smaller pieces. Dump in the salad spinner and spin to dry.
Peel the kiwi fruits and mangoes, and cut into one-inch cubes.
Halve the cherry tomatoes.
Stir the cayenne powder into the Ranch dressing.
Toss the lettuce, kiwi, mangoes and cherry tomatoes with about a tablespoonful of the Ranch dressing.
Heat enough cooking oil in a wok or frying pan to reach a depth of two inches. The ideal temperature is 350F. If you don’t have a thermometer, dip a bamboo skewer in the oil; if tiny bubbles form around it, the oil should be hot enough.
Place the flour, egg whites and panko in three shallow bowls.
Dredge each piece of chicken in flour, roll in egg whites then coat with panko.
Fry the breaded chicken in batches of 10 to 15 (depending on how wide your frying pan is) until golden and crisp. Scoop out and drain on a rack.
Pile half of the mixed salad in a bowl. Scatter popcorn chicken over it. Cover with the rest of the salad and top with more popcorn chicken. Drizzle Ranch dressing over everything.
Serve your popcorn chicken salad with spicy ranch dressing immediately.