Easy & Simple Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (aka Táiwān Yán Sū Jī). Crispy, flavorful bite-size pieces of chicken seasoned with Chinese five spice. This is super easy to make at home!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Taiwanese

Servings as a side

Calories per serving 494 kcal

Ingredients

1.25 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs sliced into bite size pieces
1 ¼ cup potato starch or tapioca starch or cornstarch
¼ cup Thai basil or holy basil or Italian basil, washed and thoroughly dried
2 cups vegetable oil or any neutral oil

Chicken Marinade:

1 egg white
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or Dry Sherry Wine
2 teaspoon white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper

Spice Mix:

½ teaspoon Chinese five spice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ white pepper

Instructions

Dice chicken into bite-sized pieces about 1 inch cubes. Transfer chicken to a large bowl.
Marinate chicken with Marinade ingredients as listed above. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
In a separate small bowl, mix Spice mix ingredients as listed above.
Spread potato starch on a large baking sheet or plate. With wet hands, generously dredge marinated chicken into the starch. Massage the starch into the chicken until beads of starch form on the chicken (see video). Note: The beads give the chicken that extra crispy exterior. The moisture from your hands and from the marinade will also create "beading".
To Deep Fry: Into a wok or medium pot, add vegetable oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees F or over medium heat depending on your stove top. To check if oil is hot enough without a thermometer, insert a wooden skewer or chopstick into the hot oil and look for bubbles.
To Air Fry Chicken: see notes section below
Deep fry chicken in small batches for 3-4 minutes until crispy golden brown. Do not overcrowd or it will result in non-crispy chicken.
Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer to wire rack or plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Quickly season with spicy mix while chicken is hot.
Next with fresh basil in one hand and a lid/oil guard in the other, drop the basil into the wok of oil and quickly cover to prevent splash back. Deep fry for 10-20 seconds. Remove and sprinkle fried basil over chicken. Enjoy!

Notes

To Air Fry:

Lightly spray basket with a neutral oil, like avocado oil or vegetable oil.
Place coated chicken pieces into the air fryer basket in a single layer (do not overlap) with enough space in between. You may need to air fry in batches.
Lightly spray more oil over the chicken.
Air Fry at 400 F for 5 minutes.
Flip each piece over and air fry for another 5 minutes.
Reduce temperature to 375F giving the air fryer basket a shake. Air fry for another 4-6 minutes until golden crispy. If they're not golden or crispy enough, air fry for another few more minutes. Cook until you reach an internal temperature of 165 F or until juices run clear. Note: Depending on your air fryer, the air frying time can range between models so please keep this in mind. Mine was done at 15 minutes. It's best to monitor the process.

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