Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (VIDEO)
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken is my all-time favorite street food snack and one of my favorite ways to make fried chicken! I love the unique crispy texture that's tossed with the sweet & savory seasoning mix - it's so addictive! You can find these delicious pieces of chicken all over the night markets in Taiwan, and here's an easy version you can make at home!
Servings: 4
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb chicken thigh cut into 2" pieces
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp garlic grated
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 1 egg white
Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp five spice powder
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Misc Ingredients
- 2 cups coarse sweet potato flour
- 1 cup fresh basil
Instructions
- Cut 1 lb chicken thigh into similar sized 2" pieces.
- Marinate chicken pieces with soy sauce, grated ginger, grated garlic, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, and an egg white. Mix to combine and marinate for at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator.
- Mix together five spice powder, white pepper, salt, and sugar. This will be your seasoning. Set aside.
- Dredge marinated chicken in sweet potato flour and pack well, leaving no bald spots.
- Fry chicken at 350°F for 3-4 minutes; add in fresh basil at the end of cooking and fry for another 30 seconds. Cover the pot immediately after adding the basil to prevent splattering.
- Sprinkle seasoning on chicken immediately after frying and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Marinate for at least 30 minutes - Cut the chicken thighs into uniform, 2 inch bite-sized pieces for even cooking. After seasoning the chicken, you will ideally want to marinate the chicken pieces for at least 30 minutes covered in the fridge. You can marinate the chicken for up to overnight, and I would not marinate for more than 24 hours. Doing so will result in juicy, flavorful chicken that is perfect for frying!
Coarse sweet potato flour - this is a key ingredient for the Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken breading - the texture of coarse sweet potato flour (sometimes labeled as "thick") helps create a crispy and light breading. If you can't find it, you can substitute with tapioca flour.
Basil - I recommend using Thai basil if you can find it; however, if you can't find it, regular basil will work.
Neutral oil - Use a neutral tasting oil that has a high smoke point like avocado oil, peanut oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.
Maintain the oil temperature - Heat the oil to the right temperature (around 350°F or 175°C) and fry the chicken in batches, ensuring that the oil is hot enough for a quick, golden-brown finish. If you see that the temperature of the oil drops below 325°F or 165°C, remove some of the chicken and fry in smaller batches. I highly recommend using a thermometer to monitor the oil temperature.
Storage and Reheating - Store any leftover Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The chicken will soften as it sits in the refrigerator - this is normal! I like to reheat in the airfryer at 350F or in the oven at 400F for 10 minutes. If you don't care about the chicken being softer, you can also reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 894mg | Potassium: 305mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 407IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
