The Taiwanese popcorn chicken features tender pieces of chicken covered in the crunchy yet light coating and gentle heat from the spiced salt.
My boys love Taiwanese popcorn chicken and I do too! Popcorn chicken is a popular snack sold in paper bags and eaten with a stick at bustling night markets in Taiwan, not the other popcorn chicken invented by KFC. Back in my college days at UC Davis, Taiwanese popcorn chicken and boba were my favorite treats after a long week of studying. I would walk over to The Old Teahouse, literally a few steps from our apartment to get their special combo, a great saving for a poor college student like me. Funny enough, when I went to pharmacy school at UCSD, I ended up living in another apartment complex right behind Tapioca Express. I could open my window and look directly at their back door. Somehow Taiwanese popcorn chicken and boba became a constant during my college and pharmacy years.
Throughout the years, I’ve tried various Taiwanese popcorn chicken recipes but none of them left a lasting impression until I made Clarissa Wei’s recipe from her Made in Taiwan cookbook. I love the tender pieces of chicken covered in the crunchy yet light coating with the sweet potato starch and gentle heat from the spiced salt. They are incredibly addictive with the fried basil. Make sure to double or triple the recipe if you’re feeding other people!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: use chicken thighs for this recipe. They are more flavorful and tender after frying compared to white meat.
- Chinese five spice: traditional five spice is made of ground cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, star anise, and Szechuan pepper. You can make your own or buy the pre-ground blend.
- Sweet potato starch: this starch is essential for giving the chicken a crisp coating that is signature to Taiwanese popcorn chicken. Look for coarse sweet potato starch, not the fine type. They are available at Asian supermarkets, especially 99 Ranch Market. If you can only find fine sweet potato starch, just lightly spritz the starch with some water so that it clumps up and creates small beads.
How to Make Popcorn Chicken
- Make the marinade and marinate chicken for 2 hours or overnight.
- Stir together all-purpose flour and baking powder, then add it to the marinated chicken, stirring well until chicken is evenly coated.
- Working in batches, add chicken to sweet potato starch and, using chopsticks, toss until fully coated. Transfer chicken, shaking off any excess starch, to a clean plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
- For the first fry, in a wok or Dutch oven, heat oil over high heat until it reaches 350°F. Using a spider-skimmer, carefully lower half of the chicken into the oil. Deep-fry until the chicken is a light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to paper towels to drain and repeat with remaining chicken.
- For the second fry, increase the heat until temperature 375°F. Add half of the fried chicken back to oil and fry until it turns golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to fresh paper towels to drain and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Add the basil leaves to the hot oil and fry for 45 seconds until translucent. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Transfer fried chicken while still hot to a large bowl and add the chili powder, white pepper, and salt. Cover the bowl with a large plate or lightweight cutting board and shake it thoroughly so the chicken is coated completely with the seasoning.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The chicken can be marinated the night before. It's best to serve to eat the Taiwanese popcorn chicken after it's fried otherwise it loses its crispiness.
For more fried chicken inspiration:
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skin-on chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) chunks
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Taiwanese rice wine (michiu) or cooking sake
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon five spice powder
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour plus extra for work surface
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 4 cups (1 L) canola oil for frying
- ¾ cup thick sweet potato starch
- 1 cup fresh Thai basil
For the seasoning
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, any type
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine chicken, soy sauce, rice wine, garlic, sugar, salt, white pepper, and five-spice powder, stirring well to massage the marinade into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- In a small bowl, whisk all-purpose flour and baking powder, then add it to the marinated chicken, stirring well until chicken is evenly coated.
- Fill a large, shallow bowl with sweet potato starch. Working in batches, add chicken to sweet potato starch and, using chopsticks, toss until fully coated. Transfer chicken, shaking off any excess starch, to a clean plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Heat oil in a wok over high heat until it reaches 350°F. Using a spider-skimmer, carefully lower one quarter of the chicken into the oil. The oil temperature should drop when you add the chicken; adjust the heat to maintain a frying temperature of 350°F. Deep-fry, stirring often, until the chicken is a light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to paper towels to drain and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Return oil to 375°F (190°C), then add one quarter of the fried chicken back to oil and fry a second time, maintaining a temperature of 375°F, until chicken turns golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to fresh paper towels to drain and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Add basil leaves to the hot oil, working quickly, immediately cover wok with a lid. Quickly fry until the basil crisps up and turn transparent and glassy, about 10 seconds. Turn off the heat and transfer basil with a spider to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Transfer fried chicken while still hot to a large bowl and add the chili powder, white pepper, and salt. Cover the bowl with a large plate and shake it thoroughly so the chicken is coated completely with the seasoning. Garnish with fried basil and serve immediately.
Em
I doubled the recipe and they went fast! Fantastic. I don't think I'll ever buy it again.