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Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
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Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

Crispy bite-sized chicken marinated with soy sauce, five-spice powder, and white pepper, coated with coarse sweet potato starch, then fried with crisp Thai basil.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Marinating Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 37 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Main Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Taiwanese
Keyword: chicken recipe, comfort food, fried, Savory, taiwanese popcorn chicken
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 2101kcal
Author: Vanjo Merano
Cost: $

Equipment

  • 1 Deep Pot Deep enough to hold 4 cups of oil with headroom for bubbling
  • 1 Kitchen thermometer For holding the oil at 300°F between batches
  • 1 Splatter screen Useful when the basil goes into the oil
  • 1 Wire rack Drains the fried chicken without trapping steam underneath

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 cup Thai basil leaves washed and completely dried
  • 1 cup coarse sweet potato starch
  • 4 cups cooking oil for deep frying

Marinade ingredients:

  • 1 sachet Maggi Magic Sarap 8 grams
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons five-spice powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Final seasoning ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces.
    2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
  • Place the chicken in a mixing bowl. Add the Maggi Magic Sarap, soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, and white pepper. Mix until the chicken is evenly coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
    1 sachet Maggi Magic Sarap, 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons five-spice powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • Add the sweet potato starch to the marinated chicken. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of water over the chicken, then mix until each piece is completely coated. Let the coated chicken rest for at least 3 minutes.
    1 cup coarse sweet potato starch
  • Heat the cooking oil in a deep pot to 300°F.
    4 cups cooking oil
  • Make sure the Thai basil leaves are completely dry. Carefully add them to the hot oil and fry for 1 minute, or until crisp. Remove the basil from the oil and set it aside.
    1 cup Thai basil leaves
  • Fry the chicken in batches for 6 to 7 minutes. Avoid overcrowding the pot so that the oil temperature does not drop too much.
  • Remove the chicken from the oil and arrange it on a wire rack to drain.
  • Place the fried chicken and crispy Thai basil in a clean mixing bowl.
  • Sprinkle the salt and ground black pepper over the chicken. Toss until everything is evenly seasoned.
    1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • Serve immediately while the chicken is still crisp. Share and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Marinating ahead – Three hours is the minimum. The chicken can stay in the marinade overnight, up to 24 hours, if that fits your schedule better.
Magic Sarap – One sachet is 8 grams. If you are working from a larger resealable pack, measure out 8 grams rather than guessing.
Scaling – Halve the chicken, marinade, starch, and seasoning for 1 pound, but keep the oil at 4 cups. The pieces need that depth to float and fry evenly.
Reusing the frying oil – Let the oil cool, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve to catch the loose starch. Keep it covered and use it for frying again within a few weeks.
Serving – Set the bowl out with toothpicks or short bamboo skewers so everyone can pick up pieces without coating their fingers in seasoning.

Nutrition

Calories: 2101kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 210g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 57g | Monounsaturated Fat: 126g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 178mg | Sodium: 1110mg | Potassium: 434mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 403IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg