Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

This recipe for Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken yields a crunchy yet tender bite-sized pieces flavored with aromatic Chinese five spice powder and Thai basil.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Asian, Taiwanese

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Marinating Time 30

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 536kcal

Author Michelle

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