This recipe for Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken yields a crunchy yet tender bite-sized pieces flavored with aromatic Chinese five spice powder and Thai basil.
What is Taiwanese popcorn chicken?
Taiwanese popcorn chicken consists of deep fried bite-sized chicken nuggets dusted with a flavorful mixture of spices.
They are commonly found on the snack menu in boba shops (bubble tea shops) and as street food at night markets in Taiwan.
What does it taste like?
Taiwanese fried chicken has a crunchy texture, savory flavor punctuated by a mixture of spices.
Why you'll love this recipe
This recipe for Taiwanese popcorn chicken is:
Crunchy: using sweet potato starch to coat and double-frying the chicken ensures a crisp, crunchy exterior.
Tender: the marinade makes the chicken extra flavorful and juicy.
Gluten-free: there's no wheat flour in the batter.
Aromatic: frying the Thai basil before frying the chicken perfumes and flavors the oil, in addition to the Chinese five-spice that is used to season the chicken.
Ingredients you'll need
- peanut oil: or high-smoke point frying oil
- Thai basil: washed and patted completely dry (*must be dry, or it can cause an explosion in the oil); if you don't have it, you can use regular basil, for aroma and flavor
Chicken & marinade
- boneless chicken thighs: cut into small pieces; you can also use chicken breast but chicken thigh will be more tender
- fresh garlic: grated
- green onion: chopped
- soy sauce: adds savory, salty flavor to the chicken
- Shaoxing wine: for flavor; you can also use dry sherry
- sea salt
- white pepper: black pepper's cousin; which is from the berries of the pepper plant
- garlic powder
- Chinese five-spice powder: is a spice powder mixture of coriander, star anise, cinnamon, fennel, Sichuan peppercorn; each blend can vary -- you can find five-spice powder already pre-packaged in Asian grocery stores; choose one that you enjoy
- ground Sichuan peppercorn: also known as "mala pepper," or "flower pepper," and adds a numbing, tingly sensation and citrusy aroma; there are two main types: red and green; you can use either or a combination of both
- coriander powder: optional
- cornstarch: helps to tenderize the meat and keep it juicy/velvety
Wet batter
- large egg: beaten; helps to seal in the juices of the chicken and keep it tender
Dry coating
- sweet potato starch: gives the chicken its super crunchy texture when deep-fried; you can substitute with cornstarch if you don't have it on hand
- baking powder: is a leavener that adds a little lightness to the coating
Seasoning mixture (for sprinkling onto the fried chicken)
- sea salt
- white pepper
- garlic powder
- Chinese 5-spice powder
- ground Sichuan peppercorn
You can find these ingredients in Asian grocery stores or Chinese supermarkets.
How to make Taiwanese popcorn chicken
Prepare the chicken
in a large bowl, add chicken pieces and mix in all the seasonings (fresh garlic, green onion, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, Chinese 5-spice powder, ground Sichuan peppercorn, coriander powder, and cornstarch).
Stir well to incorporate the mixture.
Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, or overnight.
Prepare the wet and dry batter
In a shallow dish, lightly beat an egg.
In a separate shallow dish, whisk together sweet potato flour and baking powder.
Make the seasoning mixture
In a small bowl, combine salt, white pepper, garlic powder, 5-spice powder and ground Sichuan peppercorn. Mix together and set aside.
Coat the chicken
Take pieces of chicken and lightly dip into the egg first, and then place into the sweet potato flour to coat.
Repeat with the remainder.
Fry the basil
Heat up a pot of oil over medium-high heat to 330F.
Add in the Thai basil leaves, and fry for 30 seconds.
Remove and place on paper towel to drain.
Deep fry the chicken
Heat the frying oil to a temperature of 330F (check with a kitchen thermometer).
Add in the chicken pieces, and fry in small batches, until lightly brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Remove chicken pieces and drain on a wire rack on paper towel.
Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Once all the chicken has been fried, increase the frying oil temperature to 350F.
Fry the chicken pieces a second time (again, in small batches), until golden brown, another 3-4 minutes.
Remove the fried popcorn chicken onto a wire rack lined with paper towel.
Repeat with the remainder.
Transfer the fried chicken into a basket and sprinkle with seasoning mixture (or toss chicken together in a bowl with the seasoning -- note: you may not need to use all the seasoning mixture).
How to serve
Taiwanese popcorn chicken is best served freshly fried.
Try pairing the fried chicken with taro bubble tea, green onion pancakes, or serve as an appetizer to Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup or Gua Bao (Taiwanese Buns with Braised Pork Belly).
How to store
If there are any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How to reheat
Reheat the Taiwanese popcorn chicken by baking it in the oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes, or until crisp.
Expert tips & substitutions
You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs or with chicken with skin. Skin-on chicken will be even more juicy.
If you don't have sweet potato starch, you can use cornstarch or rice flour.
Tapioca starch will not be as crisp as the options above.
If you have an air fryer, you can spray the chicken pieces with oil before adding to the air fryer.
You can also bake the chicken pieces, lightly sprayed with oil and placed onto a baking sheet at 400F for about 18-20 minutes -- but note that they will not be as crunchy as deep-fried.
Other delicious Asian recipes you may like
Be sure to check out these recipes:
Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Instant Pot)
Katsu Sando (Pork Cutlet Sandwich)
Taiwanese Gua Bao 割包 (Instant Pot)
Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Chicken & marinade:
- 500 g chicken thigh cut into small pieces
- 6 cloves fresh garlic grated
- 2 tablespoon green onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- ½ teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Wet batter:
- 1 large egg beaten
Dry coating:
- 1 C sweet potato starch
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
For frying:
- 3-4 C peanut oil or high-smoke point frying oil
- few sprigs Thai basil
Seasoning mixture: (you will have a little extra)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- ½ teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn
Instructions
Prepare the chicken:
- In a large bowl, add chicken pieces and mix in all the seasonings (fresh garlic, green onion, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, Chinese 5-spice powder, ground Sichuan peppercorn, coriander powder, and cornstarch).
- Stir well to incorporate the mixture.
- Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, or overnight.
Prepare the wet and dry batter:
- In a shallow dish, lightly beat an egg.
- In a separate shallow dish, whisk together sweet potato flour and baking powder.
Make the seasoning mixture:
- In a small bowl, combine salt, white pepper, garlic powder, 5-spice powder and ground Sichuan peppercorn. Mix together and set aside.
Coat the chicken:
- Take pieces of chicken and lightly dip into the egg first, and then place into the sweet potato flour to coat.
- Repeat with the remainder.
Fry the basil:
- Heat up a pot of oil over medium-high heat to 330°F/166°C.
- Add in the Thai basil leaves, and fry for 30 seconds, until crisp.
- Remove and place on paper towel to drain.
Deep fry the chicken:
- Heat the frying oil to a temperature of 330°F/166°C (check with a kitchen thermometer).
- Add in the chicken pieces, and fry in small batches, until lightly brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove chicken pieces and drain on a wire rack on paper towel.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Once all the chicken has been fried, increase the frying oil temperature to 350°F/177°C.
- Fry the chicken pieces a second time (again, in small batches), until golden brown, another 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the fried popcorn chicken onto a wire rack lined with paper towel.
- Repeat with the remainder.
- Transfer the fried chicken into a basket and sprinkle with seasoning mixture (or toss chicken in a bowl with seasoning -- you may not need all the seasoning mixture).
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Raymund | angsarap.net
I must say, your recipe for Taiwanese popcorn chicken has me drooling! The combination of crunchy texture and flavorful spices sounds absolutely delicious.
Neil
Popcorn chicken eh? Wow! That combination of spices must be amazing to taste. What a great recipe Michelle!
Tasia
This popcorn chicken looks SO crispy and flavorful! Love all the helpful instructions too!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
YUM... this is my kind of chicken dinner. I could eat this all week long! I especially love the extra crunch that the sweet potato starch adds!