Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken. Crispy, delicious, flavourful chicken bites. This is a healthier version of the popular dish with a lighter coating and it is not deep fried.
I love this Asian chicken dish with a passion! It's so delicious and with the Chinese Five Spice flavouring along with that crispy coating, it is heaven in my mouth!
It is the best Taiwanese popcorn chicken I've ever made and I am super excited to share it with you!
I especially love pairing this dish with plain steamed rice and a cabbage coleslaw! The tart flavours from the cabbage slaw really compliment the chicken so well.
My taiwanese popcorn chicken recipe doesn't require a lot of ingredients like the authentic version where bean curd paste is needed. And you most likely have all the ingredients in your pantry.
Of all the recipes out there, this is one easy taiwanese popcorn chicken recipe! Just marinate your chicken bites in the seasoning mix and fry it up with some fresh basil leaves! That's it. Super simple.
What is Taiwanese popcorn chicken?
It's a crispy chicken recipe that originates from Taiwan. Usually it is heavily battered and deep fried with basil leaves, but my version is lightly battered and pan fried.
Authentically the batter consists of a flour ingredient with a fermented bean paste and Chinese Five Spice. However, I really wanted to simplify my version and make it accessible for all but omitting the bean paste.
Caution: Since we are shallow frying and not deep frying (to make this recipe healthier), the air may splatter.
So I would really encourage you to cover the pan with a mesh shield to protect yourself or your floors. Or use a deep set pot so the oil can hit the sides of the pot.
Alternatively, you can air fry this if you have an air fryer but I would suggest you refer to other air fryer taiwanese popcorn chicken recipes online.
Other recipes you may like!
SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN
JAPANESE CHICKEN KATSU
CHINESE GREEN ONION LIME CHICKEN
STEAMED SOY GINGER CHICKEN
SOY MAPLE GLAZED CHICKEN
DAKBOKKEUMTANG KOREAN CHICKEN STEW
DAK GALBI (KOREAN SPICY CHICKEN STIR FRY)
MALAYSIAN CHICKEN CURRY
For this recipe
You will need the following Taiwanese popcorn chicken ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced into bite size piece
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic, minced
¾ tsp Chinese five spice
1 handful fresh basil, washed and dried
¼ cup avocado oil
How to Make Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
Cut your chicken into bite size pieces.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Chinese Five Spice powder and minced garlic. Add in your chicken and mix until every piece is well coated.
In a hot pan set over medium high heat, add avocado oil. Add in your chicken when oil is hot. Cover with a mesh shield to protect from oil splatter. Fry on all sides until golden crispy brown, about 13-15 minutes.
At the very end, add in your fresh basil and fry until the leaves are crispy. Serve with sriracha mayo or a plain mayo. Enjoy!
Give it a try!
Well I hope you give my Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken recipe a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
Thanks for visiting my blog! If you enjoyed this recipe, please share it with your family and friends or on social media! Take a picture if you've made my recipe and tag me on Instagram @christieathome in your feed or stories so I can share your creation in my stories with credits to you!
Made this recipe and loved it?
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Take care,
Christie
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Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (30-min. Recipe)
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs boneless skinless, sliced into bite size piece
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- ¾ tsp Chinese five spice
- ½ cup fresh basil washed and dried
- ¼ cup avocado oil
Instructions
- Cut your chicken into bite size pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Chinese Five Spice powder and minced garlic. Add in your chicken and mix until every piece is well coated.
- In a hot pan set over medium high heat, add avocado oil. Add in your chicken when oil is hot. Cover with a mesh shield to protect from oil splatter. Fry on all sides until golden crispy brown, about 13-15 minutes.
- At the very end, add in your fresh basil and fry until the leaves are crispy. Serve with sriracha mayo or a plain mayo. Enjoy!
Love Taiwanese popcorn chicken and the fact that this is shallow-fried. Totally craving this now... my mouth is watering! Thanks for sharing, Christie 🙂
You've made preparing popcorn chicken at home so easy. This recipe really adds all of the flavors I expect and you made the process of breading & frying the chicken so easy to follow!