Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken With Fried Basil

By Sue Li

Published June 29, 2022

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken With Fried Basil
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes, plus 1 hour marinating
Rating
4(1,635)
Comments
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This spiced fried chicken is a staple in the night markets of Taiwan. You can order the chicken in cutlet form or small bites like these, which are served in paper bags with wooden skewers. This recipe uses a few spices that cannot be skipped: five-spice powder and white pepper. The Sichuan peppercorns are a bonus, adding a little numbing tingle. If you can’t find Sichuan peppercorns, use black peppercorns instead. You won’t get the same tingly feeling, but the chicken will be just as good. This fried chicken recipe happens to be gluten-free thanks to the tapioca flour, which imparts the dish’s signature crunch.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1½pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1½teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
  • 1teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 4teaspoons kosher salt
  • 6cups vegetable oil
  • 1tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns or whole black peppercorns
  • 1cup/115 grams tapioca flour
  • 1cup fresh basil leaves
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

410 calories; 27 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 23 grams protein; 401 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, season chicken thighs with soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, white pepper and 2 teaspoons salt. Set aside to marinate about 1 hour at room temperature, or refrigerate it overnight.

  2. Step 2

    When ready to cook, fit a medium pot with a cooking thermometer and heat vegetable oil over medium to 350 degrees. Coarsely grind the peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and mix with the remaining 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Wet your hands and toss marinated chicken with tapioca flour and about 1 tablespoon water until the tapioca flour looks like small beads and clings to the chicken. (Adding a little moisture to your chicken helps the tapioca flour form small beads that will also stick to the chicken and give it a very crunchy crust.)

  4. Step 4

    Working in batches, add the battered chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon or spider, transfer fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and season each batch with peppercorn mixture.

  5. Step 5

    Fry basil leaves until translucent and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, then scatter over the fried chicken. Serve with leftover peppercorn mixture for sprinkling to taste.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,635 user ratings
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Comments

JE

substitute for tapioca flour: Corn starch Rice flour Arrowroot Potato starch Cassava flour

Meiyi

Using an air fryer for this recipe: I am taiwanese and we used to buy this street food a few times a week. I follow the recipe but use the air fryer instead of oil. I must say , the flavor is at least 85% correct vs a 70% for french fries on air fryer. The only thing I did differently was that instead of heating the oil, I used oil spray to coat both side of the chicken. Set it to 400° air fry mode and did 13 min in total. Be generous on the tapioca flour, made all the differences.

loverofnoodles

We made this recipe with half the salt and did a test of frying and baking the chicken. We sprayed a baking sheet with oil and lightly brushed the chicken again with oil once it was on the sheet. Baked at 425 degrees for roughly 20 minutes flipping pieces half way. It turned out beautifully and we couldn’t be more impressed!

Fuegofan

I find that this is a forgiving and adaptable recipe. I went with a different flavor palate and it came off great--so that I really enjoyed eating the "popcorn" cold. Coconut aminos instead of the sugar and soy sauce and some thyme instead of the 5-spice powder.

Fuegofan

I find that this is a forgiving and adaptable recipe. I went with a different flavor palate and it came off great--so that I really enjoyed eating the "popcorn" cold. Coconut aminos instead of the sugar and soy sauce and some thyme instead of the 5-spice powder. And I deep fried it.

Wenling

Made the dish using air fryer, worked out great - tasty with all the spices. We cut the salt in half, but it was still too salty for us, I guess it all depends on how salty the soy sauce you use. We brush the basil leaves with olive oil and baked them at low heat (275F) till they are crispy, they were terrific!

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Credits

By Sue Li

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