Name: Taiwanese Fried Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
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

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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!

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.