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Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (Yan Su Ji)
Taiwan's night-market favorite: bite-size chicken thigh marinated in soy, rice wine and five-spice, coated in coarse sweet potato starch, double-fried with Thai basil and showered with salt-pepper seasoning.
Notes
Starter recipe; adjust to taste. Coarse sweet potato starch gives the signature craggy crunch.
RECIPE CARD
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (Yan Su Ji)
Yield: 4 servings | Time: 40 minutes, plus 1 hour marinating
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Ingredients
Chicken
- 1½ lb Boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Shaoxing or Taiwanese rice wine
- 1 tsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Five-spice powder
- ½ tsp White pepper
- 3 cloves Garlic, grated
- 1 tsp Ginger, grated
- 1 Egg
- 1½ cups Coarse sweet potato starch (or tapioca starch)
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves
- Neutral oil for frying
Salt-pepper seasoning
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp White pepper
- ½ tsp Five-spice powder
- ½ tsp Chili powder or cayenne
- ½ tsp Sugar
Instructions
- Mix soy, rice wine, sugar, five-spice, white pepper, garlic, ginger and egg. Toss with the chicken and marinate 1 hour to overnight.
- Stir the seasoning ingredients together.
- Heat oil to 325°F. Dredge chicken in sweet potato starch, pressing so the coarse bits stick; rest 5 minutes so the coating hydrates.
- Fry in batches 4 minutes until pale golden. Drain.
- Raise oil to 375°F and fry again 1 minute until deeply crisp.
- Toss the basil into the oil for 5–10 seconds (stand back, it spatters) and drain.
- Toss chicken and basil with the seasoning and serve hot.
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Schossow Kitchen · schossowkitchen.com
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