Description
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken is a popular street food featuring crispy, juicy bite-sized chicken pieces seasoned with five-spice powder and basil leaves, perfect for snacking or as a main dish.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 500g boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine (or Shaoxing wine)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sweet potato starch or cornstarch
- 2 cups fresh Thai basil leaves
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a bowl, marinate the chicken with soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper, five-spice powder, garlic powder, and salt. Mix well and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- After marinating, mix in the egg until the chicken is well coated.
- Coat each chicken piece with sweet potato starch, pressing slightly so the coating sticks well.
- Heat oil in a deep pot to 170°C (340°F). Fry the chicken in batches until golden brown and crispy, about 3–4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- Quickly fry the Thai basil leaves in the hot oil for a few seconds until crispy, then drain on paper towels.
- Serve the fried chicken with the crispy basil leaves on top. Optionally, sprinkle extra five-spice powder or chili powder before serving.
Notes
- Sweet potato starch gives the chicken an extra crispy texture but cornstarch can be used as a substitute.
- Be careful when frying basil leaves, as they can splatter.
- Best served immediately while hot and crispy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 620mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 120mg