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Taiwanese

Taiwanese popcorn chicken

Non-vegetarian

鹽酥雞 · yán sū jī

Garlic- and five-spice-marinated chicken bites in a craggy starch coating, deep-fried with basil leaves and showered with salt and white pepper — a night-market essential.

Taiwanese popcorn chicken is a Taiwanese street food, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with chicken thigh, five-spice powder and tapioca starch. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Delicious crispy Taiwanese popcorn chicken served in a basket perfect for an Asian snack.
Photo: Josh Eleazar / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
423

Ingredients

4 servings

Marinade

Coating

For frying

Seasoning

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the chicken with the soy sauce (opens in a new tab), wine, garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, sugar (opens in a new tab), five-spice and egg (opens in a new tab). Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Marinate raw chicken in the fridge and wash hands afterwards.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Toss the pieces in the starch, pressing to coat, and leave for 5 minutes until the coating looks damp. Mix the salt, white pepper (opens in a new tab) and chilli flakes (opens in a new tab).

    • 7 min

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil to 170 °C and fry the chicken in batches for 4 minutes until pale gold and cooked through. Drain.

    Food safety: Don't overfill the pan; keep children away from hot oil. Chicken should reach 74 °C.

  4. Step 4

    Raise the oil to 190 °C and refry all the chicken for 1 minute until crisp. Add the basil (opens in a new tab) for the last 10 seconds — stand back, it spatters.

    • 2 min
    • 190°C

    Food safety: Basil leaves spit violently in hot oil; make sure they are dry and use a splatter guard.

  5. Step 5

    Drain, toss with the seasoning while hot and serve in paper bags or bowls.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Taiwan · Well documentedAlso popular in United StatesMore food from Taiwan
Dish
Snack · Dinner · Street food · Finger food
Cooking method
Deep-fried, Marinated / cured
Taste
savoury, peppery, garlicky, herby
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Chicken thigh · Five-spice powder · Tapioca starch · Soy sauce · Shaoxing wine · Garlic
Techniques
Deep-frying · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom soy sauce, shaoxing wine
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom soy sauce, shaoxing wine
  • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

423 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 221 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 31%
  • Carbohydrate 23%
  • Fat 46%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy423 kcal191 kcal
Protein32.1 g14.5 g
Carbohydrate23.5 g10.6 g
Net carbohydrate23 g10.4 g
Sugars1.9 g0.9 g
Added sugars1 g0.5 g
Fibre0.5 g0.2 g
Fat21.2 g9.6 g
Saturated fat3.1 g1.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol188 mg85 mg
Sodium803 mg363 mg
Salt equivalent2 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
448 mg
Calcium
42 mg
Iron
2.2 mg
Magnesium
46 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
44 µg
Vitamin C
2 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
1 µg
Folate (DFE)
17 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: red chilli flakes.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): five-spice powder.
  • Shaoxing wine: Sake (FDC 167723) used as a stand-in for Chinese rice cooking wine.
  • Tapioca starch: Dry pearl tapioca (FDC 169717) used as a stand-in; both are almost pure cassava starch.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Fried cubes of tofu, mushrooms, sweet potato and green beans are fried the same way at Taiwanese stalls.

Common mistakes

  • Basil that is even slightly wet will spit violently in the oil — dry it thoroughly.
  • Skipping the second fry at higher heat leaves the coating soft.

Serve with

  • Eat with skewers and a cold bubble tea.

Storage

  • Best eaten immediately.

Reheating

  • Re-crisp in a hot oven or air fryer for 5 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

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