Snacking should be legendary. And Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken never disappoints! Skip the crumbled bag of chips & level up with this crispy Taiwanese fried chicken! Yep, enjoy your fave boba tea shop snack right at home – without even changing out of your comfies!
This irresistibly crunchy Taiwanese snack is the perfect pairing to sweet and chewy boba, like Strawberry Matcha Latte, Thai Iced Tea, or Avocado Smoothie! If you wanna go the extra mile, you can serve it with fresh homemade tapioca pearls made of only 3 ingredients!
Taiwanese popcorn chicken is super easy to make at home AND if you want an even easier version without oil frying, skip over to my Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken recipe!
🎥 Video: Watch How to Make This Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Recipe
🥘 Ingredient Tips
- Potato Starch: This is the secret to unbelievably crispy Taiwanese fried chicken! You can find it at local Asian markets or online. Traditionally, sweet potato starch is used, but I can’t always find it at the store, so this is an incredible replacement! I also tested it with cornstarch and it was nowhere close to the level of crispiness the potato starch creates, so I HIGHLY recommend making the effort to grab it!
- Chicken: Chicken thighs stay much juicier than chicken breast for this Taiwanese popcorn chicken recipe. For convenience, I grab boneless skinless chicken thighs because all you have to do is cut them up at home! If you have bone-in chicken thighs, you can remove the bone BUT leave on the skin for extra crispiness & flavor!
- Light Soy Sauce: We’re using light soy sauce for its flavor without being overly salty. If you only have regular soy sauce, add a little less.
- Shaoxing Wine: This is a common Chinese cooking wine that’ll help tenderize the meat & give an extra oomph of flavor! Easily find it at local Asian markets or online!
- Five Spice: This gives the popcorn chicken its signature flavor! It’s a blend of *gasp!* 5 blended spices (star anise, fennel seeds, clove, Sichuan peppercorn, & cinnamon). It’s much easier to use 5-spice than buying them separately then combining.
- Sichuan Peppercorn: Even though 5-spice has a smidge already, I like adding a little extra to create that tingly & numbing effect that only Sichuan peppercorns can create!
- Basil: Either Thai basil or Italian basil will work.
- High Smoke-Point Oil: Use neutral oil with high smoke-point for frying, such as grapeseed oil (my fave), avocado oil, peanut oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.
- Chili Flakes (optional): If you want to make your crispy Taiwanese popcorn chicken spicy!
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪 How to Make Popcorn Chicken
1. Marinate Chicken
In a large bowl, combine chicken sliced into 2-inch pieces with garlic, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, 5-spice, white pepper, and egg white.
Massage the marinade into the chicken until it’s fully absorbed, then cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. Keep the chicken in the fridge until the dredge is ready.
Step 2. Dredge Chicken
In a large plate or bowl of potato starch, add a tablespoon of water at a time to create extra crispy craggily bits! Don’t add a lot of water to the potato starch at once, otherwise, you may create a slurry & it’s harder to manage. Use your hand to crumble together until you have texture similar to wet sand with little nuggets throughout.
Drop a few pieces of chicken at a time and scrunch or press the starches onto the chicken so it really sticks! Make sure to cover all the nooks & crannies, then shake off any excess & let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes. This helps keep the starches on the chicken instead of falling off while frying.
Step 3. Fry Chicken
In a medium-sized pot, add enough oil for a deep fry. Heat on medium-high. You’ll know it’s ready if you stick a chopstick or wooden spoon in the oil & it sizzles.
Add the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding. A good rule of thumb is you should be able to see the bottom of the pot! Gently stir the chicken to separate them from sticking together. Fry for 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and the oil has small bubbles instead of large violent bubbles.
I started using these oil splatter screens that help me cut my cleaning time in half! They’re heaven-sent, especially after a tiring day. The last thing I want to do is spend unnecessary time cleaning the kitchen when I could be relaxing!
Remove, drain on a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate, turn off heat, and let chicken rest for 15-20 minutes.
Skim any floating starch using an oil sieve, then reheat the oil on medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add chicken back in batches and cook for about 1 minute, or until chicken is a deeper golden brown, extra crispy, and oil has tiny bubbles.
Step 4. Fry Basil & Season Chicken
Make sure your basil is dried THOROUGHLY, then add basil to the oil and QUICKLY cover with a lid to avoid splattering. Fry for about 30 seconds, or until you don’t hear any more popping.
Remove the basil then combine with the chicken in a large bowl and sprinkle with the seasoning mixture to taste. Enjoy your Taiwanese snack!
👩🏽🍳 Key Tips
- Keep Chicken in Fridge until Dredge is Ready: Keep the chicken cold for as long as possible. The cold battered chicken hitting the hot oil creates an extra crispy crust!
- Rest Chicken Twice – After Dredging & First Fry: After dredging the chicken in the starches, it’s important to allow the chicken to absorb some of that starch so it better sticks when frying! Otherwise, your chicken won’t be fully coated & you’ll have lots of burnt starch at the bottom of the pot. The second rest is also crucial after the first fry to keep the chicken juicy! If you double-fry the chicken right away, you risk creating dry, tough chicken.
- Create Craggily Bits for EXTRA Crunch: Drizzle a little water into the potato starch to create little crumbles – these will turn insanely crunchy after frying! Just make sure to add a little water at a time instead of all at once, otherwise, it’ll turn into a slurry & difficult to stir and dredge the chicken.
- Double Fry for Maximum Crispiness: This is what is going to keep your chicken EXTRA crispy for hours! The second fry eliminates excess moisture that would eventually turn the chicken soggy over time. This is also why it’s important to rest the chicken before the second fry, to let the chicken juices redistribute & excess moisture come to the surface!
- Save frying oil for another use: Don’t let it go to waste! Once the oil has cooled, strain any excess starch or food particles in the oil with an oil strainer. I like to keep it in a mason jar then use it again to fry Chicken Karaage, Korean Fried Chicken, or Orange Chicken.
💭 Recipe FAQs
🧋 What to Serve with Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
For a full boba shop experience right at home, enjoy your Taiwanese fried chicken while it’s still hot with a tall icy glass of Strawberry Matcha Latte, Iced Thai Milk Tea, Vietnamese Coffee, or creamy Avocado Smoothie with Homemade Tapioca Pearls!
🍗 More Easy Chicken Recipes You’ll Love!
Let’s get cooking!
Get into my secret stash of Goody-Packed Newsletters with meals planned for you & time-saving tips! Want step-by-step videos of how to make my recipes too? I gotchu over at my youtube channel. Aight, enough chatting, more eating!
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
Watch How to Make It!
Ingredients
MARINADE:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thigh cut in 2-inch pieces
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon 5-spice
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 egg white
SEASONING:
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon 5-spice seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ -¼ teaspoon ground szechuan peppercorn
BREADING:
- 1 cup potato starch
- 3 1/2 tablespoons water separated
INGREDIENTS:
- Handful basil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken and marinade ingredients – chicken, minced garlic, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, 5-spice, white pepper, & egg white.. Massage the marinate into the chicken until it’s fully absorbed. Cover & marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Keep chicken cold in the fridge until the dredge is ready and you're ready to fry.
- In a small bowl, combine the seasoning mix – salt, 5-spice, white pepper, sugar, garlic powder, and ground Szechuan peppercorn. If you haven’t had szechuan peppercorn before, start with a little, taste, and adjust if you’d like more for that tingly-numbing effect! Be careful not to add too much though, otherwise, it’ll overpower with a strong floral flavor.
- Prep the dredge by pouring potato starch onto a large bowl or plate. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of water at a time to the potato starch, using your fingers to mix and create crumbles in the starch. Repeat the process until you have crumbly nuggets throughout the dredge (photo example in blog post above).
- Add a few pieces of chicken to the dredge at a time, pressing or scrunching the potato starch & its crumbles into the chicken so it really sticks. Repeat for remaining chicken & let chicken rest for 10-15 minutes – this will help the starch better stick to the chicken instead of falling off when cooking!
- In a medium-sized pot, heat enough oil to deep fry on medium-high heat. You’ll know it’s hot enough if you stick a wooden chopstick or spoon in the oil & it starts to sizzle. Add chicken in the oil, working in batches to avoid overcrowding. Best practice is you should be able to see the bottom of the pot. Gently stir the chicken so they don’t get stuck together while cooking. Cook for about 1-3 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown and oil is producing small bubbles instead of large violent bubbles lol. Remove and drain on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate. Turn off heat & let chicken rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Re-heat the pot of oil on medium-high, then once hot, add chicken back in batches. Again, don’t overcrowd otherwise your chicken won’t get to maximum crispiness! Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until a slightly darker brown & only small bubbles are showing in the oil. Remove, drain on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate.
- Turn off the heat, add the basil leaves to the oil, and QUICKLY cover with a lid to avoid splattering. Cook for about 1 minute, or until you no longer hear popping / splattering. Remove basil leaves.
- In a large bowl, toss together chicken, basil leaves, and seasoning. Enjoy!
Notes
- Potato Starch: This creates a crunchy crust for the chicken! You can easily find it at local Asian markets or Amazon. A common alternative is cornstarch, but keep in mind your chicken won’t be nearly as crispy, so I HIGHLY recommend grabbing potato starch 🙂
- Szechuan Peppercorns: This gives a tingly numbing affect that has no substitute! If you haven’t tried it, add a little then you can always add more.
- Key Tips:
- Rest Chicken Twice – after dredging & first fry
- Create craggily bits in the dredge for EXTRA crunch
- Double-fry for maximum crispiness
- Cool, drain, & save frying oil for another use
Nutrition
Exact calculations may vary. For the most accurate nutritional information, use your preferred nutrition calculator, actual ingredients, and quantities used for the recipe. Please consult with your physician or registered dietitian if more precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
