Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (鹽酥雞)

Snack on addictive bite-sized Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken coated in an incredibly crisp and light crust. They’re tossed in a homemade roasted seasoning mix while the classic marinade makes each bite ultra juicy. Get your hands on all the tricks to making this super satisfying street food!

A crispy bite-sized appetizer

There used to be a time when I would walk past Chinese fried food joints, only ever eyeing the one snack that tempted me – a bag of deliciously hot Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken.

Fast forward a few years since I last stumbled across those spicy gems and I’m proud to say that I’m now making them from scratch in the comfort of my own home, along with other street snack favorites like Bánh Khọt (Mini Savory Pancakes), Bánh Tráng Trộn (Rice Paper Salad) and Curry Fish Balls (咖喱魚蛋).

There’s really no comparison between homemade and store-bought. In the heart of your home, you have control over everything. Be it the level of spice, the cut of meat and even how long you marinate it for.

When you’re in control of the cooking, you can ensure that the flavors are deeply infused. Say goodbye to boring and bland chicken!

But that’s not even the best part. Our secret to perfecting Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken lies in our technique – double frying ensures that you’ll end up with the most wickedly crispy coating.

Then toss it in a homemade smoky spice mix? Oh, my. You’ve got an appetizer everyone will be dreaming of!

Why do they call it ‘popcorn chicken’?

I remember being rather confused about this as a child. There definitely was no popped corn in the fried food I had been eating. In fact, I was certain that Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken was purely just chicken!

It wasn’t like Fish Sauce Wings where the name made sense. If you were ever like me and wondered why boneless fried meat had that name, let me clear it up for you.

The shape and size of the meat pieces resembles the shape and size of popcorn. When it’s served, it’s often given in a bucket-like container, which is similar to the way popped corn is served.

I know, I know…there’s not much that’s the same, is there?

But while they’re so vastly different, there’s one important factor that makes them identical – you can POP them in your mouth while enjoying a movie with your loved ones!

Why this recipe works

• Lightly toasting the peppercorns infuses a smokiness into the seasoning that pairs perfectly with the ground paprika.
• Double frying ensures that it stays crispy for hours.
• Marinating each piece in spices and aromatics means the inside has incredible flavor.

What you’ll need

For the marinade

About the ingredients

Don’t be alarmed by all the marinate ingredients! More seasoning means more flavor!

You can find all the ingredients at Chinese supermarkets. The fermented tofu comes in a red or white version and is completely optional, but ideally go for the white fermented bean curd if it’s available.

For the batter

About the starch

Traditionally, this recipe is made using sweet potato starch as the batter to get that signature ‘lumpy’ texture. If that’s not available, you can substitute it with corn starch as we did.

For the seasoning

About the peppercorns

This recipe uses white and Sichuan peppercorns for the seasoning’s base, but you can swap it out for black or green Sichuan peppercorns if that’s your preference.

The ratio of each spice is entirely up to what you like and can be changed accordingly. If you have leftover seasoning, just store it in a sealed jar to use later for other dishes or give it as a gift.

How to make this recipe

Cut the thighs into bite-sized pieces, roughly 3cm x 3cm (1″ x 1″).

Marinate them in the five spice powder, chicken bouillon powder, salt, sugar, grated ginger, finely chopped garlic, onion powder, corn starch, egg white, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, pepper and mashed fermented tofu for at least 20 minutes.

Toast the white and Sichuan peppercorns on low-medium heat until slightly brown, then use a sieve to sift out any unwanted particles.

Use a food processor to grind the peppercorns into a powder. Alternatively, use a pestle and mortar to crush them to achieve the same result.

Combine the ground peppercorns with the five spice powder, paprika and salt.

Mix the corn starch and baking powder together, then coat the cut pieces in the corn starch mix. Use a colander to shake away any excess starch.

Tip: Put a few pieces in at a time so they are well-coated. Dumping many in will run the risk of a wet batter.

Heat up a wok of oil on medium heat and fry the coated pieces for 5 minutes or until golden.

Remove the pieces and let it drip dry in a sieve. Turn the heat up to high and double fry them for another 2 minutes.

Just before the chicken is ready, toss in the Thai basil leaves and let them fry for 2 minutes or until crispy. Scoop the chicken and leaves out into a large sieve or colander.

Put a serving of Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken into a large bowl along with some Thai basil. Add some of the spice mix in and toss all together until the batter is evenly coated.

Serve immediately as is!

FAQs

Tips for the best results

• Marinate the meat overnight. For the deepest flavor in your Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken, make sure to let all the seasoning absorb for as long as possible.
• Double or triple fry. It’s no secret that double frying leaves fried food extra crunchy, just like in our Crispy Rainbow Beef (牛柳丝) and Chả Giò Chay (Vegetarian Spring Rolls). But you can take it to the next level by frying it a third time!
• Use fattier cuts. If you want a succulent bite, it’s ideal to go for a cut with more fat so that it melts into juices as it cooks.

Enjoy more party-worthy appetizers!

• Seafood Rolls – A wonderful celebratory dish that can be welcomed into your home. Find pleasure in these succulent and golden seafood parcels.
• Salted Egg Prawns (牛油黃金虾) – This is our most searched for recipe! Sweet and juicy prawns are coated in a creamy salted yolk sauce for the most memorable experience.
• Ham Sui Gok (Fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings 咸水角) – Craving dim sum? These Cantonese classics are wonderfully chewy and a winner at every yum cha gathering.
• Vietnamese Stuffed Chicken Wings – Take your wings to a whole new world with these stuffed wings. They have the iconic Vietnamese flavors and are absolutely loaded.
• Curry Fish Balls (咖喱魚蛋) – You’ll love these fish balls coaed in a thick aromatic sauce full of curry flavor.
• Steamed Oysters with Ginger and Shallots – These are the perfect start to any banquet!

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This post was originally published on 28/7/20 and updated with new photos in June 2021.

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