• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Carmy - Easy Healthy-ish Recipes
  • Home
  • All Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Airfryer
    • Breakfast
    • Dips & Dressings
    • Freezer Friendly
    • Instant Pot
    • Main Dishes
    • Meal Prep
    • Meatless
    • One Pot/Sheet Wonders
    • Pasta
    • Sheet Pan Meals
    • Under 60 Minute Meals
  • Meal Prep
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • How To Tutorials
    • Meal Prep
      • Meal Prep 101: Why You Should Meal Prep, How To Meal Prep, and Other Meal Prep Tips
      • Tips To Help You Meal Prep For the Week Successfully
      • Tips for Meal Prepping on a Budget + 28 Recipes
      • Whole Chicken Meal Prep (3 Freezer Friendly Meals)
    • Meal Prep: Learning the Basics E-Book
    • How To Tutorials
      • How To Cook a Whole Chicken in an Instant Pot
      • How To Cook Chicken Breasts Perfectly
      • How to Make the Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
      • How to Press Tofu Without a Tofu Press
  • About Me
    • Collaborate With Me
    • Privacy Policy
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Instant Pot
  • Meal Prep
  • Airfryer
  • How To Tutorials
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Recipes / Main Dishes / Taiwanese Fried Chicken (Popcorn Chicken)

    Taiwanese Fried Chicken (Popcorn Chicken)

    Posted: Dec 27, 2020 Last Modified: Dec 28, 2020 by Carmy

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Who doesn’t love popcorn chicken? Taiwanese Fried Chicken are the perfect little bites of chicken and so addictive that you’re going to be wishing you made a double batch! Top with fried Thai basil and more Chinese five spice, you’re going to love this chicken recipe!

    Overhead view of a while bowl with Taiwanese popcorn chicken and fried basil.

    Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

    Whenever I go to a bubble tea cafe, I always order a serving of their popcorn chicken. I always ask if H wants any and he always says no but will try for one when it arrives to the table because once you smell it, you won’t be able to resist them! They’re so crunchy, savoury, and flavourful. They double as a snack or as part of a meal.

    Since moving, there has been 0 bubble tea cafes around which means my precious little Taiwanese chicken nuggets are no where to be seen. While there are a few ways to make this, here’s my version of it. Some places double fry their chicken but guys, I’m lazy and want to have my fried chicken ASAP so once through is enough for me haha.

    Angled image of a white bowl with Taiwanese Fried Chicken and fried Thai basil.

    What You’ll Need to Make Taiwanese Fried Chicken

    Ingredients for Taiwanese fried chicken.
    • chicken thighs
    • sugar
    • salt & pepper
    • garlic powder
    • Chinese five spice – the secret ingredient! This is what gives it that savoury flavour.
    • sesame oil – I prefer roasted sesame oil but pure sesame oil works as well.
    • soy sauce – I usually try to use low sodium soy sauce.
    • mirin
    • eggs
    • cornstarch – while a lot of places use potato starch or sweet potato starch, cornstarch is the most accessible ingredient and works perfectly fine for this popcorn chicken recipe.
    • Thai basil

    You’ll also need frying oil. I use vegetable oil.

    How to Make Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken At Home

    • In a bowl, combine the chicken thighs with the sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Chinese five spice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and mirin. The smaller the vessel you use to marinate, the less marinate you actually need. You can also use a ziploc bag instead.
    • Set aside to marinate for 30-60 minutes.
    White bowl with chicken thighs marinating in sauce.
    • Prep the frying station. Add at least 1 inch of oil to your Dutch oven or wok and heat it on low heat until you’re ready to use. Also, set aside a sheet pan with some paper towels underneath with a wire rack on top.
    • In a bowl, beat your eggs. In another bowl, add your cornstarch.
    • Dip each piece of chicken into the egg and then coat with cornstarch.
    • Bring the oil up to around 375F/195C and slowly add your popcorn chicken into the oil in small batches, one at a time.
    • Fry the chicken until it’s golden brown, making sure to flip them if your oil doesn’t cover your chicken pieces entirely. It can take up to 5 minutes to fry through, depending on the size of your chicken.
    • Transfer the fried chicken to your wire rack to cool and continue until you’ve fried all your chicken. Sprinkle some more Chinese five spice on top of the fried chicken while it’s still warm before serving.
    Chopsticks holding up a crispy fried chicken nugget.
    • When done, add your Thai basil to the oil to fry them as well to give them that crispy bite. The basil might pop in the oil so be careful when adding it to the oil. Fry for up to 30 seconds, depending on how big your basil leaves are. Alternatively, serve with fresh Thai basil.
    Sheet pan with wire rack cooling the freshly fried Taiwanese popcorn chicken and fried basils.

    Storage Tips

    • Meal Prep: You can store any leftovers you have in an airtight container. I like to reheat mine in an airfryer to keep it crispy. I’ve also had meal prepped this for H before and he reheats it in the microwave at work.
    • Freezer: If you want to freeze this, you can freeze this at the marinating step and if you’d like. Thaw when ready to cook and dip in egg and coat in cornstarch and fry. Alternatively, you can freeze this after it’s been fried. Simply thaw and reheat when ready to consume.
    Bento box with rice, popcorn chicken, broccoli, and egg.

    Tips

    • Chicken thighs can be swapped with chicken breasts but thighs are more flavourful.
    • When basil goes into the oil, there will be some splattering so please be careful.
    • The more shallow or small the bowl, the less marinade you’ll need.

    Taiwanese Fried Chicken

    Who doesn’t love popcorn chicken? Taiwanese Fried Chicken are the perfect little bites of chicken and so addictive that you’re going to be be wishing you made a double batch!
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 20 mins
    Marinading Time: 30 mins
    Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp pepper
    • 2 tsp garlic powder
    • 1½ tbsp Chinese five spice, plus more for dusting
    • 3 tsp sesame oil
    • 4 tbsp soy sauce
    • 3 tbsp mirin
    • 2 eggs, beaten
    • 1 cup cornstarch
    • 1 handful Thai basil
    • frying oil

    Equipment

    • Dutch oven

    Instructions

    • In a bowl, combine the chicken thighs with the sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Chinese five spice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and mirin. The smaller the vessel you use to marinate, the less marinate you actually need. You can also use a ziploc bag instead.
    • Set aside to marinate for 30-60 minutes.
    • Prep the frying station. Add at least 1 inch of oil to your Dutch oven or wok and heat it on low heat until you’re ready to use. Also, set aside a sheet pan with some paper towels underneath with a wire rack on top.
    • In a bowl, beat your eggs. In another bowl, add your cornstarch.
    • Dip each piece of chicken into the egg and then coat with cornstarch.
    • Bring the oil up to around 375F/195C and slowly add your popcorn chicken into the oil in small batches, one at a time.
    • Fry the chicken until it’s golden brown, making sure to flip them if your oil doesn’t cover your chicken pieces entirely. It can take up to 5 minutes to fry through, depending on the size of your chicken.
    • Transfer the fried chicken to your wire rack to cool and continue until you’ve fried all your chicken. Sprinkle some more Chinese five spice on top of the fried chicken while it’s still warm before serving.
    • When done, add your Thai basil to the oil to fry them as well to give them that crispy bite. The basil might pop in the oil so be careful when adding it to the oil. Fry for up to 30 seconds, depending on how big your basil leaves are. Alternatively, serve with fresh Thai basil.
    Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥
    Authour: Carmy
    Course: Main Course, Snack
    Cuisine: Asian

    Other places to connect with me
    @carmyshungry on Instagram
    Facebook
    Shop my Amazon faves
    Email: [email protected]

    More Asian Comfort Foods You Might Enjoy

    • Korokke (Potato & Meat Croquette) Bento Box
    • Tteokbokki Inspired Korean Meatballs
    • Pan Fried Gochujang Pork Belly
    • Korean Inspired Instant Pot Ragu
    • Korean Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs

    NEVER MISS A POST!

    Want a free downloadable shopping list and recipes for one week's meal prep (lunches and snacks)? Sign up now for updates and get your shopping list and recipes today!

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    meet carmy

    Carmy is a healthy-ish living blogger based in Toronto. Here you can find healthy-ish meal prep recipes, Instant Pot recipes, and lightened up family favourites! Follow along on as she shares what she learns along the way!

    Visit her about me page to learn more about her.
    Click here to check out her Meal Prep: Learning the Basics ebook.



    Click here if you'd like to collaborate with Carmy

    Never Miss A Post

    Sign up for updates and get a free downloadable shopping list and recipes for one week's meal prep (lunches and snacks) AND a weekly meal planner printable to help you plan!

    Copyright © 2021 Carmy - Easy Healthy-ish Recipes on the Foodie Pro Theme