Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
Popcorn chicken is a popular Taiwanese street food. This bite size treats is a must-try for anyone visiting Taiwan. Now you can make them at home with my easy recipe.
- Prep time
- 1 hr
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) chicken thigh meat, cut into cubes
- 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, bruised
- 1 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoon ground pepper
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoon ground pepper (or 1 tablespoon ground pepper + 1 tablespoon chili powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar (or chicken bouillon granules)
- 1 handful of Thai basil leaves
Instructions
- 1
Fried chicken
- 2
Marinate chicken thigh cubes with soy sauce, five-spice powder, ground pepper, and bruised garlic. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- 3
Meanwhile, place tapioca starch, ground pepper, garlic powder, and salt in a large gallon size ziplock bag. Shake to make a uniform breading mix.
- 4
After 15 minutes of marinating time, add one egg to the chicken and stir to coat all the pieces with egg. Transfer the chicken into the ziplock bag with the breading mix and shake well to coat the chicken.
- 5
Arrange the coated chicken pieces on a wire rack. Rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour to let extra moisture dry out.
- 6
Heat enough oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot (~ 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit), gently drop the chicken pieces into hot oil and fry until golden brown. About 2 minutes per batch.
- 7
Drain excess oil from fried chicken by placing them on a wire rack. Never do this on paper towels as the chicken will steam and become soggy, which is not something we want after all the work.
- 8
Fried Thai basil leaves (optional)
- 9
Drop Thai basil leaves into the hot oil, and quickly cover the pot with a lid since they will splatter. Open the lid once the sizzling sound dies down, and the leaves should be crispy and ready. Remove fried basil leaves with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack to remove excess oil.
- 10
To serve
- 11
Gently toss fried chicken with spice mix, then transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with fried Thai basil leaves. Serve immediately.