Spicy Fried Chicken – Taiwanese Nightmarket Style

Nothing is more irresistible than CRISPY-FRIED CHICKEN!

Extra crispy skin, juicy, spicy chicken, you NEED to try my Taiwanese Spicy Fried Chicken recipe because it will blow your mind.

Spicy Fried Chicken is SO good, we made 12 drumsticks and finished it all between 3 people, and we STILL wanted seconds!

This Super EASY gluten-free recipe is guaranteed crispy every single time. 

Growing up, my dad used to bring me to night markets every weekend, and one of my favorite thing to order was Spicy Fried Chicken.

It is impossible to say no to fried chicken; you can smell the savory chicken from blocks away!

One thing that stuck to me the most is that the coating is always super crispy and light at the same time.

The fried chicken never felt heavy, and the batter always stayed crisp even after hours. I wanted to put my twist, and I am excited to share my crispy, light, and juicy recipe! 

My secret is to CRISPY while LIGHT Spicy Fried Chicken is to use the combination of rice flour and corn starch.

Taiwanese Fried Chicken is known for its light and crispiness.

You want a thin enough batter that the skin is still crispy and thick enough, so the meat doesn’t dry up.

All you need to make the batter is rice flour, corn starch, egg, and COLD soda water.

The cold soda water is the secret to making the batter light yet super crispy. 

It is important to marinate the chicken to flavor but also tenderize your Taiwanese Spicy Fried Chicken.

Therefore, I marinated the chicken with soy sauce, onion, smashed garlic, chili / red pepper powder, white pepper, and Chinese cooking wine.

Let the chicken rest for at least 1 hour or overnight. The longer the chicken is marinated, the more tender the chicken will get. 

Do you want more TAIWANESE NIGHT MARKET recipes? Here are some of my re-creations that are easy to make at home! 

• BIG Green Onion Pancake (5 Ingredients ONLY!)
• Taiwanese Deep Fried Sweet Potato Balls (3 Ingredients!)
• Garlic Mushroom Sauce – Taiwanese Nightmarket Style
• Crispy Fried Tofu with Garlic Sauce

Ingredients 

• 6 Chicken Drumsticks 
• 5 cloves of Garlic (smashed) 
• ½ Onion (chopped) 
• 2.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce 
• 1.5 tsp of White Pepper 
• 1 tsp of Salt 
• 2 tbsp of Red Pepper Powder (optional) 
• 3 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine (optional) 

Batter: 

• 2 Eggs 
• 2 cups of Rice Flour 
• 1 cup of Corn Starch 
• 200 ml of ICE COLD Soda Water

Dredging (1:1 ratio)  

• 1.5 cup of Rice Flour 
• 1.5 cups of Corn Starch 

1. Using a toothpick, poke tiny holes throughout the drumstick to help the chicken marinate the seasoning. 
2. Marinate the chicken with Onion, soy sauce, garlic, white pepper, salt, red pepper powder, and Chinese cooking wine for at least 1 hour or overnight. 
3. In a bowl, mix eggs, rice flour, corn starch, and ICE COLD soda water. You want the batter to be a watery consistency but still able to hold on to the chicken. 
4. Dip the chicken in the batter and let it rest for 2 minutes. 
5. Coat the chicken with a 1:1 ratio of rice flour and corn starch, let it rest for another 2 minutes. 
6. In a pan, add in oil (I am using grapeseed oil), and bring it to 150 C. Add the chicken legs into the oil and fry for 5 minutes. 
7. Remove the chicken, increase the heat to 180 C and fry for another 3-4 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. 
8. OPTIONAL: Season with Seasoning Powder – Paprika, Five-Spice Powder, White Pepper, and Salt.

Print Pin Recipe

Spicy Fried Chicken

Nothing is more irresistible than CRISPY-FRIED CHICKEN! Extra crispy skin, juicy, spicy chicken, you NEED to try my Taiwanese Spicy Fried Chicken recipe because it will blow your mind. This Spicy Fried Chicken is SO good, we made 12 drumsticks and finished it all between 3 people, and we STILL wanted seconds! This Super EASY gluten-free recipe is guaranteed crispy every single time.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Active Time25 minutes mins

Resting Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, Asian, Chinese, Taiwanese

Keyword: Asian Food, Asian Recipes, chicken, Chinese Food, Deep Fried, dinner Ideas, Easy, Easy Recipes, Fried Chicken, Night market, QUICK RECIPES, Street Food, Taiwanese Food, Taiwanese Recipes

Yield: 3 People

Materials

• 6 Chicken Drumsticks
• 5 cloves of Garlic smashed
• ½ Onion chopped
• 2.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 1.5 tsp of White Pepper
• 1 tsp of Salt
• 2 tbsp of Red Pepper Powder optional
• 3 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine optional

Batter:

• 2 Eggs
• 2 cups of Rice Flour
• 1 cup of Corn Starch
• 200 ml of ICE COLD Soda Water

1:1 Ratio

• 1.5 cup of Rice Flour
• 1.5 cups of Corn Starch

Instructions

• Using a toothpick, poke tiny holes throughout the drumstick to help the chicken marinate the seasoning.
• Marinate the chicken with Onion, soy sauce, garlic, white pepper, salt, red pepper powder, and Chinese cooking wine for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• In a bowl, mix eggs, rice flour, corn starch, and ICE COLD soda water. You want the batter to be a watery consistency but still able to hold on to the chicken.
• Dip the chicken in the batter and let it rest for 2 minutes.
• Coat the chicken with a 1:1 ratio of rice flour and corn starch, let it rest for another 2 minutes.
• In a pan, add in oil (I am using grapeseed oil), and bring it to 150 C. Add the chicken legs into the oil and fry for 5 minutes.
• Remove the chicken, increase the heat to 180 C and fry for another 3-4 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
• OPTIONAL: Season with Seasoning Powder – Paprika, Five-Spice Powder, White Pepper, and Salt.