Description
A delicious staple of night markets, this Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken is marinated, coated in sweet potato starch, fried, and sprinkled with a spice blend.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lb dark meat chicken (cut into bite-sized chunks)
Marinade
- 1 small yellow onion ( diced into big chunks or thick wedge slices, *See Note 1)
- 3 slices ginger (cut into sticks)
- 4-5 cloves garlic (smashed)
- 1-2 pieces dried anise (*See Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin (aka sweet rice wine)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (*See Note 3)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Topping
- 8-10 Thai Holy Basil leaves
Breading
- 1 bag Sweet potato starch/powder/flour (it’s all the same, *See note 4)
The Pepper Powder Spice Mix
- 1 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
- 1/4 tsp chili powder (double or triple depending on how spicy you want it)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp five spice powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (finely ground )
- 1/4 tsp lemongrass powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 tsp white plum powder (substitute: castor or fine sugar)
Instructions
Cue Up The Episode!
- Make sure you listen to Episode 125 Why Taiwan Is Not "Chinese Taipei" with Yone as you make her Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken!
Make The Recipe
- Marinate the chicken with all other ingredients (except for the basil and Sweet Potato Flour) for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (Note: Do not marinate overnight or in excess of 3 hours.)
- To fry, heat the oil to 375 degrees F in a deep fat fryer or on a stovetop. Make sure you are using a deep pot and oil is at least 2-3 inches deep.
- Coat chicken pieces in Sweet Potato Flour thoroughly and fry in 2-3 batches (depending on your frying vessel) for about 5-7 minutes or until chicken is golden.
- Fry Basil leaves in the oil until slightly crisp.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken and basil, draining on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Use a big bowl or colander to toss fried chicken with the basil leaves.
- Mix the Pepper Powder Spice blend (adjusting to your own spice level) and sprinkle generously over fried foods.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure you listen to Episode 125 Why Taiwan Is Not "Chinese Taipei" with Yone as you make your dish!
- (1) Can substitute with a shallot.
- (2) Can substitute with fennel seeds.
- (3) Can substitute with white rice wine.
- (4) Can substitute with tapioca starch, but make sure it is coarse.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizers, Main Course
- Cuisine: East Asian, Taiwanese
Nutrition
- Calories: 143
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 379
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Carbohydrates: 4
- Fiber: 0.3
- Protein: 10
- Cholesterol: 56