Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

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What's there not to love about popcorn chicken? Tiny bites of juicy and tender chicken usually served with a dipping sauce........mmmmmm gooooood. How about trying this Taiwanese version prepared with a savory and mildly sweet marinade and a crispy, golden brown crust. Yes. Please. 

This recipe was inspired by my love for a version of this popcorn chicken from a local tea shop in Georgia. After trying a few combinations of ingredients, I finally found the perfect marriage. These tiny bites of chicken are packed with huge flavor. Sauce not required! But if you're lookin for something to dip these crispy bites into, I recommend plain Japanese mayo. Try this one friends. You won't regret it! 

This recipe is dedicated to my sweet friend Christine K, who introduced me to that tea shop. 

📸 The Recipe Sherpa

Prep Time:    20 minutes

Cook Time:  15 minutes

Preheat Frying Oil: 350° F

Ingredients: The ingredients are grouped to simplify the prep and cooking process.

Protein
  • Chicken Thighs - 1 lbs. Cubed. Boneless. Skinless
Finishing Salt - Lightly toast, then grind, and set aside. See 411
  • Sichuan Peppercorn - 1 tbs
  • Black Peppercorn - 1 tbs
  • Course Sea Salt - 3/4 tsp
Marinade - Mix marinade. Pour over chicken & mix. Set aside. *Don't over marinade. See 411*
  • Soy Sauce - 1 tbs (Low sodium preferred)
  • Salt - 1 ½ tsp
  • Chinese 5 Spice - 1 tsp
  • Ginger - 1 tsp, grated w/microplane or FINELY minced (or ginger paste)
  • Garlic - 3 med cloves, grated w/microplane or FINELY minced (or garlic paste)
  • Onion Powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Flour - 2 tsp
  • Egg White - 1 lg. egg (No yolk. This will ruin the crisp)
  • Shauxing Wine - 1 tbs
  • Orange Juice - 1 tbs
Breading - Prep and set aside
  • "THICK" Sweet Potato Starch - 1 to 2 cups as needed
                                      
Step 1 - Make the Finishing Salt. This recipe makes more than you need. You can reserve the salt for future use. I make this in advance and now it's a pantry staple for anytime I need it.
Step 2 - Pour the marinade over the cubed chicken. Mix well and set aside. Whisking the egg white ahead of time helps.
Step 3 - On a sheet pan, scatter 1/2 cup of the sweet potato starch. Drop pieces of chicken on top, separating the pieces as much as possible. Use the rest of the starch to coat the top of the chicken. Then gently use your hands to mix the chicken around to ensure all the pieces are coated and still separated. 
                           
Step 4 - Using a large heavy pot, deep fry the chicken. Carefully drop the chicken into the oil, one piece at a time. I use tongs for this. Stir to keep the pieces seperated. Fry for 5 mins and set in a strainer or colander. Don't over crowd the oil. Fry in 2 batches if necessary. (Remove the floating starch. It will burn and stick to your next batch of chicken)
Step 5 - Increase the oil temp to 365° F for a second fry. This time you can add all the chicken back into the oil instead of batches. Be careful to avoid boil over! Fry for 2 minutes. Then remove and put on a wire rack. Immediately sprinkle some of the Finishing Salt over the hot chicken. 

        
                                            
And you're done! This flavor profile works well with plain mayo as a side dip. I prefer Japanese mayo. It has a mild hint of sweetness. 

Tips and 411 
  • Do not over marinade the chicken. This is a real time marinade. The chicken can marinade while you are making the Finishing Salt or heating up the oil. Over marinading will cause the chicken to release too much water. 
  • When doing the 2nd fry, be careful with boil over. If you don't have enough room to add all the chicken, do the 2nd fry in batches. 
  • You can shallow fry this but make sure the chicken is completely emerged in the oil. You don't want the chicken to touch the bottom of your pot / pan. This will burn the potato starch. Deep frying is the best option.
  • Pantry Staples
  • Toasting the spices - Toast on a dry pan on medium heat and keep stirring until you can smell the Szechuan peppercorns. Don't over toast and burn! Remove from heat immediately and grind with a spice grinder or mortar & pestle. You can toast both peppercorns and the sea salt at the same time. The purpose of toasting the salt is to remove any impurities so that the finished product has a long shelf life. 
  • Japanese Mayo - You can use regular mayo like Dukes or Hellmans. But I don't recommend Miracle Whip. https://amzn.to/31yDAM1
  • "Thick" potato starch - This ingredient is not always easy to find. And Amazon keeps running out of stock. They do replenish but not often. If you can't find the thick start, you can use a regular potato starch and make your own thick version easily.  https://amzn.to/3iqH9dX
    • Using a clean spray bottle, fill it up with drinkable water. 
    • Spray water on your starch and shake the starch around, creating tiny thick granules. 

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