Taiwanese Fried Chicken

This crispy and addicting bite-sized Taiwanese fried chicken everything you want in a snack—juicy, crispy, and flavorful. This popcorn chicken has deeply infused flavors and a crunchy outer coating that will keep you coming back for more.

Course Appetizer, Appetizer & Sides, Snack

Cuisine Taiwanese

Keyword taiwanese chicken, taiwanese fried chicken, taiwanese fried chicken recipe, taiwanese popcorn chicken, taiwanese popcorn chicken recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Marinate Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 2659kcal

Author Megan

Equipment

Ingredients

Marinade

1 lb chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon garlic about 3 cloves minced
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon five spice powder
½ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1 teaspoon sugar

Batter

¾ cup sweet potato flour
¼ cup cornstarch
3-4 cups vegetable oil for frying

Seasoning Mixture

1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon five spice powder
Handful Thai basil

Instructions

Marinate the chicken. In a bowl, marinate the 1 inch chicken pieces with minced garlic, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, five spice powder, chicken bouillon powder, and sugar for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight. If you are going to air-fry or bake the chicken add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the marinade.
Coat the chicken. In a small bowl mix together the sweet potato flour and cornstarch. Working one at a time, toss and coat the chicken pieces until they are well coated. The chicken should be completely covered.
Fry the Thai basil. Rinse and thoroughly dry the Thai basil. Add about 2 inches of oil to a medium pot and bring it to 325°F or 162°C over medium heat. Fry the basil leaves until they turn dark green and crispy about 1 minute. Scoop them out with a spider strainer, set aside on wire rack to cool.
Fry the Chicken (Option 1). Prepare a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet. Working in batches, add the chicken with a pair of tongs. Make sure to not overcrowd the pot. Fry until lightly golden about 1 minute. Scoop the chicken from the oil with a spider strainer and let the chicken rest. Continue with the remaining chicken.
Second Fry the Chicken. Turn the heat up to 350°F or 175°C, fry the batches again in the same order you first fried them in for an additional 2 minutes or until the pieces float to the surface and are golden brown. Scoop the chicken from the oil and let the chicken rest on the wire rack.
Air-fry the Chicken (Option 2). Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Using cooking spray, lightly grease the air fryer basket. Place the chicken into the basket leaving some space in between the pieces. Spray the tops of the chicken with the cooking spray. Cook at 400°F or 204°C for 5 minutes. Then flip the chicken and coat with more cooking spray and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes then spray with oil and cook for an additional 5 more minutes. (This will mimic a second fry) Remove from the basket and let the chicken rest on a wire rack.
Bake the Chicken (Option 3). Preheat the oven to 450°F or 232°C. Place the chicken on a wire rack over a foil lined baking sheet. Spray the chicken with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and coat with more cooking spray and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes.
Mix the seasoning mixture. In a small bowl mix together the seasoning mixture. Once the chicken is cooked toss chicken with the seasoning to taste. Serve with the fried Thai basil leaves. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

Use fatty cuts of chicken. For the juiciest and most tender bites, I recommend using a cut with more fat. The fat will melt into the chicken as it cooks yielding a juicier bite.
Marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour. Marinating the chicken will allow the chicken time to soak in the flavors for a more flavorful and tasty Taiwanese popcorn chicken.
Use a heavy-bottomed pot to deep fry. Make sure you use a heavy-bottomed pot to deep fry and hold the hot oil. Make sure there is plenty of room on the edges of the pot so the oil doesn’t boil over.
Keep a kitchen thermometer in the oil. Keeping a kitchen thermometer in the oil can regulate the changing temperatures of the oil when frying.
For air frying or oven baking, spray the chicken with oil. You will need to spray the chicken with oil in order for the chicken to brown and become crispy. Make sure that each piece has enough oil so the chicken browns evenly.
Storage Instructions: This dish is best served immediately. You can store this Taiwanese fried chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. It will lose its crispiness over time in the freezer. To reheat simply pop them in the oven or air fryer until warm.

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