Crispy Juicy Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken 鹽酥雞

This Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken recipe is my secret specialty recipe that I make every time I have guests. This is an EASY recipe with a ton of my secret tips and tricks to make that authentically savory chunks of crispy chicken with fragrant fried Thai basil. It’s just like the ones you get at night markets! Crispy on the outside, JUICY on the inside; I am confident this is the best Taiwanese popcorn Chicken recipe you will ever try! 

Popcorn Chicken

• Taiwanese Night Market Popcorn Chicken
• Popcorn Chicken Ingredients
  • Best Chicken To Use for Popcorn Chicken
  • Tips for Crispy Batter
  • Frying Tips For Popcorn Chicken
  • Seasoning Salt
• How To Make Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
• Take Your Favorite Boba Shop Home with These Recipes

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Taiwanese Night Market Popcorn Chicken

What is a Night Market series without the one and only Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken? Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken, or 鹽酥雞 is the most famous Taiwanese Night Market food that you can now find at many Bubble Tea shops and restaurants. Biting into a chunk of crunchy, but super moist, savory chicken and chasing it with a piece of crispy Thai basil and a sip of boba tea is the quintessential boba shop experience. It may seem intimidating to make, but trust me, it is super easy, with accessible ingredients.

In many restaurants, Taiwanese popcorn chicken is not crispy enough, or the chicken becomes tough. Don’t worry! After many trials and errors, I am confident that I’ve mastered all the secret hacks that guarantees crispy and juicy chicken every single time. Here are a few of my secret tips to make this recipe better than any restaurant AUTHENTIC Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken!

Popcorn Chicken Ingredients

Seasoning Mix – chili powder, paprika, five-spice powder, white pepper, garlic powder, and salt

Best Chicken To Use for Popcorn Chicken

To make Authentic Taiwanese Popcorn chicken, you need to use dark meat. Chicken thigh is more flavourful and is more tender than breast, and easier to work with. I like deboning my own chicken, because it takes only a few minutes. But, you can buy boneless, skin-on chicken thigh to make things easier. The chicken skin is actually the most crucial part: it protects the meat and gets extra crispy when fried.

Tips for Crispy Batter

Rice Flour BATTER

Many recipes will opt for the classic flour, egg, and corn starch. But, having a Taiwanese-style dry batter, where you first coat a thin batter and then dusted in starch, is the way to go here. It not only helps the tapioca starch stick onto the chicken better, but it also helps provide a layer of protection to keep juices from escaping. We’re using a thin rice flour egg batter. Rice flour is much lighter compare to traditional flour, and is also gluten-free. If you don’t have rice flour, you can also use corn starch instead for this step.

TAPIOCA STARCH / SWEET POTATO FLOUR

I’ve seen so many recipes telling people to add water to provide the “crispy” edges texture. But what you need actually need is just traditional tapioca starch / sweet potato flour. I swear by the Greenmax brand. Tapioca starch gelatinizes very quickly when fried in oil, making a crispy, thin shell.

To make sure your tapioca starch doesn’t just slide off, make sure to let the chicken sit for 5 minutes before frying to prevent any fallouts. This gives the water on the surface of the chicken to combine with the starch and stick on.

Frying Tips For Popcorn Chicken

DOUBLE FRY: 

Optional, but HIGHLY recommended, DOUBLE FRY for the EXTRA CRISPY Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken! Double frying is when you fry to cook the food first, let it rest and drain, and then fry again quickly at a higher temperature to make it extra crispy. If you are serving the chicken for guests, do the first fry of your chicken in advance. Then, reheat and crisp up the chicken by double frying for 2-3 minutes in high heat before serving. 

Seasoning Salt

You‘ve got to add the CLASSIC Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken seasoning salt to complete the dish. I am using a mixture of chili powder, paprika, five-spice powder, white pepper, garlic powder, and salt. I intentionally left out the ratio here, because here’s where I like to get creative based on flavor preference. Depending on how spicy, salty, and garlic you want, you can adjust these seasonings to your liking.

How To Make Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

1. Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine (optional), minced garlic, and Five Spice Powder for 20 minutes. 
2. After 20 minutes, add in 3.5 tbsp of rice flour and one egg and mix. You want a wet batter consistency.
3. Coat the chicken with Tapioca Starch and let it sit for 5-7 minutes to prevent the coating from falling off. 
4. In a pan, add in oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add in the Thai Basil and fry it for 30 seconds – 1 minute or crispy. This will help with fragrant oil. 
5. Next, add the chicken and fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. 
6. Optional, but highly recommend, turn the heat to high and double fry the chicken for 1 minute and the basil for 30 seconds. 
7. Sprinkle on the seasoning mix and ENJOY!!

Take Your Favorite Boba Shop Home with These Recipes

Crispy Juicy Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken 鹽酥雞

By Tiffy Cooks

5 from 4 votes

What is a Night Market series without the one and only Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken? This Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken recipe is my secret specialty recipe that I make every time I have guests. This is an EASY recipe with a ton of my secret tips and tricks to make that authentically fragrant, savory chunks of crispy chicken. It’s just like the ones you get at night markets! Crispy on the outside, JUICY on the inside; I am confident this is the best Taiwanese popcorn Chicken recipe you will ever try! 

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Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:20 minutes mins

Total Time:40 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Asian, Taiwanese

Keyword: Asian Food, Asian Recipes, Easy, Easy Recipes, Fried Chicken, Night market, Street Food, Taiwanese Food, Taiwanese Recipes

Servings: 4 People

Calories: 278kcal

Ingredients

• 6 Pieces Boneless Chicken Thigh with the skin on cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2.5 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 3 Tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine optional
• 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 Tbsp Five-Spice Powder
• 1 Large Egg
• 3.5 Tbsp Rice Flour or corn starch
• 1.5 Cup Thai Basil
• 2 Cup Tapioca Starch

Instructions

• Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine (optional), minced garlic, and Five Spice Powder for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, add in 3.5 tbsp of rice flour and one egg and mix. You want a wet batter consistency.
• Coat the chicken with Tapioca Starch and let it sit for 5-7 minutes to prevent the coating from falling off.
  
• In a pan, add in oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add in the Thai Basil and fry it for 30 seconds – 1 minute or crispy. This will help with fragrant oil.
• Next, add the chicken and fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
  
• Optional, but highly recommend, turn the heat to high and double fry the chicken for 1 minute and the basil for 30 seconds.
  
• Sprinkle on the seasoning mix and ENJOY!!
  

Video

Notes

Seasoning Mix – chili powder, paprika, five-spice powder, white pepper, garlic powder, and salt

Nutrition

Calories: 278kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 4gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 649mgPotassium: 124mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.3gVitamin A: 549IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 2mg