Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken with Fried Basil
A popular street food snack, Asian Night Market favorite, or bubble tea cafe menu item: Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken! Small nuggets of crispy fried chicken. Seasoned with mouth-tingling Sichuan peppercorns. And topped off with a generous amount of aromatic fried basil. Yes, you can make this at home!
Servings: 4
Calories: 120kcal
Equipment
- 2 Large Bowl (1 for marinating, 1 for tossing the chicken)
- Dutch oven
- Cooling rack
- sheet pan
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 2 lbs chicken thighs and legs *boneless, preferably with skin on
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp Five Spice Powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
To fry chicken:
- 1 egg white
- 3/4 cup coarse tapioca starch
- 2 Tbsp potato starch *can be subbed with corn starch
Seasoning:
- 1 1/2 cups Thai basil
- 1-2 Tbsp Fly By Jing Mala Spice Mix *can be swapped with homemade spice mix, see below
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
Homemade Spice Mix:
- 1/2 Tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Cut chicken. Chop chicken into small 1-inch chunks. If you can, leave a bit of chicken skin on each piece.
- Marinate chicken. In a large bowl, add bite-sized pieces of chicken. Add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, Five Spice powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, white pepper, and sugar. Mix gently until well combined.
- Deep fry chicken. Set up a Dutch Oven with 1-2 inches of vegetable oil and a candy thermometer clipped to the side. When the temperature reaches 350F/176C, deep fry the chicken until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Fry in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan. Transfer crispy chicken to a cooling rack fitted over a sheet pan.
- *Double fry the chicken. For best results, deep fry the chicken twice. After frying the chicken the first time, deep fry again until deep golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.
- Deep fry basil. Remove basil from the stems. Add basil to the hot oil, being careful of the oil splatter. Deep fry until crispy, about 1 minute. Transfer fried basil to the cooling rack.
- Add spice mix. In a large bowl, add the fried chicken. Sprinkle the white pepper and Spice Mix all over the top. Toss the chicken a few times in the bowl, until well coated with the spice mix.
- *To make spice mix: Crush sichuan peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. Or, place in a ziploc baggie and smash into bits with a rolling pin. Combine with the salt, sugar, and ground cumin.
- Serve. Transfer to a plate. Top with the fried basil. Enjoy immediately!
Video
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Cut into small bite-sized pieces. Small chunks of chicken cook up more crispy and crunchy than big pieces.
- Transfer cooked chicken to a cooling rack. A cooling rack fitted over a sheet rack will drain excess oil from the chicken. It will also allow air to circulate around and under it, keeping it extra crisp.
- Set up a deep frying station. To make deep frying at home easier, set up a Dutch oven with a candy thermometer clipped to the side. It will make it easier to check the heat of the oil.
- Add enough oil. For deep fried flavor and crunch, you'll need 1-2 inches of oil so the chicken pieces float.
Nutrition
Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 519mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 324IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg