Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
Taiwanese popcorn chicken is always something that I will associate with boba shops. Hanging out with friends after (high) school and enjoying some boba + popcorn chicken together, maybe playing some card games). Compared to other fried chicken preparations, it is relatively light due to the characteristic batter texture and the use of seasoning powder as opposed to a sauce.
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 1 hr
Ingredients
> boneless, skinless chicken thigh (1 lb)
marinade:
> five spice powder (1 tsp)
> MSG (1 tsp)
> white pepper (1 tsp)
> corn starch (1 tbsp)
> garlic (2 cloves, grated)
> ginger (1 tsp, grated)
> Shaoxing wine (1 tbsp)
> soy sauce (1 tsp)
> egg white (1)
> salt (1 tsp)
> sugar (1 tsp)
seasoning powder:
> Sichuan peppercorn powder (1 tsp)
> white pepper (1 tsp)
> salt (1 tsp)
> five spice powder (1/4 tsp)
> chili powder (1 tsp, or more to taste)
batter:
> corn starch (3/4 cup)
> baking powder (1 tsp)
everything else:
> neutral oil
> basil
Instructions
1. Cut the chicken thighs into approximately 1-inch cubes. Add all the marinade ingredients, mix well, and let marinade for at least 20 minutes, ideally overnight.
2. Mix the corn starch and baking powder together well. Coat the chicken thighs with the batter, and shake off any excess starch in a colander.
3. Double-fry the chicken in batches. Depending on the size of the pieces of your chicken, about ~5m for the first round and ~2m for the second round. While resting, set aside and let drain on a paper towel.
4. Fry the basil for ~30s, just until it starts to crisp up a bit. It should still be slightly bubbling -- if it's no longer bubbling that means that all the water content has been evaporated.
5. Toss the chicken with the seasoning powder, and adjust to taste (add more chili powder, if you prefer). Plate and garnish with the fried basil. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> Every restaurant has its unique marinade + seasoning powder combination; feel free to adjust to your taste. I've seen recipes which call for vinegar, chicken essence, onion powder, fermented bean curd, and a whole bunch of other miscellaneous stuff.
> Fry in batches if necessary. Frying too much at once will drop the oil temperature too much, leading to a greasy result (and probably cause a bunch of pieces to stick together)
> Realistically, the basil adds very little to the dish and is more of a garnish. Feel free to omit it or garnish with thinly sliced green onion instead; I just happened to have a bunch of basil left over.
> Be careful not to fry it too hard; otherwise the exterior might end up being a bit too crunchy (which was the case for mine)