Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
This Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken is crispy, juicy, and exploding with five-spice flavor. A street food classic, it features double-fried marinated chicken bites tossed in a savory seasoning and served with crispy Thai basil for that authentic night market crunch.Watch me make Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
Servings: 2 servings
Equipment
- Wire Rack
- Strainer
Ingredients
Chicken & Marinade
- 2 boneless chicken thighs cut into ½-inch chunks (~8 oz), see note 1
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 1 egg white
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp five spice powder
Coating
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup potato starch see note 2
Spice Mix
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp five spice powder
- ¼ tsp MSG optional
Optional
- Handful of Thai basil leaves
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine chicken with soy sauce, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, egg white, garlic, salt, white pepper, sugar, and five spice powder. Marinate for 1 hour.
- In another bowl, mix cornstarch and potato starch. Coat marinated chicken thoroughly in the starch mix.
- Heat oil to 350°F (175°C) and fry the chicken for 6–7 minutes, then remove and increase oil to 400°F (205°C).
- Return chicken to the oil for a second fry until deep golden brown.
- Add Thai basil to the oil and fry for 1–2 minutes until crispy. Remove chicken and basil with a strainer.
- Toss fried chicken with the spice mix in a bowl until evenly coated.
- Serve hot, and optionally sprinkle on more of the spice mix to finish.
Notes
(1) You can also use chicken breast, but note that the chicken may be drier than what you may usually find.
(2) I highly recommend using potato starch as it gives the chicken its signature crispiness; however, if you cannot find, replace with cornstarch (corn flour) in a 1:1 ratio.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 18g